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No Hollywood Ending for the Sabres

The last straw was Jay McKee going down. On a bizarre and freak infection in his shin, no less. Now the Sabres were down four defensemen. How much more could this team bear?

But as the day went on, we all remembered how this team had overcome adversity before. Could there be a slow-motion Hollywood finish? You know the type of scene…Willie Mays Hayes rounding third and heading for home in Major League; Billy Bob rumbling into the end zone in Varsity Blues; ticking down the final seconds in Miracle; Jimmy Chitwood’s final shot in Hoosiers.

But alas! Life doesn’t happen in slow motion. It happens in real time. Justin William’s goal with a minute to play to give Carolina a 4-2 lead happened all too quickly. In a blink of an eye, Buffalo’s dream for a Stanley Cup in 2006 was over.

Did you get choked up? Did you fight back a tear or two? ’Fess up…we did.

In the aftermath of the bitter disappointment of the loss came yet more amazing and emotional stories—the outpouring of support from the hundreds of fans who greeted the team at Prior Aviation in the wee hours; Jay McKee describing his feelings of helplessness as he watched game seven from home and was unable to do anything; the deluge of letters and emails to the Sabres front office thanking the team for the magnificent ride.

As we recap some of the best that this team had to offer this past season and look ahead, we too wish to say “Thank you, Sabres” for the wonderful and magical year, and for lifting the hearts and the spirits of an entire community.

Training camp opens in 94 days. We can’t wait. Neither can Taro.

TOP 5 PLAYOFF MOMENTS

1a) and 1b) Game 1, Ottawa—In a furious rush around the net, Tim Connolly buries the tying goal with 10.7 seconds to go. Chris Drury completes the improbable and wild game with his overtime goal 18 seconds into the extra frame.

2) Game 5, Ottawa—Jason Pominville’s shorthanded goal against the Sens in overtime gives the Sabres the series-clinching victory.

3) Game 1, Philadelphia—Brian Campbell’s hit on Philadelphia’s R.J.Umberger sets the tone against the physical Flyers.

4) Game 6, Carolina—After being forced to play overtime on a late Carolina goal, Daniel Briere’s game-winner at 4:22 of overtime meant the Sabres would live for another day.

5) Game 1, Philadelphia—It took two overtimes, and on the winning goal by Briere, the Sabres made a playoff statement that they are for real.

TOP FIVE MUSIC BUMPS

Music has such power to stir our souls and kindle memories. The Sabres event presentation staff did a fabulous job entertaining the fans at the arena this year, and added these great audio clips to evoke thoughts and dreams of a great season:

1) Aram Khatchaturian’s “Sabre Dance.” Still our unique original.

2) “Hurricane 2000” by the Scorpions and the Berlin Philharmonic.

3) Carl Orff’s intro to “Carmina Burana.”

4) “Street Fighting Man” by the Rolling Stones.

5 ) Sabretooth jamming on his guitar during media timeouts. Priceless!

TOP 5 WISHES FOR NEXT SEASON

1) Jay McKee in a Sabres uniform with a long-term contract.

2) Sabres telecasts shown in amazing high definition. Oh, and on cable systems in Southern Ontario.

3) Season ticket count tops 12,000.

4) The team unveils its new blue and gold jerseys.

5) An eye-popping and jaw-dropping new video scoreboard.

TOP 5 REGULAR SEASON MOMENTS

Easy to forget that the playoff run would never had happened if it had not been for the epic and exciting 82 game regular season. Here are our highlights:

1) Martin Biron’s streak—When Ryan Miller went down with a broken finger, everyone let out a collective gulp. But Marty shook off the cobwebs and showed why he can be a starter in this league, posting a 13-game winning streak in November and December and setting a franchise record.

2) April 8: Buffalo 6, Ottawa 2—After getting shelled all season at Ottawa’s Scotiabank Place, the Sabres went into Ottawa and got a convincing victory, sending the message that they could find a way to win in this building.

3) January 14: Buffalo 10, Los Angeles 1—The last time the Sabres scored so many goals was at the Aud; Jochen Hecht and Jason Pominville each netted hat tricks, and during the postgame three-star ceremony, the entire team skated out for a well deserved curtain call.

4) Sabres sweep Leafs at home—Oh how we love to welcome those smarmy and arrogant Toronto fans to Buffalo and send them packing. Our boys faced the Maple Leafs four times this season at HSBC Arena and throttled them each time. C’mon down again next season, Toronto fans, you know the drill by now!

5) October 13: Buffalo 4, Tampa Bay 3—Just five games into the season, the first shootout in franchise history goes to the Sabres, as Briere and Thomas Vanek both net shootout goals.

TARO SEZ

Five biggest villains from these playoffs: Ken Hitchcock (Flyers); Zdeno Chara (Senators); Rob Brind’amour (Hurricanes); Denis Gauthier (Flyers); Ned Barnett (Raleigh News and Observer).

Go, Oilers, go!