(WGR 550) -- Another year, another trade deadline in the NHL, and this one was one of the worst ever. Not for Buffalo, but for hype. Three relatively big names -- Ilya Kovalchuk, Dion Phaneuf and Olli Jokinen -- were shipped almost a full month or more before the deadline, and no real surprises came out of the blue.
But that doesn't really matter in the long run as much as who got better relative to the rest of the league.
We all know it, and we've all been reminded of it countless times. No Buffalo sports team has won a major professional sports championship. Try to convince yourself that lacrosse counts against that, or 1960s football in an eight-team league; not one percent of fans will agree with you.
But we don't need a title to love our teams. (Good thing.) What we do need is ...
When you look at the Sabres getting Raffi Torres today there's no question he's a huge improvement over Clarke MacArthur who doesn't have that competitive fire to ever play to match his talent.
(WGR 550) -- With the clock creeping toward Wednesday's 3 p.m. NHL trade deadline, it's time to evaluate Darcy Regier's pieces before you even worry about "who's out there?"
There are a few things to consider about the Sabres.
(WGR 550) -- For those hoping the Sabres are going to make a big trade deadline splash, TSN's Darren Dreger didn't do much to stoke their fires.
"I don't think the Sabres are hot on anything or looking to add anything specific," Dreger said during a Tuesday morning appearance on The Howard Simon Show, admitting that the only player he's heard connected with Buffalo...
After two substandard Sabres losses and a stirring Sunday third period between the Capitals and Penguins, Nick Mendola thinks Buffalo needs to make a big move to get right for April and/or May.
(WGR 550) -- My first thought when I heard that Atlanta had shipped Ilya Kovalchuk to New Jersey for Niclas Bergfors, Johnny Oduya, Patrice Cormier and a first-round pick was that the Thrashers had either gotten just enough for their star, or perhaps a little too much.
Unfortunately, 82 isn't divisible by three, so 55 games is as close to two-thirds of the way through the Sabres season as you can get (besides 54). Even after back-to-back losses to Pittsburgh and Ottawa, should we be having a positive discussion about this team?
Yes, but not without it's share of negatives. Nick Mendola gives the Sabres grades on games 28-55, and looks ahead to what's next on the plate for the blue-and-gold.
(WGR 550) -- If you're on any sort of message board or radio talk box today, chances are you're reading/hearing a lot about how Brian Burke acquired two key pieces to the Maple Leafs' rebuilding puzzle. Dion Phaneuf and J.S. Giguere are massive stabilizing blocks in the wobbly tower that is Toronto.
But if you're one of those thinking/writing that the Sabres and other teams were sleeping on the deal, you're sorely mistaken.
With five-plus weeks until the trade deadline, it's close enough to evaluate which teams might be buyers and sellers. Instead of just giving you five players who would help the Sabres -- like Nick Mendola did last year -- how about he looks at some deals that could behoove not just the Sabres, but the rest of the league (Hint: Obviously, he's made some calls around the league's media markets to see what might work for Buffalo).
To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 1 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy tips.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 2 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy tips.; tournament; WGR; Jeremy White; Golf; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 3 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy tips.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 4 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 5 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 6 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 7 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 8 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala;
