GDT Buffalo at Tampa Bay 4/6/18 7:30 PM MSG WGR

I'm starting this... because I can.

I'm here, now, because it's not about anything other than our hometown hockey team playing a hockey game.

I'm doing this because no one else wants to do it.

You can hate where this team is right now.  You can turn in your fan card.  You can bitch and moan about the glory years (whenever they were).  You can place blame at anyone's door step.  You can do all of that and it doesn't change things.

YOU.

You, are a Buffalo Sabres fan.  You're going to get through this, again.  You aren't going to like it.  You don't have to like it.  No one, really, likes it.

You have people around you who want to look at it differently than you do.  You'll want to hate them for how they look at it.  You're going to be so angry with this team that you'll resort to attacking those who feel different about the situation.  You won't do it because you hate them, you'll do it because you can't hate the Sabres.  You'll do it because you can't post on this forum and know it will be read by someone in the organization.  You'll wish so hard that they care, but the reality is that they don't.  They don't care about a handful of people who want to hate on them for the situation they are in at this moment.  You'll hate them even more for that.  

You'll try and blame the lady behind the register who didn't smile enough at you for the way the season has gone.  You'll want to punch an usher in the face for asking you if you need assistance.  You might hold back, you might only resort to saying, "No, the TEAM needs help, why not do something there! Mr. Rogers!"

You'll lash out at anyone... they won't deserve it.. but they'll understand.  They will understand because they are you, too.

The bottom line is that we are Sabres fans.  We'll show up, whether we want to or not.  We'll hope for the best, while expecting the worst.  We'll sit through the excruciating pain and in the end we'll swear a little more, we'll hate some more, and we'll continue on.

We'll get through this though.  Even if you can't see it, I can.  I'm telling you that, YOU. WILL. GET. THROUGH. THIS!  It won't be easy, but it will happen.

Life has too much negativity in it to add more negativity to an already negative season.  If you were counting there, and I know some of you were, that was 3 negatives thus re-instating the negativity.  However, the negativity is really aimed at the negativity of others and in that case it's only two negativities and I am trying to make it a positive for you.

Life has too much of it.  It's everywhere.  We are attacking each other over even dumber things than who plays wing on Jack Eichel's line.  Think about that.  We are engaging in hatred toward our fellow human beings over things MORE inconsequential than if Nathan Beaulieu is playing.

We can control this.  It's a matter of perspective.

Three years ago we were lamenting that the Sabres did not win the lottery.  Edmonton, those lucky SOBs, won the lottery.  They got their savior (saviour?).  Where are they now?  They are a franchise who, despite all the breaks when it comes to draft position, still suck.  Bad.  You feel bad about Okposo, they have Lucic.  They wish they had Lehner in net.   They suck.

The Senators are a franchise in more disarray than Wal-mart shelves on Black Friday.

I could go on, but the point is not to find who is worse off.  The point is to realize things can always be worse.

This team, is our team.  If it wasn't we wouldn't be here.   If it's not your team, or you feel like you need to walk away, leave your card at the door.

This team plays the Lightning tonight.  It doesn't matter even the slightest iota on where the Sabres finish in the standings.  They will be dead last.  They will be the first team to finish 31st in the league.  You'll hold onto that like a Linus loves his blanket.  In two years, finishing 31st will only be 2nd worst in the league and you won't have to worry about it because your team is in the playoffs.

Things have to start looking up at some point.  Why not make tonight the night they look up?  It's not about the result of this game.  It's about knowing that somewhere, beyond the horizon, where you can't yet see, there are unicorns, rainbows, and kittens.  It's about knowing that the storm cloud above your head was only there because you put it there.  You'll realize it was never that bad.  It might not have been that good... but it was never that bad.

And with that...

Let's Go Buffalo!