Penguins 2, Sabres 1 (F/SO) – "It was an awesome day"

It was not a game for the ages – the bad ice, the chippy play, the elements all conspired to slow down two teams that were supposed to present a “classic” for the biggest crowd in NHL history, and a sizable viewing audience watching in two countries.

For the Sabres, this was the 4th loss in a row, all coming since Christmas, and only two points to show for their efforts, and as of today they are on the outside looking in as far as the playoffs are concerned in what is a very tightly bunched Eastern Conference.

Yet after the game, everyone was happy; there was a sense of joy in the locker room, a buzz in the air as fans left the stadium, relief in the eyes of NHL officials and team executives that this had actually been pulled off. Everyone who had the privilege of being part of this event – the NHL, the players, the management, the media, the fans, the entertainers, the employees, all knew they had just shared a piece of history, a very special day.

Of course we know by now how the game turned out – Pittsburgh scored at the 21 second mark, Buffalo took over play in the second period but could only manage one goal, the Sabres blew a golden opportunity to win in overtime when they had a full two minute power play, and in the shootout that followed, the NHL/NBC dream script worked to a T when Sidney Crosby netted the game winner in the final shot.

While Sabres players were disappointed in the outcome, almost to a man everyone was echoing the same thing – they were in awe of the panorama of this event, it was meaningful to be a part of this spectacle, and they would love to do it again. Said Derek Roy “I don’t know if I’d want to play like this all the time, but having an event like this from time to time is good for the sport and good for the league. It was an awesome day.” Toni Lydman added “What more can one say about these fans in Buffalo? Just coming to the stadium and seeing people cooking outdoors and all the flags and decorations…”Perhaps no one enjoyed this event and this moment more than Coach Lindy Ruff, who spoke from the heart when he talked about his growing up in his small home town in Alberta and learning how to skate outdoors. And in his postgame comments, he liberally used words like “great day”, “awesome”, “perfect”. When asked about the varsity jacket that he wore for the event, Ruff replied “I thought the jackets fit the game, you know, fit the uniforms, fit the game. It was fun. You know, it’s always good to put the blue and gold on when you wore it for as long as I wore it. I put that jacket on with pride today.” He said it with such sincerity and such emotion, and at that moment I thought about Ruff the player – his scrappy fights, that four goal night he had against Quebec I forgot when, his leadership on the ice. For me this comment was my “choked up” moment at the game, not helicopters flying over or snapshots of tanks or Tynan slobbering all over his microphone.

I would love to see another Winter Classic, but not every year, and I would love to see it back in Buffalo again when it does occur, although my guess is that other cities will be vying to host such a game. But today we should be very proud as a community that we were able to show the best of what Buffalo is about to the entire United States and Canada.

OK back to business… the Sabres next host the Ottawa Senators this Friday at the H. With the distractions out of the way, this team really needs to hunker down and get a big win. After mid month they will be on a brutal three week road trip. We need points!!!