If there’s any single adjective that can best be ascribed to Buffalo, New York it would most definitely be resillient. You try and endure the kind of winters that lake effect snow produces and try and tell me it doesn’t harden one’s resolve at the same time it tries one’s patience. I had a few of my own a hundred or so miles and one Great Lake to the East and let me tell you, it was more than enough for this person’s lifetime quota.
And if you’re a sports fan, your level of suffering is redoubled many times over. I’ve frequently mused about the heartbreak that the Buffalo Bills inflict on their fan base each January, never winning a Super Bowl in their now 65-year history (you might find a few hardy old-timers who will contend their back-to-back pre-merger AFL championships, but that constituency is growing smaller and the memories more distant with each passing year). They haven’t even won a conference title in more than 30 years, and with passing year of Josh Allen’s career that fact of life sinks in deeper than a Smartcar in a snowbank.
As for their NHL team, it’s way worse a track record. No Stanley Cup here in the franchise’s existence–which now is in season 56–and no Finals appearance in the 21st century, either. Morever, not even a playoff appereance since 2011 until this spring. And on the heels of a crushing home loss to the Montreal Canadiens Thursday night their backs were indeed against the wall as they headed north last night to face a rather hungry crew of supporters of Les Habitants–themselves lacking a cup in this century as well.
Which made the result which the by-line shy ASSOCIATED PRESS reported on last night all the more stirring:
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 18 saves after starter Alex Lyon stopped only one of the four shots he faced, and the Buffalo Sabres roared back to beat the Montreal Canadiens 8-3 on Saturday night and force a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference semifinal series…Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin had a goal and four assists for a team playoff-record five points.
Buffalo came back after trailing 3-1 midway through the first period. “We believed in it from the beginning and (Luukkonen) came in and gave us a little boost,” Dahlin said. “It was a mix of everything, but I’m super happy with the character from today’s game.”
“I think if you would have asked every guy in here in September if they would have taken being in Game 7 in Round 2, we all would have signed up for that,” Buffalo forward Tage Thompson said. “So, we’re in a great spot. Now it’s just one game. That’s all that matters.”
If you think the players are excited, just think about their fans. WIVB-TV’s Gabriella Baiano certainly did:
A sea of blue and gold flooded downtown Buffalo as fans packed KeyBank Center, watching the Sabres keep their playoff run alive,..Although the game was on the road, thousands of fans gathered together to watch it on the big screen inside the home of the Sabres…
Fans said the team’s first postseason run in nearly two decades has united the Queen City. “It’s given us all a sense of hope, right? I mean, every year we always want more, and this is the year we’re seeing it, and it feels so good, especially coming up the back of an Olympic win,” another fan shared. “This is great.” “Just the sense of unity, everybody coming together, and everybody being really happy,” one fan added.
“It brought back a lot of good memories of what was,” one fan said. “The French connection, how that affected the city when it happened, and that was the last real playoff experience that most of us in the senior years can remember.”
Those memories may not necessarily have been all that good, as NHL.com reminds of perhaps the signature moment of Sabres’ fans lives:
(O)ne of the most memorable games in NHL history — dubbed the “Fog Game” — took place on May 20, 1975 at Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo…The game was played in a sauna-like environment due to high humidity (around 62%) and the absence of air conditioning in the old Memorial Auditorium. Temperatures near the ice reached nearly 90°F, and fog began to rise from the ice, obscuring players’ legs and even their bodies. A bat that had been in the rafters circled the ice, prompting a humorous “Batman” nickname for a Sabres player who flicked it away
The Flyers were up 2–0 after 3:09, 3–2 after one period, and 4–3 after two…Buffalo tied it 4–4 in the third period on a Bill Hajt goal…Overtime drama: The fog became so thick that play was stopped multiple times to clear it. In overtime, the fog was nearly impenetrable, and the game went nearly goalless…Decisive moment: At 18:29 of OT, Rene Robert scored the game-winner from just above the goal line, with Flyers goalie Bernie Parent missing the puck entirely…Despite this win, the Flyers went on to win the series 4–2, becoming the first expansion team to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.
Fortunately, the Sabres now play in a climate-controlled arena–no longer new, but at least in better condition than the Aud was back then. Which means even the steam that the fan base may be creating tomorrow night, given a second chance to advance to a third round for the first time this century won’t derail the game.
If this one happens to go to overtime itself, so be it. Sabres fans have endured a lot more and a lot worse both now and then. They can take it. I know I’m looking forward to the chance to be so challenged myself.
Courage…