Roy is my Boy

So.. I'm going to tell y'all about my Sabres game experience of a lifetime last night. Pictures should be out soon, but I don't have it in me to spend forever uploading them tonight..I took some video of warmups too.. wheeee!

Yeah, in case you didn't know (and really how could you not know by now?) I'm a ridiculous, giggly, squee-y, silly, Derek Roy fangirl. I try to keep it inside because, frankly, it's a little embarrassing. I really am a Legit hockey fan, I've been a hockey fan for more than half of my life by now and was watching it long before Derek Roy came around but man.. he does something to me. I love the way he plays hockey,(usually, when he's not being an idiot) really I do, that's what I first loved about Roy- from the RADIO but close-ups of him make me all bubbly inside and I just want to act like a brainless puckbunny. I don't know why this happens but every once in a while it does.

so yeah.. disclaimer over, now we continue with setting the stage. I went to 2 pre-season games this year (and met Mr. Roy after the 2nd one, who could forget that?) and one regular season game, in November. Over the last 3 years, I have slowly and surely fallen in love with this whole Sabres team. plus live hockey is always awsome. And the boys just had 2 games in which they destroyed their opponents. Add to it that this was a Christmas present from my good friend Bryan and it was the right time for just needing to get out of the house, and you have the perfect evening.

To make things better, when I bought a program, it had Pominville (my #2 man) on the cover, and an article about DEREK ROY! Yippie! So we got there around 6:30.. warm-ups were going on. Bryan very kindly chilled with me while we wandered all the way down to the 2nd row behind Miller and I just stared. and took lots of pictures. and stared. and jumped up and down. and squealed a little fangirl squeal every time Roy skated by,. (I think he looked at me once...) It felt like 1995 all over again.. almost 13 years to the date of my first NHL game (Canucks v. Red Wings, Joe Louis Arena and I shared eye contact with PAVEL BURE. I don't know how I remained standing at that moment) I have been to 7 reg season and 4 pre-season NHL games and countless minor league hockey games but it still made me giddy. And that is one of the 239084590 reasons that I. LOVE.HOCKEY. It just doesn't get old, especially at this level.

So we watched warm-ups and then turned and laughed at how far away our seats were (section 324, row 8) but really, the view from up there was stellar. I love sitting anywhere in HSBC but there is something rockin about that 300-level. We had some rowdy fans near us so that was fun and it felt like if you were to trip going down the stairs, you'd fall right onto the ice. good stuff. plus you can really watch plays develop from so high up, which I very much enjoy.

A few things that were not-so-great about our section:
- There was less than no leg room. I was feelin it, Bryan had to be miserable (he's over a foot taller than me)
-This obnoxious girl behind us would NOT stop talking.. only she didn't seem to actually know what was going on! And she kept yelling "shoot it" when it was not appropriate. *it usually isn't, if you know anything about strategy* Yes, I know the Sabres only had 2 "shots" in the 2nd period but how many times did they miss the net? And it's much, much smarter to wait for a pass to an open man when you have 3 guys between you and the net. Yes, sometimes if you throw it on net, magical things will happen, but if you're the lead guy and you've got 2 trailers, it behooves you to wait a sec and let them get set up and maybe give the puck to them and get a real scoring chance. OH.

-But other than that, the locale was pretty awsome.

On to the game..

The first period was decent. We had a few chances, but nothing going early on, and suddenly Tampa Bay scored just 3 minutes into the game. It got a little quiet in there, but the fans got back into it until Martin St. Louis scored and then it was 2-0. Boo hiss. Finally Pominville scored for the Sabres to cut the lead a couple of minutes later and they had a couple of other decent looks but it was 2-1 after 20 minutes. But it wasn't so bad, there was hope in the air and the intermission passed quickly. Frankly, I don't even remember it so we must have been talking or something because we didn't leave our seats.

Enter the 2nd period. It looked ugly from the start. the boys were just giving away the puck left and right, playing slow, sloppy hockey. And then there was Vinny Lecavalier. He may have a sweet name and be a dashingly handsome gentleman but he plays for the OTHER TEAM and that is baaaad. Oh and did I mention that he's a sniper with 39 goals this year? Oh yeah that. So, why in the world you, as a Sabres player, allow him to be un-escorted in your zone? WHY?! That's why I want to know how in the world he was allowed to just walk in to the goal about 5 minutes into the 2nd period and blast one past Ryan Miller? ARGH! Guys, ya give him that kind of space and he will not miss. Yeesh.

So you'd think they got it, right? A little while later, Vinny is once again chillin all by himself on the doorstep, nobody within a mile of him and guess what? When he gets the puck, he scores.. 4-1 TB. End of the 2nd period. The Sabres were heartily booed off the ice. I couldn't quite go there, because that's just not my style, but I was surely feeling the sentiment. Boys- you had 2 shots on goal. That is strugglin. You allowed 2 goals that you should have been ON. And you played like crap, like you didn't care that you have 9 games left and are thisclose to a playoff spot IF You play well.. YEEEESH.

So after that debacle, I needed a beverage. I really needed a coupla beers but I was driving so that was a no and I just settled for a Dr. Pepper. I texted my sister Brett and I think I'll recap the rest of the game by sharing my txt messages..
Me: Dude we are playing like CRAP
B: Jackets over wings 1-0 but WTF Buffalo
Me: Word. We didn't show up tonight. 3rd period. There's hope?
B:I cheer for the Jackets. There's always hope. How long does it take to score a goal?
Me:Less than a second coach. But ya have to play like you give a damn. :(
B:Maybe coach will pull a Herb in the locker room
ME: I wish, Blah why do they have to reek when I'm here? And there is a really annoying girl behind me. Help! (as I'm finishing this message, Pommers scores goal #2 and Hecht follows it with goal #3)
B: Sorry Man. Does Royzie at least look hot? (LOL that made me laugh so hard)
Me: Holy crap, we just scored 2 goals. 4-3 with 13 mins. Whoa
B:Told ya there's hope. I'm learning at this point in the season that there is no safe lead
Me:Dude Roy tied it with a lazer (yeah I swear it is HIS goal, not Vanek's. I watched the replay today and Vanek didn't touch it. WTF yo)
B: Pominville is the bomb dude. (she speaks the truth)
Me: Oh we are in, Now we need one more and to be smart
B:It's all about the positive energy dude. Now you just need a fight to lock in your crowd. (no prob there, the place was jumpin)
Me: 5 We are WINNING
B: Hell yeah! Stay in there Sabres
Me: Don't Leave us, Let's go Buffalo!
B:
Me:Now we got 6. 1.5 mins
...
SO I think Brett is our secret weapon, since we sucked till I started chatting with her. (Either that or the fact that Heather B was in the audience. ) Shoulda started it sooner. LOL Now next time the boys are losing I'm sending her a message. (it reminds me how back when I was living in Salt Lake City, my mom called me for 2 or 3 weeks during my brother's football games, and when she called they were losing but managed comebacks.. it can work!)

and the rest is history. So the Sabres pulled a magic trick in the room and busted back out as SuperSabres. It was incredible. No one there was expecting that. I mean, I wasn't about to leave or anything but damn, if they play like THAT for the rest of the season and still miss the playoffs, well then there is nothing to be ashamed of (except for the all those other crappy games) All I ask for is some effort. It's a lot easier to swallow a hard-fought loss than some lackluster bullshit ninny going through the motions crap, like most of the first 2 periods.

The way they played in the final 15 mins was the way they played last season, and the year before, Desperate, in your face, take the game and RUN hockey and man, was it fun. That is why we watch hockey, for the completely improbably 6 goal periods and the elation and the joy of seeing OUR BOYS overcome the odds and breakout and just start owning a hockey game. It's moving, it's transcending, it's hockey. I wish I could have bottled the energy there last night in the 3rd period... the place was incredibly loud and insane and FUN. I keep coming back to the word fun.. but it was! I don't know how else to describe it. I want more! Next year I need to shell out some cash and get a mini-plan or something cuz Sabres hockey is addictive. (well hockey in general is addictive, who am I kidding?)

So yeah, there you have a rambly, crazy, perhaps somewhat informative entry about last night's ridiculous game. It was one for the ages, and probably the most fun I've had at hockey if not ever, then at least in a long time. It was a super night. I'll post pics soon.