From: micbrian@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (MAD MAX - THE ROAD WARRIOR)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.hockey
Subject: Re: Bill Torrey??
Date: 27 Aug 92 13:47:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <78463@ut-emx.uucp>, zebr360@ut-emx.uucp (Jerry Heyman) writes...
>In article <BtJt5E.9A5@acsu.buffalo.edu> micbrian@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (MAD MAX - THE ROAD WARRIOR) writes:
>>
>>In all, these two players had the season they did because of who they were
>>playing with.  It was often LaFontaine who sacrificed himself for his line-
>>mates, not vice versa.
> 
>Whether Andreychuk and Mogilny had better seasons because of LaFontaine (or
>the reverse) is questionable.  Having seen the end results of their seasons,
>both playoff and regular season, it reminds me of the last few Islander years.
>No wins, more losses, and choking under pressure - get used to it.
> 

Alexander Mogilny played only the first game of the Bruins series, sitting
out the rest due to injury.  Granted, Dave Andreychuk was a missing man in
the playoffs, but his regular season #'s were his best.  Mogilny's season
was a wash until LaFontaine arrived - anyone who followed the Sabres last
year knows this.

>>
>>>Thats probably true, but who on Buffalo is better?
>>
>>Mike Ramsey, maybe?  Yes, he's on the downside of his career, but there
>>aren't too many who were better than him.
> 
>My comment is that if there aren't to many better than Mike Ramsey, then 
>Buffalo is definitely NOT on the way up - try Denis Potvin next :-)
> 

Last I checked, Denis Potvin was retired.  Mike Ramsey is still diving in
front of pucks.

The Sabres have a very young defensive core, but it is one that should get
better.  Coach John Muckler has rated Petr Svoboda in the top 5 defensemen
in the league.  Sophmore Ken Sutton was extremely solid.  #1 pick David
Cooper may make a push for the big club this year.  My point is that the
Sabres have moved a lot of dead wood and brought in young players who just
need a chance to develop and play.

>>Meehan has taken a bad team and made it mediocre.  However, he has taken the
>>Sabres from being the worst team in the league to a franchise that finished
>>2nd overall just two years ago.  With John Muckler joining the crew, there
>>seems to be a vision now of where management wants the club to go.  I think
>>that this year's draft reflected that.  The Sabres are still a team on the
>>rise.
> 
>I fail to understand how you can take a team from worst (your words) to 2nd
>overall (your words) and finish BEHIND the Islanders (points wise) last year
>and consider it a team on the rise?  Do you read the standing upside down :-)
>Didn't the Sabres finishe about 16th overall points wise during the regular
>season?
> 

Yeah, I know the Sabres finished behind the Isles.  Wasn't it by just a
couple of points?  Not a big difference.  Anyhow, as to being a team on the
rise, the Sabres brought a new philosophy when they hired John Muckler,
something that was sadly missing prior to him.  There really was nothing
termed 'Sabre hockey' other than first round playoff losses.  Muckler
brings to the Sabres a style of play and a vision for the kind of player
he wants on the team.  The Sabres entirely retooled their squad last year,
as much or more so than the Isles did.  They started to play exciting hockey,
rather than the Rick Dudley dump-and-chase style.  They had four players
score almost 100 points, something that hasn't happened in Buffalo in a long
time.  One player, LaFontaine, would have won the league scoring race had
he not been injured.  Were it not for the game 7 heroics of Andy Moog, the
Sabres would have won their first round playoff series against the Bruins.
As a Sabres fan, I am truly excited about the kind of team they are going
to be this year.

>>>Randy Wood is journeyman hockey player who will never get you a championship,
>>>nor cause any problems on the bench.   Teams are full of players like that.
>>
>>Yes, they are full of them.  Contrary to what you say, players like these,
>>plumbers as some of us call them, are indeed necessary to winning championships.
>>You need players who will give honest efforts and come to play for you every
>>night.  As an Islander fan, you should know this best, as the perfect example
>>I can think of is how Butch Goring propelled the Islanders to a championship
>>team.
> 
>If Butch Goring was a journeyman hockey player, then Gilbert Perrault was
>an 'average' hockey player.  To put Randy Wood in the same category with Butch
>Goring is like saying the Buffalo Sabres will ever beat the Boston Bruins in
>a playoff series.
> 

I don't know, somehow I just wouldn't put Gil Perreault and Butch Goring 
in the same category, talent wise.  Perreault had the skill, Goring gave
the effort.  I stand by what I said.

>>Brian
> 
>Support Gerry Meehan for mediocrity and be a Buffalo fan :-)
> 
>jerry

Support your team and get ragged on by an Islanders fan.  :-)

Brian