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ESPN NHL FHL

In each NHL season I go all in on just one fantasy team, second or sixth place it does not matter I give it my best to win each of the 22 weeks from October until March either for a playoff seeding or as a spoiler.

This season randomly placed in an ESPN FHL named “Chicago Pro H2H Points League” and began the draft in ninth place, selecting in the ninth and twelve slots and with 10 and 11 having auto picks it essentially on the clock provided two consecutive picks for me.

So fortunately I was able to select both Misters Nylander & Marner, two of Toronto’s premier players with possible line stacking possibilities and endless fantasy points with my first overall selections.

I always prefer to draft Sabres Dahlin early but he was listed as injured and he was taken before my next two picks came up, so I consoled myself with Buffalo’s top scorers Misters Thompson & Tuch who are playoff bound this season and will rack up the points.

Possibly too many Sabres but I also selected the next best thing to Defenseman Dahlin and that is Owen Powers and Mattias Samuelsson, going with… live by the sword, perish by the sword.

I have obtained blocking defensemen that some team managers overlook because they do not get the pretty assist points, and with the waiver wire transactions beginning this morning, we are off and skating .

October fourth is a long ways from today, plenty of time to enter a public league, or create your own at ESPN to participate with fellow fans who also believe in their managerial tactics, talent, and skill to win an ESPN FHL Championship.

Spreading the Good News with Hockey

League play begins October in Buffalo’s neighborhood, “Riverside”, and their Bud Bakewell arena is the home of the four team Integrity Hockey League on Saturday nights, coaches, players, staff, and fans have become the Salt & Light of local amateur hockey.

For the 2024-25 IHL regular season there will be approximately 18 games with three games per month concluding with playoffs during April.

A preseason pick-up skate is planned for the 28th of September, and there are volunteer opportunities as well as signing up as a skater or goaltender.

When professional hockey insists on pushing sinful narratives it is refreshing to be able to attend and follow competitive hockey without having to honor and tolerate immorality and vice.

As someone who strengthens his hope/faith in Jesus with daily bread consisting of prayer and reading the Gospels I am disappointed in the way the NHL has tolerated and promotes so many of our secular culture’s insistence for chaos, hatred, and disbelief in our Heavenly Father.

Similar to the cliché, “you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink”, you can also lead a person to Jesus, but you cannot make them believe, and supposing that you were born in North America, you have heard the “Good News”.

So it is with great pleasure that I will be able to include Jesus with hockey at my website, giving glory to our Heavenly Father is nothing to be ashamed of.

Sabres in 1989-90 celebrated their 20th NHL Season

Memorial Auditorium Buffalo, NY- As a young man tending bar here along the Lake I had the opportunity to attend the Sabres 20th NHL Season Thursday night Home Opener versus the Quebec Nordiques and what a game it was.

Our Head Coach Rick Dudley led Sabres struck quickly only 20 seconds into the first period as Alexander Mogilny scores his first NHL goal and Buffalo’s first goal of our 20th NHL Season causing a raucous celebratory roar from the early sitting crowd.

The first period’s scoring was completed with Guy Lafleur’s first goal as a Nordiques player after serving one season with the Rangers the year before and that was after sitting out three seasons following his retirement from the Canadiens.

With the game tied 1-1 Buffalo opened the second period again by scoring within the first minute as Dave Andreychuk scored for the Sabres and three minutes later 7th round draft pick Mike Hartman scores and Buffalo has a 3-1 lead heading into the third period.

It takes the Nordiques top line of Michel Goulet, Joe Sakic, and Peter Stastny only eight seconds of power play time for Mr. Goulet to score and get Quebec within one goal with just under 18 minutes remaining in the game.

Incredulously Mr. Hartman scores his second of the night four minutes later and Buffalo had regained its two goal lead but with three minutes left to play, future Colorado Captain and Cup Champion Joe Sakic scores to get Quebec back within one.

The Nordiques pull their goaltender with less than two minutes remaining and the Sabres are hanging on when with only 19 seconds left in a one goal game Buffalo is called for a “too many men” penalty.

Fortunately the Sabres Olympian gold medalist defenseman Mike Ramsey (2 assists in the game) backed by Darren Puppa in net, the Sabres held on to win 4-3 for fans during the 20th NHL Season Home Opener.

Sundae (Toni) Bafo – Label

Buffalo employed a professional 22 years old figure skater to assist in introducing the players during home games in 1970, the young lady had become an amateur multi-medalist in the US and Canada who then coached at the Buffalo Skating and Curling Clubs and winning a National Synchronized skating championship.

No pyrotechnic display, loud blaring horn or pop music, no giant logo lit up on the ice, and no major celebrity to kick off the show…just hockey, introduced by a lone figure skater with a piece of classical music from Russian composer Aram Khachaturian.

The music written in 1942 for the ballet “Gayane”, the “Sabre Dance” is considered by some to be one the signature pieces of the 20^th century, and has been covered by many artists around the world, and here along the Lake this piece has become our hockey music.

For the first time Buffalo hosted the US National Figure Skating Championship and it coincided with the Sabres inaugural season 1970-71 during January 27– 30, which was the Golden Anniversary year of US figure skating which included 14 years old Dorothy Hamill competing.

Test your memory and online research skills

Beginning Tuesday October 8th the Buffalo Winter Tuesday Trivia challenge commences and runs through the regular season relating to professional and amateur hockey played here along the Lake.

No pressure, no stress, hopefully just an enjoyable distraction to expand our knowledge of hockey through trivia and historical points of interests.

Example:

Each Tuesday will present a new inquiry and last week’s correct response, additionally at the end of the regular season the subscriber with the highest percentage of correct answers will be awarded an encased vintage hockey card with authentic historical documentation.