Five years. That’s how long it’s been since the Buffalo Sabres last appeared in the Stanley Cup playoffs. And when you travel around Buffalo this weekend, you will immediately notice that even the non-fan, or the casual fan, is caught up in the Fever. That’s “Stanley Cup Fever,” the kind that has us flipping channels to catch as many of the opening round games as possible; that has us wearing tin foil Cup hats and painted faces as we trek to the arena; that had us up until the wee hours watching that game that took four overtimes to complete, so we would not miss a moment of history.

For those of you who aren’t the greatest of fans but deep down really want to be, here are our Ten Commandments—a real primer on what to know, what to do and what not to do as the Sabres drop the puck at home this weekend to begin Stanley Cup play.

The Ten Commandments

1. Thy blue and gold jerseys of the past are the real Sabres jerseys, despite what they have been wearing for the past decade.

2. The goal by Brett Hull in the 1999 Finals never occurred, it was illegal…regardless of what Wayne Gretzky and the NHL say.

3. The French Connection is not a movie, it is a high-powered scoring line from times long ago.

4. Thou shalt not pay homage to the existence of false arena songs, but heed only “Sabre Dance” by Khatchaturian.

5. Ted Nolan hath been blackballed by the NHL…proof that racism existeth in hockey.

6. Diva Kate Smith is to be reviled, not revered.

7. Whilst Dominik Hasek is a player to be revered, thou must not admit to this yet.

8. When pummeling an opponent, fans are required to count the number of Sabres goals, one by one, until the score is reached. Then thou must asketh for one more.

9. Memorial Auditorium is the most underrated, underappreciated former venue in the NHL.

10. Thou shalt never, under any circumstances, root for the Maple Leafs. They are an abomination filled with pride and arrogance. Punishment shall be death by stoning.

Breakdown

For the Sabres it has been an exhilarating and magical season. Who gave them a chance to contend this year? Certainly not the media pundits, many of whom picked the team to finish at the bottom. Not the networks, who dissed the Sabres and ignored them in compiling the national TV schedules. But the Sabres started piling on the wins early and often, thanks to solid goaltending by rookie Ryan Miller. And when Miller went down, Martin Biron put together an amazing, 13-game winning streak, shattering a team record in the process.

Yet just when we thought the team would never lose again and visions of Stanley Cup parades danced in our heads, the Sabres went into a tailspin in March, surrendering any real chance for a division title and losing its confidence in the process.

Here are the Sabres strengths:

1. Balanced scoring—the Sabres can put out any one of four lines and all of them have the capability of killing opponents.

2. Maxim Afinogenov—Max has emerged as the big playmaker. His end-to-end rushes and pristine stickhandling are great to watch.

3. Good health—save for Jochen Hecht’s frustrating knee injuries, the team is mostly healthy and intact.

Here are the Sabres weaknesses:

1. Defense—the mostly European corps of defenders aren’t well suited to the playoff style of hockey, which involves grinding and fighting in the corners. Guys like Lydman and Kalinin have to play smart.

2. Playoff inexperience—Chris Drury has been there, as has Teppo Numminen and Jay McKee, but most of the roster will be getting their first sniff of Stanley Cup action.

And the Sabres’ biggest question mark is in goal: The plan has been to ride Ryan Miller toward the playoffs, but his shoddy play during most of March has been downright alarming. The good news is that, other than New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur, no playoff team in the East can boast of a battle hardened veteran between the pipes.

TARO SEZ…

“Ninety-eight percent of season ticket holders have taken advantage of the Sabres’ offer and signed up for playoff tickets.” So says Sabres VP for Ticket Operations John Sinclair. Discounts were as high as 75 percent less than window prices, an amazing deal.

Sinclair also reports that the team has already sold 1,475 new season tickets for next year. That means 1,475 fewer single seats available to Leafs fans.

In a streak that may never be equaled, the St. Louis Blues’ incredible run of 25 consecutive appearances in the playoffs has come to an end as the team finished dead last in the West. Blues forward and West Seneca native Lee Stempniak wants to start a new streak. “We have a core group of young players and new ownership ready to take this team back to its former glory,” says Stempniak.

Props to the Buffalo Bandits for clinching their division title and home field advantage throughout the playoffs, thanks to a 11-5 regular season record. The team will play Minnesota this weekend.