I knew it was only a matter of time before I wrote my first post about the Buffalo Sabres— and after the amount of heart they showed tonight, I couldn’t deny them any longer.

I’ve been a Sabres fan for as long as I can remember. Growing up in Buffalo you don’t really have a choice. We live and die with our sports teams— and games like tonight make me understand why. The Sabres came into tonight’s game against division rival Ottawa with a laundry list of injuries to many of our key players. Most teams wouldn’t stand a chance against an elite team like Ottawa with a bench full of rookies. But not Buffalo.

The games fast-paced momentum went back and forth until about 5 minutes into the 2nd period when Sabres captain Chris Drury caught an elbow to the face, causing a deep cut and a puddle of blood on the ice. From the second he hit the deck I knew this wasn’t going to be pretty. When the puck dropped on the ensuing face-off, it was on. What started as a few scattered fights turned into a brawl for the ages when goalies Martin Biron and Ray Emery left their creases to join the action at center ice. After the goalies were separated, Sabres enforcer and my personal hero Andrew Peters went toe to toe with Emery to prove a point.

Somewhere between the repeated haymakers to Emery’s face I realized something— this is what Buffalo is all about. This is why we have 18,000 screaming fans at every home game when other clubs can’t give their seats away. I’m not talking about the fighting (although it was awesome), but the loyalty that these guys have to each other. It’s a rare thing to find anymore, especially in professional sports, but something that is of the utmost importance to all Buffalonians. We go to the grave with our loyalties, and watching our team defend their fallen captain made me proud, honestly. Judging by the cheers from the crowd, I have a feeling I’m not alone. There’s a reason we are currently the best team in the NHL. It’s not just raw talent; it’s the never-say-die attitude that they play every game with. Few teams can match our skill, but even fewer teams can match our heart and determination. That’s what makes us the BUFFALO Sabres. Not any other team. Not any other city.

It’s easy to sing the praises of star talents like Ryan Miller, Danny Briere and Chris Drury. They are phenomenal players that have made us one of the most dangerous teams in the league. But, tonight was proof that sometimes a team needs more than someone to light the lamp. They need emotion. I’m sure as the playoffs get closer I will have more than enough opportunities to talk about Miller’s mind-boggling saves and Briere’s ice-cold blood, so I would like to dedicate this post to the goons. The guys whose passion to win exceeds their on-ice talent.

Thank you Andrew Peters, Adam Mair and the rest of you guys who have the balls to stand up to anyone and everyone in defense of a teammate. That’s something I can’t help but respect. Wear the Buffalo sweater with pride.

Oh, and we won 6-5 in a sudden-death shootout, incidentally. Had the outcome been different, the time spent writing this post would have instead been spent with a bottle of Jack Daniels. Did I mention we drink to solve our problems in Buffalo? Go Sabres!