Sabres ticket scam

Several Sabres' fans fell victim to a Craigslist scam involving nonexistent tickets to the recent Sabres-Bruins match-up. The scam was so believable, it's hard to believe more people didn't fall victim to it..

When the two met, the victim handed over the cash and was told to pick up the tickets at the will call window at First Niagara Center under the name "Presley Elvis."

When the victim showed up at the will call window hours before the game, he was told there are no tickets on hold under that code name, and the person at the counter says he wasn't the only one who fell for it.

Boulevard Mall surveillance cameras have captured this picture of the suspect. If you recognize him, please call the Amherst Police at 867-5309...

Prosecutors say that once the scam artist is caught, he will be brought to justice. And much like the Sabres themselves, he will have no defense...

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/buffalo/sabres-fans-fall-for-ticket-scam

Old time hockey

Ironically, most problems in youth sporting events seem to take place during the traditional post-game handshake. Here, a Canadian youth hockey coach is seen tripping a 13 year old player from the opposing team.


The coach went too far, but the little brat had given him the middle finger after scoring a goal. In any event, I think the kid broke his wrist during the fall. Of course, now the crazy mom is out for blood (or more likely, money) and dad is nowhere in sight. Damn video cameras are everywhere these days...

Do you think coach tripped this child? - CNN.com Video

The long and short of it

I thought my readers might enjoy this picture of Sabres' teammates Tyler Myers and Nathan Gerbe...


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Lost in translation

"When you go to Penalty Box you feel shame for two Minutes, then you go free." Slapshot

Have you seen this interview from the World Juniors Hockey Tournament yet? This Russian player inability to speak English did not stop him from carrying on. It's like the hockey equivalent to "Baseball has been very good to me"...


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Good riddance

How would you like to be a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs? Their big free agent acquisition was Tim Connolly. They're going to pay this bum $9.5 million dollars for two years. Has their General Manager ever watched a hockey game? The oft injured Center extended his playoff scoreless streak this season to 29 games...

He slumped last season to 13 goals, 42 points and a minus-10 rating and extended his streak of goalless playoff games to 29 when he went 0-fer in six games against Philadelphia. He was knocked out of Game Six with a sternum separation on a hit from Mike Richards and did not play in Game Seven.

A goal scoring center goes 29 straight playoff games without a goal and gets rewarded with a $9 million dollar contract? And people want to know why ticket prices are so high. Am I missing something here? It's so refreshing for Sabre fans to finally have real ownership. If Tom Golisano was still here, we probably would have re-signed Connolly. Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff would be saying they "like the players we have here." I think the Sabres finally have ownership committed to winning.
Leafs sign Connolly

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Vancouver tough guy

I love that people took pictures of the Vancouver rioters and are now identifying them on Facebook. This musclehead is going to need that hockey stick once he enters jail...

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East Aurora obstructionists

Welcome to Western New York: the obstructionist capital of the world. A youth hockey organization in East Aurora wants to play a marathon game as a fundraiser and to get into the record books. Remember when communities used to embrace things that brought people together?

A few vocal attention seeking neighbors are now opposing the planned game. They feel their rights have been violated. Boo hoo. I feel so bad for these adults. I hope they're able to withstand the blow this must have on their feelings. Play the damn game and tell the whiners to:
A.) Find more productive ways to spend their energy.
B.) Go piss up a rope.


Let them play the game!


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Pegula strikes quickly with blockbuster trade

The Sabres new owner didn't take long to change the makeup of the team. Vanek, Connolly, and Roy have all been traded to Ottawa for a bag of hockey pucks and these three brothers from Medicine Hat, Nova Scotia. I never heard of the new guys (pictured here) but I hope they will at least bring some excitement to the team.Their Cellino & Barnes commercials will have to be better than Roy's...

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Lost in translation

When asked about the game against Canada, team Russia's captain said, "It was a great team effort. We scored five unanswered goals against the greatest junior hockey team in the world in the 3rd period. I am very proud of my comrades and the terrific effort they put forth. We are true champions."

The reporter then asked the same guy about the post game celebration at the Adam's Mark. His reply was, "No a how do speaka English."

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Leave Adam's Mark and Russians alone

So some of the Russian hockey players were drinking at the Adam's Mark. Who cares? They start drinking vodka at age 12 in Russia. The media should just let it go. The team has already been punished enough by being kicked off of their flight. It was a great tournament with a tough ending for Canada. As long as none of them were driving, it's not a big deal. I think it's great that they won. It's been a long time since Russia had any luck in sports. Congratulations, commies!



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Russians like vodka

I think the Swiss player in this interview is right. They are from Russia, so what do you expect? What a game, though. Five unanswered goals in the 3rd period. Canada must be shocked.

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Price gouging at HSBC: Has anyone seen our empty suit mayor?

People (mostly out of towners) are being forced to pay $50 to park near the HSBC Arena by a group that does tons of business with the city. What does our empty suit mayor Byron Brown think about all of this? He says the city is powerless to tell a private business how much they can charge. A private businessman who is asking the residents of the city to pay for the Statler Building's renovation.

That's who you elected. A wimp in an expensive suit. Do you think that would be the same response we'd get if Rudy Giuliani or Richard Daley were mayor? Hell no. Those guys actually want to lead. If Jimmy Griffin were alive, he'd probably have gone down there and confronted Pay2Park owner Mark Croce personally...

"Sixty dollars for the day?" asked Pat Crawford, of Stratford, Ont. "That's outrageous. It's not even that much for a [Toronto Maple] Leafs game, and they like to gouge you."

Wayne Edwards of Ottawa, attending the game with his father, Gary, said he usually pays $11 to park at Scotiabank Place there. They paid $60 parking for the three games Tuesday.

"Man, oh, man, they ought to give you a [hockey jersey] for that amount," Wayne Edwards said.

Worse than Croce giving the city a black eye is the mayor's reluctance to condemn it. We're already making the Canadian fans wait two hours at the Peace Bridge because of our leaders inabilities to solve problems. There is nothing that can be done about that right now. However, I'm glad Buffalonians are seeing firsthand, they reelected a wimp.

$40, $50, $60 — to park!?! - World Juniors - The Buffalo News

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Lost in translation

With Twitter and other social networking sites so popular these days, athletes are constantly putting their feet into their mouths. What I find funny is how they can say something so straightforward and then try to cover it up by saying they didn't say what we all heard them say!

You did say it. We all read it. It can only be construed one way. Take this 18 year old dufus from team USA, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer Etem. Yesterday he said, "Buffalo is a ghost town. The worst city ever." That's about as straightforward as you can get. Today, of course, he apologized and said it was not what he meant and he was sorry for the confusion. Not what he meant? Confusion? What confusion is he talking about? He said Buffalo sucks. There isn't anything confusing about that statement.

On Tuesday, Etem apologized, telling the National Post, "My point to get across was not to put down a great host city like this. I know a lot of people put in time and effort to make this thing possible."

"It was a poorly written Tweet by me. Sorry for the confusion," Etem told the newspaper.

Actually, his point to get across was to put down the host city. What other point could he have had? It would be refreshing if someone came out and said, "I said what I said and I meant to say it. I apologize if I offended anyone but I have a big mouth." In the past, people could say regrettable things and then cover them up by denying they said what was reported. Nowadays, with cameras and 24 hour news,and such,whatever they say or write is filmed or recorded, yet they still deny it. I find this hilarious.


It actually reminds me of the scene in Star Wars where Obi Wan Kenobi tells the stormtroopers with a straight face, "These aren't the droids you are looking for. You don't need to see his identification." Because he uses his mind control, they buy it (By the way, this is a great trick to try the next time you are at Customs). In fact, they were the droids they were looking for and...That man behind the curtain? It might be a good idea to keep your eyes on him, too while you're at it...

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World Junior Hockey Tournament

There are some negative comments about Buffalo coming from the World Junior Hockey Tournament. An 18 year old team USA member as well as a few members of the Swedish press both whined about the city. From WKBW...

Channel 7 also found hockey websites trashing Buffalo. Two sports bloggers from Sweden who are here covering the tournament had this to say.

"Coming to Buffalo was like falling into a scene from the movie "28 Days Later" minus all the zombies. The streets were horrible fate," bloggers said.

The Swedes need to be reminded that their country produced the pop band ABBA, forever rendering irrelevant, their opinion on anything. The USA hockey player seems to be forgetting he is 18 years old. He needs to go to the Galleria Mall and buy a soft pretzel and be thankful he can get into an R rated movie. He should check out Niagara Falls and just shut up and play hockey. This loser's too young to drink, anyway. He's probably a spoiled brat, whose parents mortgaged their house so he could play hockey.

Actually, this is a good opportunity for Buffalo to find out what would make this a great experience for the fans. We have the bars and restaurants, but could do so much more. For example, I think an indoor water park would be a great idea in the future. There's one in Erie, Pa. but why not one downtown? As I've said before, the city has the facilities to be the amateur sports haven of the Northeast. All it has to do is give the families more things to do when they are here.Hopefully, planners will use this to build on for the next event.


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Team USA player disses Buffalo

Once the word spreads, hopefully Emerson Etem will be booed every time he touches the puck. He's obviously just another dumb athlete demonstrating the dangers of having a Twitter account when your IQ matches your jersey number. We'll wait for the apology tomorrow followed by the requisite, "it was all just a misunderstanding. I actually love Buffalo." He's lucky Irv Weinstein doesn't live here anymore. From the loser's Twitter account...

"much needed day off, buffalo is a ghost town!! the worst city ever, it makes medicine hat look like paradise, never thought ide say that"

Medicine Hat is located in the southeastern part of the province of Alberta in Canada. Etem plays for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League. He was drafted by the Anahein Ducks.

Listen to Baby crying 1 from Huma

He can't say that about us. Only we can say that about us. Go Canada. I'd become a big fan of the team USA coach if he sent this spoiled brat home and called up one of the alternates. Hopefully, he'll get hit in the face with a puck and lose all of his teeth.

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Fan fest

Hockey Town USA will be hosting a fan festival down at the convention center until Wednesday. I think this World Junior Hockey Tournament will be a great event. I've said it before. Buffalo should try and capitalize on the community's love for the game. I think Buffalo could become a gateway for amateur hockey players(as well as other sports). All you have to do is look at the Flickinger Center. It is hugely popular for amateur swimming events.

I'm not a huge hockey fan but I think Buffalo could be a huge hockey city. The chicken wing can only get us so far...

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Ryan Miller's engagement

Sabres goalie Ryan Miller got engaged this week. Here is the story from channel 7...


Pictures of Miller's fiance have been very hard to come by, but we were able to locate this one from an undisclosed source. Congratulations, Ryan.


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Darcy must go

The Buffalo Sabres under Darcy Regier are a complete joke. Regier all but sent local player Tim Kennedy packing by buying out his contract today. Kennedy was told nothing and now faces an uncertain future in the NHL.

The Sabres are going to pay chronic underachiever Tim Connolly $7 million a year to continue his sorry act in Buffalo. Then you got Derek Roy, the king of the stupid penalty. The only time I saw him score last season was in that stupid Cellino & Barnes commercial they played every 15 minutes. And that reminds me: They better have new commercials this year. I'm sick of looking at Barnes' bald dome every 10 minutes. Or is it Cellino? Who can get those two straight?

Get ready to listen to Darcy tell everyone how great the current bums are developing during the offseason. One of these years, one of them might develop during the actual season or they might sign a guy who doesn't need to "develop" at all. Regier continuously lets go of young players on the rise and replaces them with journeymen on the last stop of their careers. He's got to go. The team was run better when the crooked Greeks from Cloudersport, Pa. were in charge...


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Brian Higgins meets ice hockey pioneer

Willie O'Ree, the Jackie Robinson of professional ice hockey, recently met with Brian Higgins, the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis of South Buffalo politics. The two seemed to really hit it off when they met at the Riverside Rink. Of course, our cameras were rolling. (Some portions of this clip have been audio enhanced.)

Buffalo-Amateur sports town USA

Buffalo really is a great amateur sports town. I think this article is right on the money. I didn't know about the Frozen Four or World Junior Hockey Championships coming here. I wrote a month ago about how the city should try and capitalize on the community's love of hockey to make it a true hockey town. I think this could be expanded to other amateur sports as well. Buffalo has some great facilities.For example, the Flickinger Center at ECC does a great job of hosting some big swiming tournaments.We need to find a point man who shares the same enthusiasm as the average citizen on sports. I don't think guys like Andrew Rudnick are getting it done. Chris Collins and Byron Brown need to find a point man to bring more events like the NCAA tournament here. We need to really roll out the red carpet so other groups want to bring their events here but last weekend's tournament was a good start.
Buffalo wins hearts of hoops fans : Latest Local News : The Buffalo News