Lack Of Response Puzzling

February 23, 2009   ·   Brian Sanborn   ·   Jump to comments

Picture it: A important hockey game on a Saturday Night between two teams desperate for points trying to earn a trip to the NHL Playoffs. Emotions are running high. The building is electric, and it already feels like late April.

Your team is comfortably ahead in a game at home, and then suddenly it all goes wrong.  Arguably your best player, albeit your goaltender, goes for the puck. He is hit (not intentional after reviewing).  He cannot get up. He goes into the locker room, and it looks grim. Is it out for the year? Who knows, but one thing you know: The goalie is going to be out for a significant amount of time.

After this incident takes place, generally the first reaction would to react to the player that was directly involved with the play.

Well, it is now 48 hours later, and nobody from the Buffalo Sabres laid a finger on $cott Gomez of the New York Rangers.

Gomez, a $7 million dollar a year bust on Broadway, did not intend to injure Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller, at least from my vantage point and as I am sure, many others as well. And yes, Buffalo Sabres Head Coach Lindy Ruff went overboard with his comments. Generally Ruff does that to a fault. Lindy is a player’s coach, and wears his heart on his sleeve, for better or worse.

Maybe it was the fact the game was so important. Maybe if the Sabres were losing by 3 goals, the retaliation would have been there.  Am I suggesting that the Sabres in turn get dirty with Gomez? Absolutely not. But how about a fight, a clean hard check, or getting in his face? Again, I am not suggesting the hit was dirty, but show other teams that this kinds of actions will not be tolerated in the future.

But there was nothing. A lack of response indicative of how this team was built by GM Darcy Regier.  And this pattern of a lack of a response just did not start Saturday. This issue has plagued the Sabres for quite some time now, and it needs to be addressed if this team is going to make some noise come playoff time, or even better, get into the playoffs.

Maybe Regier can call Bill Murray to trade for the Stay Puff Marshmellow man?

And if the Sabres do not stick up for their players as incidents like this occur, Sabres fans better get used to a lot of  Patrick Lalime and 10th seeds in the Eastern Conference.

BREAKING NEWS NOTE:

So New York Rangers coach Tom Renney was fired. No more excuses now Rangers fans. I EXPECT a huge winning streak now, and a proable Eastern Conference Final appearence or better . The excuses about effort and caring are done.