September 16th 2009
Finally, the summer is coming to an end. The long time without hockey was hard. Trainingscamp started last weekend, but I’ve been back to Buffalo already two weeks before, playing with some teammates in our practice-arena. The tension in the locker room is already palpable. Everybody is looking forward to our first pre-season-games. I’ll be playing against Washington in our first game, which makes me glad. The sooner you get into a rhythm of playing the better. I can’t tell you anything about the rest of the pre-season-games as the coaches tell us the game-day-rosters only a day before the game.

Settling back in in Buffalo after the long off-season in Minnesota was no problem. We’ve been living here for quite some time now and know our way around. What was new this year was the intensity with which trainings camp started right from the beginning. In the last years it was often a bit laid-back the first few days. Not so this year. There are a few good reasons for the higher intensity: after missing the playoffs 2 years in a row everybody is much more concentrated. The young guys from Portland are giving their best to make the opening day roster. And last but not least there’s a whole bunch of guys who were taken as free agents over the summer. They are all tough guys who won’t shy back.

I’m really happy that Mike Grier is back in Buffalo. Mike was one of the most important guys in the locker room during my rookie year with the Sabres. He always had the right words for us young guys and – maybe even more important – showed us what it means to be a NHL player on the ice. Steve Montador is another guy who I think will help us out tremendously this season. He’s playing hard, has a good shot and radiates calmness in his own zone.

We’ve been playing a small internal tournament over the last few days to really get in the swing. More than 50 players started training camp, so we were divided into 3 teams, playing a round robin tournament. The team with the fewest points had to work an extra shift on Wednesday while the other two teams battled it out for the tournament victory. I played on a team with (amongst others) Tim Connolly, Pat Kaleta, Nathan Gerbe, Danny Paille, Craig Rivet and Paul Gaustad. Unfortunately we lost the final to Ryan Miller’s team (amongst others consisting of Matt Ellis, Jason Pominville, Hank Tallinder and Toni Lydman) 3-1. The speed and grit were already quite high. And to be honest: I’m glad Kaleta played on my team and not against me…

One of my goals for the new season is to make more use of my body. Of course I’ll never be one to skate across the rink just looking to make the next check. But I’m working on finishing my checks on the forecheck harder and more often. I think I’m on a good way in that regard, though that’s something that’s hard to train over the summer, because you don’t want to hurt your training mates. During the scrimmages it worked quite good, as there was more speed and intensity than during the summer practices.

Coach Lindy Ruff told me that I’d be given every chance to get elite ice-time this season. But he expects me to return that ice-time with an elite-effort. I’m happy to take on that challenge and I’m confident that I improved enough over the summer to return his trust.

Some final words: It’s a pretty good feeling to finally play again with a normal helmet. I’m feeling like a different player. At last I can clearly see the puck again. It’s as different as day and night compared to the end of last season. Great to get that out of the way!

"I played on a team with (amongst others) Tim Connolly, Pat Kaleta, Nathan Gerbe, Danny Paille, Craig Rivet and Paul Gaustad. Unfortunately we lost the final to Ryan Miller’s team (amongst others consisting of Matt Ellis, Jason Pominville, Hank Tallinder and Toni Lydman) 3-1."

Hm...interesting teams, I sure would have pegged vanek/connolly's team to beat pommers/loods/hank.

No need for violence, just tell her she's got a game misconduct and show her the door.

As I said in the GDT, the call on Rivet was horseshit. The Bruins player was holding onto Rivet's stick like it was the last fucking raft on the Titanic.

I just want to see someone be entirely informal in one of these updates.

No need for violence, just tell her she's got a game misconduct and show her the door.

As I said in the GDT, the call on Rivet was horseshit. The Bruins player was holding onto Rivet's stick like it was the last fucking raft on the Titanic.

That's what we're all expecting Thomas.

caro, off topic here.... but i hate millers new mask

Ok...

I think it's neat...I've always been into Japanese culture so it was cool to see Miller rocking Japanese art on his mask and I liked the Salior Jerry inspired tattoo on the back. But I've heard that he is going back to his old mask once the season starts again. Not sure if that's true.

Doug Funnie does not agree with that statement.

i think your hearing me wrong. i think its a sweet idea. i just dont like the actual mask itself. i think the chinese... stuff down the middle, i just dont like it. im sorry

Doug wore underpants on his head; he's no one to admire..!!!