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Nolan skates Sabres, says the time for ‘taking it easy is over’

Oct 29, 2014, 2:12 PM EDT

37 Comments
Boston Bruins v Buffalo Sabres Getty Images

We’re not trying to pile on the Sabres. Honest. But with just two games on the NHL schedule tonight, we’d be remiss to ignore the following accounts of Buffalo’s practice today.

First, from the Olean Times Herald:

At one point, coach Ted Nolan, whose 2-8 team was demolished 4-0 in Toronto on Tuesday, yelled, “Wake the (expletive) up!” Players exchanged words and yelled out in frustration. Captain Brian Gionta banged his stick on the glass and demolished it on the bench.

Nolan said he gives his teams a “10-game grace period” to start to a season.

“You give them a little bit of rope and maybe some will hang themselves,” a sweaty Nolan said. “What we saw the last 10 or so games we saw that. Now’s the time, taking it easy is over now. We got to work. I’ll take full responsibility for that. Maybe I didn’t push them hard enough. But today’s the day we have to start.

More from the Buffalo News:

Nolan put the Sabres through an excruciating 85-minute workout in First Niagara Center. The only thing missing was Herb Brooks’ voice yelling, “Again, again,” as the Sabres skated end-to-end for drills with few breaks.

“I don’t think we’re working and competing hard enough, so that’s what we did today,” alternate captain Matt Moulson said. “He’s a passionate guy. He demands a certain compete and work ethic. I don’t think we’ve given that to him.

“We’ve got to show some kind of emotion out there, so I’m sure he’s trying everything.”

The Sabres play tomorrow against the Boston Bruins, a squad that’s already beaten Buffalo 4-0 this season and won’t be feeling too charitable after last night’s loss to the Wild.

Then again, if there’s one team that could garner “some kind of emotion” from the Sabres, maybe it’s the B’s.

(Not to mention, Boston has its own problems at the moment.)

Related: What they’re saying about the Sabres (and it’s not good)

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  1. mega1480 - Oct 29, 2014 at 2:37 PM

    C’mon Teddy take it slow… Let Carolina get a little healthier before you try to fix the Sabres, they’re in first after all (If you know what I mean)

    • endusersolutions2013 - Oct 29, 2014 at 2:45 PM

      And finishing 2nd in the sweepstakes would not be that bad, considering the reduced odds, and having two outstanding prospects.

    • endusersolutions2013 - Oct 29, 2014 at 2:47 PM

      Seriously, you could tell the Buffalo GM at least tried to improve his team over the summer (vs. your top competitor standing pat with a team that was poor last year).

  2. pjblake2redwings - Oct 29, 2014 at 2:41 PM

    I hope this team gets the 3rd draft pick in this years draft missing McDavid and Eichel. They dont deserve to be rewarded with either player.

    • brysono - Oct 29, 2014 at 3:01 PM

      The worst team deserves the top pick, so you’re saying they are too good?

    • cantescapekarma - Oct 29, 2014 at 3:06 PM

      That is BS. Buffalo fans absolutely deserve to have a superstar player. Just look at our attendance and TV ratings during this very painful rebuild. Our fans still come out in high numbers. We haven’t deserted our team like fans did in Chicago and Pittsburgh during their rebuilds. We love and support our team to the bitter end (as evidenced by last season and this one).
      It’s not the fans fault what Darcy Regier did to this team. And Darcy was fired for what he did. Tim Murray is trying to clean this mess up but after the fire sale Darcy had, it will take Years to fix it.

      Why don’t Buffalo fans deserve to have a superstar player?

      • endusersolutions2013 - Oct 29, 2014 at 3:45 PM

        Disagree on Chicago – how many times do Hawks fans have to answer this. The prior severely alienated fans, not only by being super cheep and not being willing to fund a competitive team or management (he would not invest in a European scout), we would not allow local games to be televised – long list.

        Fortunately for the Hawks and their fans, he died and his son Rocky took over and totally tuned things around.

        Instead of being in the executive boxes or absent, Rocky would sit with the fans in the regular seats.

        Hawks are not going to contend for the SC next year due to another bout of salary cap decimation’s.

        And they will still sell out.

      • endusersolutions2013 - Oct 29, 2014 at 3:46 PM

        @cantes Agreed on the other aspects tho

      • bullwinkle88 - Oct 29, 2014 at 8:24 PM

        That’s B.S. Regier was a very good GM who made fantastic trades to help this club.

        The idea to start over was Darcy’s and he did a fantastic job of stockpiling draft picks which Murray can use to build a strong team.

        The future of the Buffalo Sabres will be built upon the shoulders of Darcy Regier.

      • cantescapekarma - Oct 29, 2014 at 8:44 PM

        Bullwinkle – eh, I don’t know about a very good GM. Yeah he was great at making trades. But he had plenty of flaws too. I was never one of the people calling for him to be fired either. I defended him. But some of the moves he made, or really the moves he did Not make, are what drove me nuts. He over-valued his own players and held onto guys way too long. Did you know that Boston wanted to trade Seguin for Vanek (plus another player from each side) but Regier declined the trade. Seguin could be in a Buffalo jersey right now!
        He also started the rebuild the wrong way, in my opinion. Instead of trading guys like Vanek who wanted out of here badly, he traded Pominville, a guy who would have gladly been a Buffalo Sabre for life and tried to make Vanek the highest paid forward in the entire NHL.
        I could go on but I will stop there because there is no point in arguing with someone like you.

      • bullwinkle88 - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:25 PM

        “Someone like me”??? I argue with rationality and don’t depend upon those bozos at the Buffalo News to create my opinion for me.

        People who really know the sport appreciate what Regier has done. When I say “know the sport”, I mean people who have been around hockey for decades. I began following the NHL in 1964 to give you some idea of what I’m talking about.

        Of course Regier has made mistakes – there is no GM who hasn’t. But I’m not nitpicking. I’m looking at the overall picture. Hindsight is 20/20 and is not a fair tool for evaluating talent. At the time of the proposal, Vanek looked better than Segin. That’s why Segin ended up in Dallas – no one knew he would emerge as a star player. I don’t blame Regier for that.

        And what criticisms do you have of the trade he actually did make for Vanek? Hopefully none, since the return could very well be someone better than Seguin. Everyone knows that Regier won that trade hands down.

        Hanging on to players for too long? Yes, he could be accused of that. Keeping Grigorenko up instead of sending him back, etc. But that is small stuff compared to the good that he has done.

        Trading Pominville needed to be done, just like getting rid of Roy. Same reason. These guys were part of the old culture which needed to be changed.

        All-in-all, Darcy did a very credible job in his tenure here. Like I said, Murray owes an awful lot to Regier. And that is the absolute truth.

      • cantescapekarma - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:48 PM

        I don’t disagree. If/when Murray gets this turned around, a lot of it will be because of the groundwork in place from Regier’s tenure.
        Yeah, Vanek may have been the more established player, but Reguer had just started his rebuild and if Pominville didn’t fit in, why would Vanek? Seguin already had some very good seasons in Boston at the time too. If Regier couldn’t see the talent that was there, then that is quite a big problem, no?
        What about Clarke MacArthur? Why’d we let him go? And Nathan Gerbe, he bought him out why? Gerbe has been playing very well. What about hanging on to Drew Stafford forever? Or the Ville Leino signing. Or hiring Ron Rolston without really doing his due dilligence in a coaching search. Again, I could keep going. And again, I never was calling for Darcy’s head. I was willing to give him time since the rebuild had just started. But all in all I am glad he was fired. It was time for a new set of eyes on these players & this franchise.
        Oh, and of course I am happy with the Vanek trade. It was an obvious home run. But I wasn’t happy to hear that Darcy offered to make Vanek the highest paid forward in the NHL earlier that season. Vanek had lots of talent but was one of those core players that had to go because his work ethic was part of the cultural problem in Buffalo. So why would Regier want to try and build a team around an older player like that…?
        The reason I said a person like you is because you are the one who b*tched me out when I jokingly said “next time Kaleta shouldn’t block a shot with his face” and you proceeded to lay into me and tell me I know nothing about the game of hockey, when I was clearly joking around… (you have told me many times I don’t know the game. I have played for 20+ years, how about you? You’ve watched lots of hockey so you know everything huh?)

    • stepanup - Oct 29, 2014 at 3:36 PM

      It’s not like they’re the Oilers here.

    • thomasvanek - Oct 29, 2014 at 4:04 PM

      How do you expect teams to get better if you don’t give them good draft picks?

  3. gnrfan8804 - Oct 29, 2014 at 3:38 PM

    Well said, cantescapekarma…..all regiers doing. Murray will get us there

    • bullwinkle88 - Oct 29, 2014 at 8:25 PM

      What he said is crap. Wake up. Sometimes people comment who know nothing about hockey.

  4. buffalomafia - Oct 29, 2014 at 4:06 PM

    Why does Buffalo still have Patrick Kaleta?

    He can’t score a goal to save his life and he is still on roster.

    • cantescapekarma - Oct 29, 2014 at 5:51 PM

      He hasn’t played since the preseason. He broke half his face blocking a slap shot for the team.
      At least we know that when Kaleta gets back in the lineup he will work his a** off every shift and give it everything he’s got. At this point in time, I’d rather see a less skilled player giving a full effort than a skilled player who going to go out there and dog it all night.

      • anthj99 - Oct 29, 2014 at 6:52 PM

        If that’s all it takes is giving 110% and blocking shots with your face, I’m an available free agent. I can lose as well as these guys and I’d do it for half the price.

    • bullwinkle88 - Oct 29, 2014 at 8:26 PM

      Kaleta can be an important member of this club. He hits and intimidates plus plays the PK as well. He definitely can contribute when he comes back.

  5. zinger99 - Oct 29, 2014 at 6:14 PM

    Totally right on about Chicago. A Buffalo fan wouldn’t know that because they’re just Sabre fans,not hockey fans. How they looooove to beat their chests over their TV ratings and their attendance(???) when all that means is that they’re sheep. They haven’t gotten the memo that loyalty to a team is a two way street. Would hate to see McDavid have to waste X amount of years in Buffalo the way Nash did in Columbus.

    • bullwinkle88 - Oct 29, 2014 at 8:29 PM

      You just contradicted yourself and you don’t even know it.

      If they just know the Sabres, then why are their TV ratings so high for every other team in the league?

      The fact is that Buffalo has a higher percentage of hockey fans than almost any city in the U.S. – and that includes your beloved Chicago.

      They know hockey…well most of them do, not some of the comments you see above (like cantescapekarma).

      • cantescapekarma - Oct 29, 2014 at 8:37 PM

        You are always saying I don’t know hockey. I played my entire life and still play to this day. I played tier 2 & tier 1 hockey. I know the game much better than you do (at least from the comments you’ve made).

      • bullwinkle88 - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:29 PM

        Want to compare careers? I played hockey for 17 years from Buffalo to Hartford to Philadelphia to Salt Lake City. I competed at an international tournament at Lake Placid.

        Don’t try to intimidate me. It won’t work.

      • cantescapekarma - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:52 PM

        Dude, you need to f’n relax and not take everything so serious. I’m not trying to Intimidate you. You’ve just said I don’t know hockey like 3 times on this thread alone so I was just sticking up for myself. I have no interest in comparing careers with you. Relax and stop taking commenting on PHT as such a serious thing. You come off as such a stuck up know it all…

  6. nucksss - Oct 29, 2014 at 7:20 PM

    OK. So an NHL coach can bag skate guys for 85 to send a message but what if you coach 10-year old girls? How can you get them to work hard every shift and not coast around like it’s public skating?

  7. flyerguy73 - Oct 29, 2014 at 8:23 PM

    I think they are playing great hockey! Keep up the good work. Playoffs here they come. NOT. Lol.

    • bullwinkle88 - Oct 29, 2014 at 8:31 PM

      You must live on a cloud. They are executing their plan very well. In 4-6 years we will be humiliating teams like the Flyers. In fact I’ll bet that they will win the Cup before the Flyers do. That’s an easy bet because the Flyers will always be stuck in mediocrity and always looking for the “right” goalie. LOL!!!!

  8. zinger99 - Oct 29, 2014 at 9:10 PM

    I always get a Patrick Kaleta mixed up with Mario Lemieux.

    You Buffalo fans amaze me.

  9. flyerguy73 - Oct 29, 2014 at 9:36 PM

    I’ll take that bet puss winkle. The sabres could get 8 draft pics, and still suck. The only time they came close was when Hasek was in goal, and Hull shot it pass that idiot, and Dallas won the cup. That’s as close as they will ever get, and that was how many years ago? Lol. We will be fine, and have a cup VERY soon.

    • bullwinkle88 - Oct 29, 2014 at 10:41 PM

      You would lose…badly. Don’t talk about Cups…I remember 1975 – I was there when you won the last one. You probably weren’t even born yet.

      No, I’d much rather be the Sabres than the Flyers. Your future is “meh”. You will continue to drift in mediocrity…always so close…but never quite there. In fact the playoffs will be a 50/50 proposition for you soon.

      Meanwhile we have the Nr. 1 prospect pool in the league and will only get better with 3 1st round picks and 3 2nd round picks in 2015.

      While we rise, you will still be in never-never land…up on your cloud…still dreaming of what was and will never be again.

      Good luck with that.

  10. zinger99 - Oct 29, 2014 at 9:52 PM

    Ya,Belfour took Hasek to school!!
    The Dominator! Please.

  11. zinger99 - Oct 29, 2014 at 10:45 PM

    Another bad owner in Buffalo. Poor Seymour must be spinning at what has become of his team!

  12. zinger99 - Oct 29, 2014 at 11:44 PM

    I keep getting Darcy Regier and Bill Torrey mixed up. Regier won the 4 Cups in a row,right?

    • bullwinkle88 - Oct 30, 2014 at 3:13 AM

      Yep, that’s right. Now go back under your rock. We’ll call you if we need you.

  13. flyerguy73 - Oct 30, 2014 at 8:42 AM

    You keep thinking that. See how far that gets you. Sabres are a dying breed in the NHL. Joke of the NHL I might add. They may have the “best” fan base, but that just goes to show how stupid the people from buffalo really are. Spend your money to watch bush league hockey. You keep rooting for them morons, and I will keep rooting for my team, and let’s see how it turns out 5-8 years down the road. You will be very disappointed in YOUR outcome.

    • cantescapekarma - Oct 30, 2014 at 11:23 AM

      Hey, don’t lump us all in with bullwinkle…

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