Those of you who read my blog, Top Shelf, back in the day will know that I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. Hockey was nonexistent there. I never watched a full game until I met my now husband, Mark at 19. Even after we moved to Buffalo in the summer of 2000, the sport was a bit of a slow grow for me. Despite being a pretty big sports fan, it took me some time to really sit down and watch closely enough to fall in love.
Like a lot of people, for me that finally happened during the 2005-2006 season. That season and the one following it were pretty great years to be in Buffalo. Up until that point, I'd always been a long distance fan – a Pittsburgh Pirates fan in Alabama – so it was the first time I'd experienced what it's like to be in a city that's falling in love, eating and breathing, living and dying with a sports team. Those of you who were here have your own stories about that time – the Let's Go Buffalo! on every restaurant sign and church marquee, the in-depth conversations about random things like the second penalty killing unit with total strangers, the high fives and hoots and hollers every time you passed someone in a Sabres jersey. They were great times for sure.
When Chris Drury and Daniel Briere split, I was bummed but not devastated. I mean, yes, they were really key pieces on the team, but I really liked the team we still had without them. I don't see any purpose in denying it. I was optimistic and ready for them to prove everyone wrong. Maybe more importantly, I just loved them the most. Drury and Briere had the best years of their careers in Buffalo, but they both existed in other places before I knew anything about hockey. The kids left behind hadn't been Sabres much longer than I'd been a Sabres fan. I missed most of their first appearances, but I was there when most of them became real, contributing pieces of the team. Derek Roy, Jason Pominville, Paul Gaustad, Thomas Vanek, Ryan Miller, they were my first core and dangit, even if they were disappointing, I think there's something special about the first team you really love.
One of the fun things about falling in love with hockey was that there were so many crazy new skills to marvel over. I can barely stand up on ice skates so to me, everything about hockey was amazing. The beautiful skating (sometimes backwards!), the sharp passes, the shots placed in exactly the right spot in the upper corner of the net. All amazing. But above all those skills, the one that amazed me the most, the one that I've never lost appreciation for, is the ability to stand in front of a net, chaos all around, track a shot, and move a stick in exactly the right way to tip the puck into the net.
The first few times I saw someone do it, I was pretty sure it was an accident. When I heard announcers talking about it like it was something someone could do on purpose, I thought they were crazy. I mean… I just don't even have the words to describe that kind of hand-eye coordination other than to say that it's a gift from on high. There's no other explanation. I loved other guys – Hank, Toni, Jochen – more, but it was Thomas Vanek who really and truly took my breath away. There were times when the game just looked so easy for him, like he was playing at a completely different level. I'll always remember that about him. I'll always picture him in front of a net, taking a beating on all sides, but looking like no one could touch him as he zeroed in on the incoming shot.
There were also times when it seemed like hockey brought him zero joy at all. Every missed shot was followed by a shake of the head and a frown. Sometimes even goals were followed by grimaces and skyward glances. I was never sure exactly what that was about although I suspect Vanek felt the pressure of that gigantic contract, of the picks the Sabres passed on when matching Edmonton's offer sheet, of being pretty much THE offensive weapon on the team.
By the time Derek Roy was traded, I was way over him because he never seemed to really care that much. Thomas almost seemed at times to care too much, to the point where it weighed him down. I never felt like he didn't care about losing, that it didn't bother him. I'll always remember that about him too. That guy's kind of a nutjob, but hey, he was our nutjob.
The changing of the guard probably started way back when with the Gaustad trade and really kicked into gear last season with the Pominville trade. But despite Jason being gone, I came into this season with some hope that Thomas and Ryan would hang around in the blue and gold, that they'd be here when the ship was righted. I'm not sure how. I'm not sure I even really wanted the Sabres to extend them on big deals. I mean, if we're going to rebuild, let's rebuild, you know? But what I can say? The heart of a fan doesn't have to make sense. Mine usually doesn't.
If you'd asked me in 2007 which three guys I really wanted to see lift a Cup in Buffalo, I would have named Lindy Ruff, Thomas Vanek, and Ryan Miller. They've just seemed the most representative of the Sabres, of Buffalo, of us. They were the heart of MY Sabres, my first group of babies, the first players I got to watch grow up. And even if they didn't quite grow up the way I expected, it's been pretty much a joy to watch Vanek work his magic these last few years.
I hope he lights it up next to John Tavares because I think there are a lot of fans and media who don't really appreciate just how good he is. I hope he wins his Cup somewhere and if he does, I'll be a little sad for me but really happy for him.
Two down, one to go. Sometimes sports really suck.
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