Before you begin reading this post, please press play on this video.
It is tradition for the audience to rise during the Hallelujah Chorus.
*please rise*
We, who are lucky enough to call ourselves Sabres fans are a fretful and cantankerous audience, but tonight, we join together in praise….and yes, worship.
Thank you, Almighty Hockey Gods. Thank you for bestowing upon us, at this wonderful and holy time of year, a new hockey season. We thank you for this bounty. We pledge our love and our everlasting devotion to you, Almighty Hockey Gods. We promise to be good Sabres fans. We thank you for the new jerseys (except the stitching on the numbers on the new 3rds. That’s just fugly. No getting around it.) We thank you for Ryan Miller. We thank you for Jason Pominville and Steve Montador. We thank you for Thomas Vanek and sweet, sweet baby Tyler Myers. We thank you for Goose (HONK!). We thank you for our bright and serviceable arena and its plentiful, nearby parking. We thank you for Lindy Ruff and Jim Corsi (who we have recently realized is the most adorable man on earth). We even thank you for Tim Connolly and Derek Roy- we like to complain about them, but deep in our hearts, we know that without them the Sabres would hardly ever score. We thank you for open practices, and big beers, and for that time last season when the Sabres completely dominated the Red Wings while I was at the arena.
We thank you for hockey.
But tonight we have a special reason to give thanks. Tonight, we give deep and solemn thanks for the miracle that is 81 Sabres games in high definition. We don’t know why it’s 81 and not 82 games in HD, and we don’t care.
Almighty Hockey Gods, there were times last season when we doubted you. There were times last season when, while squinting at the blurry feed on our expensive HD televisions, we felt as if the Sabres had forsaken us. How could they, to whom we have given so much, make us watch playoff games in low def? How could they treat us this way? How? Our hearts were filled with doubt and with deep bitterness.
But you have restored our faith.
You have given us the gift of HD. We will never watch a playoff game in lowD again. We are free. We love the Sabres again, without reservation, for we know that our cheering, our devotion, and most of all, our whining on twitter, was heard.
Thank you, Almighty Hockey Gods!
Hallelujah!
Well, technically they didn’t say anything about playoff games – just 81 regular season games – but I’m going to assume they would NOT be stupid enough to give us ALL HD ALL THE TIME and then cut us off.
Seriously, this announcement was the bright spot in a pretty sucky day so thanks for that Sabres.
I’m currently too poor for cable TV, so I’m very sad about missing all the HD (not that I’m in the right area to get Sabres games). However, I am more than excited over the new jerseys!
The reason for 81 games in HD is because between MSG and NBC and Versus, there will be 81 games televised. The game against the Anaheim Ducks on December 21st will not be televised (Blame Versus)
The game against the Anaheim Ducks on December 21st will not be televised
Lucky for me, the one game that’s not on TV (or in HD) is the one game I know for sure I’ll be at, as it’s the 40th birthday of a good friend who also loves the Sabres (going to the game is how she wants to celebrate- after I suggested it, of course).
You all suck. I still have to watch the Sabres in SD over Center Ice because Cablevision refuses to present Center Ice in High def.
=’(