-What a Stanley Cup Finals! Look, I’m not the type of fan that worships the ground that the NHL walks on. For a number of years now, I’ve been the type of person to pretty much go south for the summer when the Sabres are eliminated from the playoffs. In other words, wake me up when next season starts. However, this Finals match-up drew my attention. We had lead changes, goals galore, Jeremy Roenick crying, Chris Pronger in a skirt and even a Buffalo shout-out. It had everything. It was hockey at its finest and if you didn’t enjoy the spectacle, then you must really hate Danny Briere and Patrick Kane. It was a far cry from what we were watching before the lockout with match-ups like Tampa Bay vs Calgary or New Jersey vs Anaheim. It was a great moment for the sport and judging by the ratings, a lot of fans realized how special the moment had become-
-If the prior two Stanley Cup Finals didn’t give you an idea on what your team needs to do in order to hoist the cup, well, this year’s match-up should have done the trick. YOU NEED SCORERS?! Crosby, Malkin, Zetterberg, Briere, Kane, Richards and Toews are the types of names you need in order to win the cup. Not Derek Roy, Tim Connolly and a bunch of Paul Gaustads. The new NHL is all about having finishers on your team. Sorry, but I have a feeling that we aren’t going to see a Stanley Cup team whose leading scorer has 25 goals. On a Sabres note; that logic should be on Darcy Regier’s mind-
-Look, I’m going to sound like a piece of garbage for what I’m about to say. I’m happy that a South Buffalo native scored the game-winning goal and gave a shout-out to Buffalo. Really, I am. However, if you think I’m going to act as if Patrick Kane’s success is just a notch below the Sabres winning the Stanley Cup, you’re insane! I’m not going to be like Boston fans, who threw a parade for Ray Bourque after winning the Stanley Cup with Colorado. Sorry, but if the Sabres don’t win the Stanley Cup, there is no second best for me. I don’t care if the Chicago Blackhawks are full of my neighbors, childhood friends from school, Enzo the baker and blood related relatives. It’s not even close and I just don’t find solace in feeling all gushy for Kane winning a title. My rooting interest for team sports consists of my team winning the title. Sure, I’m happy for Kane and Brian Campbell, but it’s not going to take away the disappointment that I have towards the Sabres losing in the first round of the playoffs. However, if you disagree, I understand why-
-Honestly, I actually felt more emotional towards Jeremy Roenick of all people, breaking down towards the end of the telecast than Kane giving a shout-out to Buffalo. I know, I’m sounding like a bigger jerk than normal and I’m not trying to crap on Kane’s moment (OK, maybe I am), but my heart went out to JR. I don’t know what it was, I think I just felt bad for the poor idiot. Maybe being a Buffalo fan and not being able to say we won the championship had something to do with it. His emotion was bitter/sweet; he was caught up in the moment of the Blackhawks winning the Cup, but it was very sad to know that he will never be able to carry the cup around the ice. I think the sad part is what hit home for me. I don’t know, it’s probably the last time I’ll ever feel sad for JR-
-Memo to Mike Milbury: If you have kids that come home from school that are crying because they lost the state championships, please make sure your wife handles the kid’s disappointment. I don’t know if he was trying to be funny or compassionate towards JR crying, but he failed miserably at providing any sort of compassion. Yes, he was probably trying to lighten the mood, but he failed at doing it-
-So now that the NHL seems to be riding some momentum in viewership, what should they do next? Honestly, I think the NHL has done enough. They have made the game better than what it was five years ago. I think the puck is in the players end of the ice, and I’m not talking about the product. Look, you want to know what the NHL is lacking that the other major sports have a massive amount of? Colorful personalities. Marketing players aren’t about just putting a guy on a cereal box or a Nike commercial. It’s about showcasing an athlete on what he can bring to the table. Getting guys that you love to hate is something that the NHL needs to do. And please, don’t give me Alex Ovechkin as being a colorful character. I’m sorry, but I have never found him to be funny, engaging, or controversial. If he was playing in any other sport, he would just be another guy with a lot of talent and no social skills. The NHL needs to find players who can give interviews that will entice the viewer to tune in without even knowing if the player can play or not. Charles Barkley use to be able to start a war of words with the opposition that would make me want to tune in. Love them or hate them, players like Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson are guys that you would want to tune in to see fall on their face or succeed. The NHL needs personalities like that. Sorry, but when you’re only booing Zdeno Chara because he’s tall and goofy looking, that’s something that most fans aren’t going to really get hot over. Bottom line: Get guys who can talk the talk and skate the..skate?-
-BTW, I hope we can finally end the Danny Briere bashing? I know most fans love harping on Bucky Gleason or people who miss a guy that scores clutch goals whenever the odds are against it. This playoff series should show you that Briere is the same player that helped captivate a hockey town that didn’t give a crap about the product. The guy still has it, and his 12 points in the Finals were a point shy of Wayne Gretzky’s record for a series. That’s some good company. BTW, do I really need to make jokes comparing Briere’s playoff resume to Derek Roy’s or Tim Connolly’s? Bottom line: I’d take Briere on my team over any of the current Sabre forwards-
Memo to Darcy Regier: Find me the next Daniel Briere–
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