Chuzwazza
Registered User
It's not often that you play a team straight after doing a deal with them. It's even less common when the players are still playing for their old teams when the game is played. As unusual as the circumstances were, that's what happened last night.
After beating the Blackhawks about a week ago, the Sabres then came back to Buffalo to host the West's #1 team. The only major difference? 7 players would be going home to a different city after the game.
"It's an extremely strange thing to do, i'll admit that!" Sabres GM Joshua Pitt said. "Originally we tried to organise for Chicago to get here first thing this morning so that both players could switch over teams. When the Hawks flight was delayed, we chose to go and try to organise for minor leaguers to get called up. When Chicago couldn't get anyone here, we had to go to option 3, and let the guys that were going to be traded play. Word went around both locker rooms, and most of them came back requesting that the players play one last game in front of their home fans in a Sabres uniform. Dryden (Hawks Gm) myself and the coaching staff of both teams got together with the players involved in the deal and worked it all out. None of these guys were the type to take a back foot, even though they might be playing with the very guys they're banging bodies with the next night."
None of the players being traded picked up a penalty, but there were a few eyebrows raised when Hawks goalie Jocelyn Thibault let 5 past him before being dragged in the 3rd period. Whispers coming out of the Hawks locker room was that he might have let a couple of soft goals passed on purpose.
"It's not the ideal way to go out, and certainly not how I wanted to end my career as a Hawk. As for the suggestions of me throwing the game, Don't look at me. look at the guys who kept putting us on the PK throughout the game, and then didn't cover the points anything like well enough!"
The game did get quite nasty after a rather placid 1st period. Konowalchuk was thrown into the box for roughing 7 minutes in, and Worrell soon followed after being slapped with a double minor (again for roughing) seconds later. The result was a Sabres PP goal scored by Josef Vasicek, who uncharacteristically taunted the Hawks bench, indicating that they needed to have traded for him too. That didn't sit well with the Hawks, and on his next shift, he was knocked out of the game after a dangerous hit by Ken klee, who was tossed from the game for boarding. With 2 men in the box again. the hawks let another PP goal in, this time by Jokinen. With another PP goal scored in the 3rd period, the Sabres sealed the win.
The score count for the game? Cliff Ronning had a goal and an assist, and Shawn Bates had an assist for the Sabres while Stephen Weiss scored for Chicago. Neither goalie played great with Roloson stopping 26 of 29 while Thibault was the only shocker, letting in 5 off just 17 shots.
The teams take their new players with them for the rest of the season. It's doubtful that they'll participate in anything as zany as this for some time!
That's all...for now
Buffalo Bill,
Hockey Editor for The Buffalo News
After beating the Blackhawks about a week ago, the Sabres then came back to Buffalo to host the West's #1 team. The only major difference? 7 players would be going home to a different city after the game.
"It's an extremely strange thing to do, i'll admit that!" Sabres GM Joshua Pitt said. "Originally we tried to organise for Chicago to get here first thing this morning so that both players could switch over teams. When the Hawks flight was delayed, we chose to go and try to organise for minor leaguers to get called up. When Chicago couldn't get anyone here, we had to go to option 3, and let the guys that were going to be traded play. Word went around both locker rooms, and most of them came back requesting that the players play one last game in front of their home fans in a Sabres uniform. Dryden (Hawks Gm) myself and the coaching staff of both teams got together with the players involved in the deal and worked it all out. None of these guys were the type to take a back foot, even though they might be playing with the very guys they're banging bodies with the next night."
None of the players being traded picked up a penalty, but there were a few eyebrows raised when Hawks goalie Jocelyn Thibault let 5 past him before being dragged in the 3rd period. Whispers coming out of the Hawks locker room was that he might have let a couple of soft goals passed on purpose.
"It's not the ideal way to go out, and certainly not how I wanted to end my career as a Hawk. As for the suggestions of me throwing the game, Don't look at me. look at the guys who kept putting us on the PK throughout the game, and then didn't cover the points anything like well enough!"
The game did get quite nasty after a rather placid 1st period. Konowalchuk was thrown into the box for roughing 7 minutes in, and Worrell soon followed after being slapped with a double minor (again for roughing) seconds later. The result was a Sabres PP goal scored by Josef Vasicek, who uncharacteristically taunted the Hawks bench, indicating that they needed to have traded for him too. That didn't sit well with the Hawks, and on his next shift, he was knocked out of the game after a dangerous hit by Ken klee, who was tossed from the game for boarding. With 2 men in the box again. the hawks let another PP goal in, this time by Jokinen. With another PP goal scored in the 3rd period, the Sabres sealed the win.
The score count for the game? Cliff Ronning had a goal and an assist, and Shawn Bates had an assist for the Sabres while Stephen Weiss scored for Chicago. Neither goalie played great with Roloson stopping 26 of 29 while Thibault was the only shocker, letting in 5 off just 17 shots.
The teams take their new players with them for the rest of the season. It's doubtful that they'll participate in anything as zany as this for some time!
That's all...for now
Buffalo Bill,
Hockey Editor for The Buffalo News
