Is he dead, Gorilla? A Buffalo Sabres Season

[bthomp05]

Where did you go buddy?

[goosedennis]

Anyways, this is probably dead. I hope that HW isn't dead though...

[HeroWorship]

The Interview: Tim O'Donnell



Sabres.com: We are talking to General Manager Tim O'Donnell, Mr. O'Donnell how are you today?

Tim O'Donnell: Very good. I was told to do this interview so people didn't think I died.

Sabres.com: Nonsense! It's just that your last update was November 3rd, and it's December 1st, and you're finally updating this, what gives?

O'Donnell: Well, I've been busy. I stopped playing, took civil service exams, drank beer, and get ****-blocked. I decided to continue this dynasty because the weather is lousy and, well, the real Sabres suck.

Sabres.com: Ouch.

O'Donnell: Yes. So let's answer some questions from the dozens of HW's fans.

Dynasty: Nice job bringing in some serious talent. will be watching to see how they gel

What was your thoughts while trading miller?

O'Donnell: In order to improve, you must be willing to depart with talent. And since NHL 11, it's hard to trade, I felt the best course of action was to shore up my defense, get a solid young netminder, and get Patrick Kane to score goals.

mnwildgophers: I just read through this whole thread, it was a great read and congrats on winning the cup (belated)! Were your sliders too easy last year, I think you said you were going to try harder ones so that should be exciting. Love the move to get Kane and Keith, even though giving up Miller is tough.

I can't believe my Wild is in 3rd in the conference, didn't think I'd ever get to see when that would happen again. :P

Good luck on the rest of the year, it seems like draft picks don't matter as much, is this more a philosophical standpoint or do you think that these particular moves (such as getting Mason) were worth those picks?

O'Donnell: Well, it's always nice to get new readers, and winning the cup was pretty easy. Hell, who in their right mind can take a first season seriously with Rob Niedmayer getting 24 goals?

(It's weird that Montador, IRL, is on pace to score the same amount of points).

I believe it was worth it. Mason is a good, young goaltender who will be a solid building block for years to come. I didn't dismiss draft picks, it was nice getting Nugent-Hopkins for Roy, it was just I felt this was the best course of action for the team in general.

goosedennis: Call up the cyborg manufacturing plant that created Tyler Myers and ask them to use cheaper materials for this year's model.

O'Donnell: Down Goes Brown has gotten less funny since he started doing the National Post.

bthomp05: Excellent write-up again but a tough month. Hopefully December is more giving.

I still can`t get my head around you trading Miller - I understand why you did it and I do believe you came out better - but wow..

How are your draft picks from the beginning of your campaign doing (The ones you stared out with on defualt)?

O'Donnell: Well, I didn't have Foligno and McNabb with me like I should have, but most of them were lost in free agency. I only kept Sutch and the MacKenzies.

The guys who were signed (Adam, Legace, Crawford) are all in the pro ranks. Adam is currently on the Sabres, while Legace has done well on the third line in Portland and Crawford has been okay for the team.

bthomp05: HeroWorship is a Quinn Clone :-)

O'Donnell: DON'T ****ING COMPARE ME TO THAT PIECE OF **** YOU ****ING COCKSUCKER.

(regains composure)

mnwildgophers: Haha, well I have noticed that your players don't seem to progress much. It's kind of odd, like I played one season with the Wild, and I think Granlund went up 2 ratings after a full year to a 74, but maybe it just takes a while like real life.

O'Donnell: Sadly, the first season was done before the patch, so **** happens.

bthomp05: Where did you go buddy?

O'Donnell: This was on Tuesday. I did a ride-along with the Niagara Falls Police Department and saw a accident where some fat cow got hit by jaywalking. I then returned home, ate Mac and Cheese, and watched Glee.

Yes I'm a ******.

goosedennis: Anyways, this is probably dead. I hope that HW isn't dead though...

O'Donnell: I was at Tops getting chocolate milk and getting a large double double at Tim Hortons.

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Buffalo Sabres 2011-12 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Oct 4	vs Atlanta Thrashers	Lost, 3-2
Oct 6	vs New York Rangers	Lost, 6-3
Oct 8	at Montreal Canadiens	Lost, 6-2
Oct 10	at Toronto Maple Leafs	Lost, 4-3 (OT)
Oct 12	vs Colorado Avalanche	Lost, 5-3
Oct 14	vs Edmonton Oilers	Won, 6-3
Oct 16	vs San Jose Sharks	Won, 7-5
Oct 18	vs Montreal Canadiens	Won, 3-2 (OT)
Oct 20	vs Toronto Maple Leafs	Lost, 3-1
Oct 23	vs Philadelphia Flyers	Won, 4-1
Oct 26	vs Tampa Bay Lightning	Won, 5-3
Oct 28	vs Washington Capitals	Lost, 3-1
Oct 30	at Detroit Red Wings	Won, 4-3
Nov 1	at Minnesota Wild	Lost, 3-2 (SO)
Nov 3	at Edmonton Oilers	Lost, 3-1
Nov 7	vs Montreal Canadiens	Lost, 4-3 (OT)
Nov 8	at Florida Panthers	Won, 4-3
Nov 9	at New York Islanders	Won, 5-2
Nov 11	at New Jersey Devils	Won, 5-3
Nov 16	vs Anaheim Ducks	Lost, 6-3
Nov 18	vs Calgary Flames	Won, 3-2 (OT)
Nov 20	vs Los Angeles Kings	Won, 2-1 (OT)
Nov 22	at Boston Bruins	Lost, 2-1 (SO)
Nov 23	at Ottawa Senators	Lost, 4-3 (OT)
Nov 24	at Ottawa Senators	Lost, 4-2
Nov 26	at Philadelphia Flyers	Won, 7-2
Nov 28	at Pittsburgh Penguins	Lost, 4-0
Nov 30	vs Ottawa Senators	Won, 2-1
Dec 2	vs Ottawa Senators	Won, 3-0
Dec 3	vs New Jersey Devils	Won, 4-2
Dec 5	vs New York Islanders	Lost, 3-2
Dec 6	vs New York Islanders	Won, 3-0
Dec 8	vs New York Rangers	Won, 6-2
Dec 10	at Nashville Predators	Lost, 3-2
Dec 12	at Columbus Blue Jackets	Won, 2-0
Dec 14	at Vancouver Canucks	Won, 3-2
Dec 16	vs Boston Bruins	Won, 7-2
Dec 18	vs Toronto Maple Leafs	Lost, 3-2
Dec 21	at Atlanta Thrashers	Won, 4-2
Dec 23	at Washington Capitals	Won, 6-3
Dec 27	at New York Rangers	Lost, 5-2
Dec 29	at Toronto Maple Leafs	Won, 2-1
Jan 6	at Pittsburgh Penguins
Jan 8	at Tampa Bay Lightning
Jan 11	at Boston Bruins
Jan 12	at Montreal Canadiens
Jan 14	at Montreal Canadiens
Jan 15	vs Carolina Hurricanes
Jan 17	vs Florida Panthers
Jan 19	vs Toronto Maple Leafs
Jan 22	vs Dallas Stars
Jan 24	vs Minnesota Wild
Jan 26	vs Phoenix Coyotes

BY THE NUMBERS

Points: 52 (4th)
Goals For: 135 (6th)
Goals Against: 119 (13th)
Power Play: 28.2% (1st)
Penalty Kill: 68.3% (30th)
Home: 13-7-2
Away: 10-6-2

NHL Transactions

12.04.2011: The Colorado Avalanche claim left winger Jarkko Ruutu off waivers from the Ottawa Senators
12.04.2011: The Ottawa Senators sign goaltender John Curry to a two-year deal
12.05.2011: The Ottawa Senators sign right winger David Meckler to a one-year deal
12.11.2011: The Edmonton Oilers claim goaltedner Martin Biron off waivers from the New York Rangers
12.17.2011: The Ottawa Senators sign right winger Robin Figren to a one-year deal
12.20.2011: The Ottawa Senators sign defenseman Mike Siklenka to a two-year deal
12.21.2011: The Carolina Hurricanes have acquired defenseman Chris Butler from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a second round pick in the 2012 draft.
12.24.2011: The Ottawa Senators sign center Wacey Rabbit to a one-year deal
12.25.2011: The Florida Panthers have claimed goaltender Peter Budaj off waivers from Colorado
12.29.2011: The Ottawa Senators sign left winger John McCarthy to a two-year deal

[goosedennis]

Orgasmic update.

[bthomp05]

Holy crap batman, your ALIVE...

Excellent update HW..

[HeroWorship]

Hejduk's injury gives Parrish another chance.


Parrish has two assists in two games with Buffalo

They say in life, when one door closes, another opens.

When Sabres right winger and inconsistent scorer Milan Hejduk broke his leg in the Sabres 4-2 loss against the Dallas Stars, it meant an opening came. And when veteran right winger Mark Parrish received word he was getting the call, he grew excited.

"I thought I was playing well in Portland, and for the team to give me the chance, it was amazing" said Parrish, who spent the 2010-11 hockey season playing in Germany.

The veteran of now 722 National Hockey League games, Parrish is a reclamation project, similar to when Sabres General Manager Tim O'Donnell signed Jonathan Cheechoo last season. Once considered a solid second liner, Parrish fell off the hockey landscape when the Minnesota Wild bought out his contract after two seasons with the club.

He spent the 2008-09 and 2009-10 season split between the NHL and American Hockey League before going to Germany, then returning on a one-year contract by the Sabres. He wasn't exactly lighting up the lamp in Portland, only scoring 11 goals and 29 points in 48 games, but, as Pirates head coach Kevin Dineen pointed out, his leadership has been there.

"He's been a smarter defensive player and has switched to multiple roles on the team" said Dineen. "We had him at center, left wing, right wing, basically, he hasn't been on one spot all season. He's been disciplined, and very respectful to everyone here."

Some felt that either Mark Mancari, who began the season with the Sabres, or rookie Alexander Morozov would get the call. But Sabres Head Coach Bob Boughner went with the safe bet.

"We called up Drew Miller, and he's been solid and stayed on the team" said Boughner. "Bringing up a veteran like Mark will be good, because he's willing to work and won't question anything we throw at him."

Of course, if Parrish plays too well, the big question is what happens to Hejduk. Hejduk signed a one-year deal with Buffalo, and has been disappointing. Though O'Donnell has expressed no comment on any rumors, he did trade Chris Butler after Corvo's return, and traded Derek Roy before his injury was up, so you never know with the Grand Wizard in the front office.

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Two Sabres Make All-Star Team

The Buffalo Sabres had two representatives at last year's all-star game. They have two this year.

Right winger Patrick Kane and goaltender Steve Mason were selected for the Wales Conference squad as they took on the Campbell Conference at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

Kane makes his second straight appearance, while Mason makes his first appearance.

Here is the list of players who made it (note, [2] means they made it last year as well)

Wales Conference

Centers

Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh) [2]
Michael Frolik (Florida)
Jason Spezza (Ottawa)
Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay)
John Tavares (N.Y. Islanders)

Wingers

Alexander Frolov (N.Y. Rangers)
Brian Gionta (Montreal)
Patrick Kane (Buffalo) [2]
Phil Kessel (Toronto) [2]
Ilya Kovalchuk (New Jersey) [2]
Kyle Okposo (N.Y. Islanders)
James van Riemsdyk (Philadelphia)

Defense

Zach Bogosian (Atlanta)
Zdeno Chara (Boston)
Michael Del Zotto (N.Y. Rangers)
Mike Green (Washington)
Sami Salo (Carolina)
Mark Streit (N.Y. Islanders)

Goalies

Henrik Lundqvist (N.Y. Rangers)
Steve Mason (Buffalo)

Campbell Conference

Centers

David Legwand (Nashville)
Brad Richards (Dallas)
Jarret Stoll (Los Angeles)

Wingers

Rene Bourque (Calgary)
Dany Heatley (San Jose) [2]
Rick Nash (Columbus)
David Perron (St. Louis)
Corey Perry (Anaheim) [2]
Mason Raymond (Vancouver)
Chris Stewart (Colorado)
Jakub Voracek (Columbus)
Henrik Zetterberg (Detroit)

Defense

Cam Barker (Minnesota) [2]
Toni Lydman (Anaheim)
Bryan McCabe (Columbus)
Brent Seabrook (Chicago)
Sheldon Souray (Edmonton)
Keith Yandle (Phoenix)

Goalies

Nikolai Khabibulin (Edmonton)
Ryan Miller (Chicago) [2]
---------------------------------------------------------------








National Hockey League Transaction Report
January 2012

01.03.2012: New Jersey Devils recall defenseman Matthrew Corrente from Albany of the American Hockey League
01.04.2012: Nashville Predators recall right winger Matthew Halischuk from Milwaukee of the American Hockey League and assign defenseman Roman Josi to Milwaukee
01.06.2012: The Florida Panthers claim goaltender Alexander Auld off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens
01.06.2012: Ottawa Senators sign right winger Brady Leavold to a two-year deal.
01.10.2012: Ottawa Senators recall defenseman Craig Schira from Binghamton and assign defenseman Adam Almquist to Binghamton.
01.10.2012: The Florida Panthers claim center Jesse Winchester off waivers from the Ottawa Senators
01.13.2012: The Ottawa Senators sign center Kamil Kreps to a two-year deal.
01.14.2012: The Ottawa Senators sign defenseman Jeff Penner to a two-year deal.
01.16.2012: The Ottawa Senators sign right winger Byron Bitz to a two-year deal.
01.19.2012: The Ottawa Senators sign right winger Jed Ortmeyer to a two-year deal.
01.22.2012: The Buffalo Sabres recall right winger Mark Parrish from Portland of the American Hockey League.
01.25.2012: The Tampa Bay Lightning recall goalie Riku Helenius from Norfolk of the American Hockey League.

By The Numbers

Goals Per Game: 3.30 (8th)
Goals Against Per Game: 2.91 (7th)
Power Play: 30.3% (1st)
Penalty Kill: 65.8% (30th)
Home: 17-8-3
Away: 12-9-2

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Comments (2)

goosedennis: Orgasmic update.

HeroWorship: It sure was.

bthomp05: Holy crap batman, your ALIVE...

Excellent update HW..

HeroWorship: I am not dead yet.

[bthomp05]

Excellent work here, Sabres doing well in year 2.

[goosedennis]

Luckily for you, I don't have to pound your *** while you give head to six giant black cocks.

Anyways, nice update