Last year at this time I was still all full of hope and sass. Even when the Sabres sucked (which was often) I was willing to take every win at WAY over face value. Last season, every single win, all the way up to when they were eliminated, was a sign that things were about to turn around. I might not have always loved them, but I seemed to have an unshakable faith that they were worth cheering for.
Sadly, another full season of streakiness and hovering around 7th-10th place has taken it’s toll on my faith and my blogging. I’m at a loss.
I have all the Sabres cataloged in my head. There is a pecking order. I rag on Drew Stafford all the time, but when he’s playing well, I really have a lot of affection for him. I love to hate Derek Roy. When he’s playing well, my attitude is “Well, you better be scoring goals, you little punk. Earn your keep, Roy-Z. Also, shut up.” Thomas Vanek and Tim Connolly are supermen when they are playing well, and disgusting slag-faced whores when they’re not. Toni Lydman is an unsung hero, except for when he makes a hideous mistake and then I feel deep pity on his behalf. Spacek is comic relief. Craig Rivet and Lindy are the father figures to rebel against. Goose can do absolutely no wrong. Crunchy is awesome, possibly evil, and always fascinating, even in the bad stretches. Maxim Afinogenov is a spy, and even though I’m sure he’s been selling all the Sabres secrets to the KGB for years now, I’m going to miss him when he’s gone. All of the Sabres have their place.
Which brings me to Jason Pominville.
Of all the things that have gone wrong this year, Jason Pominville is the most upsetting. He makes me sad. He is SO BAD, and he doesn’t even look like he’s trying. Suddenly the contract we were all so excited about last summer is terrifying. Five more years? At $5.3 a year? *shudder*
As I’m sure you’ve gathered, I enjoy ragging on my team. I’ve got no trouble hating on the Sabres, and normally I’m not that attached to them being cute or sweet or even good at hockey. But…..I cannot reconcile this Jason Pominville with the Jason Pominville I have cataloged in my mind. Pommerdoodle is in the “hard working, steady, good dog” category. Period. Anything else is just too upsetting to bear. I can accept that the Sabres suck, and that they’re never making the playoffs again, but I cannot accept that Jason Pominville is phoning it in because of his contract. I’ve tried to rag on Pommerdoodle as if he were a Vanek or Timmy or any of the other Sabres who I am perfectly willing to throw under the bus, but it’s really no fun. Jason Pominville is no Thomas Vanek.
So, I’m drawing a line in the sand. The cynicism and the bitterness go no further.
I am a fan of Jason Pominville.
He’ll be back. I don’t know what’s wrong with him, but whatever it is, for now, I’m putting my head in the sand, and I’m ignoring it. Sabres fans have had a bitter pill to swallow this season, but I can’t swallow a lazy Jason Pominville. (That’s what she said.) I can’t and I won’t. Eff you, Hockey Gods!
I guess every bitter, cranky fan has her limits before she is forced to rely on irrational faith.
*fingers crossed*
The Willful Caboose 
The ad is adorable, Kate.
I’m upset with Pommerdoodle but I think you’re right that everyone has that little place where they kind of refuse to hate. I feel much more the way you’re talking about regarding Yo-Yo. The guy behind us at the game last night was HAMMERING him and while it’s not undeserved, it made me cranky and sad. Someone please find my spunky, hard-working Yo-Yo because I miss him.
Thanks, Heather. I’m sorry that Yo-Yo has lost his moxie. What the hell happened to these guys? Let’s make a deal. I’ll cheer for Yo-Yo (quietly, not in public or anything :P) if you cheer for Pommerdoodle. I think we need to band together.
He’ll be back. Remember how sucktastical Stafford/Vanek/Lydman all were last season and they’ve mostly turned it around this season. Pommer will be back. I believe in him. Just like I still, against all reasoning, believe Danny Paille can score almost 20 goals again.. ok, next season. We can’t give up hope! Except for Max, I closed the book on him long ago. Look at poor Clarke MacArthur! At one point in the season he was our #2 goal scorer and he’s been riding the pine for many games now. They all just need to sit and think about what they’ve done and maybe, just maybe, next season they’ll all turn the page and start playing real hockey like big kids do.
Pominfail needs to pick up his game, but really, I’d rather rag on Tallinder for his soft game. But right now, Pomindoofus has really got my goat.
Kate, I love this post. I agree with everything. Pommers can go twenty games without scoring, then score one pretty goal and make me believe he’ll score every game for the rest of his life… then go another 20 games without scoring. I think it’s the “Praise Jesus!” look he gets when he scores that keeps me in his corner. It reaffirms my faith that he’s just as frustrated as we are.
Oh, and everything I just said goes for Yo-yo too.
I totally forgot. I found this and it made me chuckle a bit:
“Your three best shooters go out in the shootout and don’t get a goal,” said Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, who saw Derek Roy, Tim Connolly, Drew Stafford, and Thomas Vanek all come up empty in the shootout. “That makes it tough.”
Uh, “three” best shooters? Cause I count four names there. Who exactly do you think Lindy was leaving out?
I love that Pommerdoodle poster. I hope that he’s given a new chew toy and a fresh bowl of kibble when he is returned to his loving home at HSBC Arena.
As to the Sabres, it’s not that each player has their moments and disappears for awhile, because that happens. It’s that they seem to be doing it in groups and for longer and longer stretches each time that bothers me.
Yeah, I cut Pominville from my FHL team and… nobody has yet picked him up… He was part of a blockbuster trade that returned Martin St. Louis to where he rightfully belonged… I refused a Ranger and accepted Pominville as a replacement… And then I had to cut him… Sabres got to WIN at least 9 of their last 14 games… I can see 7 they SHOULD win, they have to do that and THEN win two more… Yeah, I’m a Flyers fan. And I’m rooting for Buffalo to make the playoffs. I am.
Anne, you are SO right. P-Doods will be back. Sigh.
Mcguffers, they played that “praise Jesus” expression at the arena in the intro medley before the game on Wednesday. I agree, it’s really endearing. Also, :^:::::::::::::::::: to Lindy calling those four players his “three best shooters”. I bet he was talking about Staffy. I think Staffy gets on Lindy’s nervies.
I hope that he’s given a new chew toy and a fresh bowl of kibble when he is returned to his loving home at HSBC Arena.
AWWWWWWWWWWWW! Me too! Poor lost pommerdoodle.
I know, radoran. I know.
Let’s make a deal. I’ll cheer for Yo-Yo (quietly, not in public or anything :P) if you cheer for Pommerdoodle.
Deal. You cheer quietly and clandestinely for Yo-Yo and I’ll quit telling Pommerdoodle he’s nothing but a flea-ridden mutt :P
Pommerdoodle does NOT have fleas! He might suck at hockey, but he’s totally hygienic.
Maybe the problem is distempter? Kennel cough? Heart worms? Even good clean dogs have these problems.
“If found, please feed him bacon and call 1-800-WTF-DOOD”
hilarious!
I’m sorry you lost your Pommerdoodle. This happens so often when sizeable contracts are signed. That said, I’ve found that being a Sabres’ fan is not unlike being a Cubs fan. Here is a link to the “Cubs Fan Blues”. It maybe about baseball, but all my life I’ve felt that you can insert the Sabres where ever you see the Cubs. The teams are two peas in a pod. .
That’s super interesting, wnylibrarian, because just yesterday I took a “Which baseball team are you?” personality quiz on Facebook, and it turns out, I’m the Cubs! I’m sure Facebook’s personality profiling is extremely reputable…..
Sure he’ll come back around. But who knows how long it’ll last when he does.
He’s really starting to remind me of Satan, (minus the eyebrows that seriously scared me as a kid… ) Plays with zero heart and only plays when he wants to. But when he wants to, boy do I love to have him around.
I love the guy. I do. Since the Amerks days he’s been one of my favorite players to see play. Now with that said, I can’t help but feel as of late he is the new Miro Satan of the team. Greaat player when he cares to show up and prove he has heart. But otherwise, its like a stinkbomb went off on the ice.
Sheri, I see what you’re saying, but I’m not ready to slap the “Satan” label on Jason Pominville. It’s just so far outside of what I perceive his personality to be. (Which granted is not from a position of knowledge. I mean, I don’t know the guy. I LIKE to think he’s hard working and possesses integrity, but I certainly don’t know that from any experience.) I wouldn’t have been surprised to see Roy, or Connolly, or even Vanek in the “Satan” role, but I will NOT put Pominville there lightly. There has GOT to be some other explanation other than assholishness, and laziness. There HAS to be, or I’ll quit watching the Sabres forever.
I’d say maybe he’s having a Hooters baby, but isn’t Hooters defunct? Maybe it’s an Applebee’s baby.
I had never even CONSIDERED that Pommers was having a Hooters Litter. That’s SHOCKING!
Hooter’s is DEFUNCT?! That IS shocking! :P
I did a little better research… Apparently Hooters is NOT defunct. Just our Rochester Hooters. And there isn’t one in Buffalo either. Which is surprising, because I figured Timmy Ho, Mairsy, and Roy-Z would have been able to keep that high class establishment thriving. They have great wings don’t ya know.
(side note: I shouldn’t make fun of Hooters too much because when i was an undergrad, a co-worker and I were tired of waiting on unruly children and bitchy women, so we thought Hooters would be the answer. Unfortunately, it also dawned on me that I would actually need hooters to work there.)