HOCKEY'S HERE: BUFFALO SABRES

It's time to air out your gear, sharpen your skates and tape your stick -- it's hockey season. Sure, your team flat-out ached last season, but there's hope, unless you're an Islanders fan. In that spirit, Out of Left Field is here with early looks at all 30 NHL teams. Presenting: The Buffalo Sabres.

Last season: 110 points, 2nd in Northeast Division; lost to Carolina in Eastern final
Coach: Lindy Ruff (9th season)
Young gun: Derek Roy
Store this name away: Marek Zagrapan (169 points across his final two junior seasons)
Hey, get a load of the new guys: Jaroslav (Sissy) Spacek
Blogs (including but not limited to): Sabre Rattling, Fix the Logo
Pop culture moment: In Bruce Almighty, Jim Carrey uses his God-like powers to help the Sabres win the Stanley Cup -- and maybe seven people outside of Western New York/Southern Ontario got the joke

Sabres fans, and people from Buffalo in general, have swallowed a lot of you-know-what through the years -- Dominik Hasek getting Ted Nolan fired in 1997, Brett Hull's "No Goal!" in '99, the Bills losing four Super Bowls, the fact a sitcom starring Christina Applegate was set there... and on, and on. The double whammy coming sadistically close to the Stanley Cup final last season only to run out of able-bodied defencemen in Game 7 against Carolina and then having the Buffaslug foisted on them, well, that may have pushed some Sabres fans over the edge, not that they needed a big push. (They are the small-town kooks of the hockey world, after all.)

It's the easy way out to say Buffalo missed their best chance to win the Cup last season, and that they'll regress this season. Jay McKee will probably be missed more than most people realize, since he was their only defenceman who relied on size over finesse. Then again, that might not be a big liability in today's NHL -- having six d-men who are all quick laterally and can make the first pass to start a rush is supposed to be the new standard. At least there's one blue-and-white-wearing team in the Northeast that understands this concept. Gee, who might the other be?

The Sabres are balanced up front, and if Ryan Miller can avoid the sophomore jinx, they're set in goal. It adds up to the same as last year -- somewhere around fifth or sixth in the East, and being a team no one wants to face in the playoffs.

Also in Northeast Division: Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs
Related:
Let's Woe, Buffalo: Understanding Sabre-Fan Pain (June 2)

Back with more later. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca