Wednesday night I attended Game 4 of the Sabres/Islanders series at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island. This was the first time I’ve been to a postseason game at an opponent’s arena, where the numbers are not in your favor and the wrong colors turn you into a target.



Let me start by saying that I’ve watched Pee-Wee games at arenas bigger than the so-called Coliseum. My seat had literally six inches of legroom, crushing my lanky frame between the seatbacks and forcing my knees directly against my bladder.
After a few Bud Lights I needed to find a men’s room. Once I made it to the concourse, I fought my way through the unending wall of men that was encircling the arena. This couldn’t be the bathroom line, could it? Apparently it could. This place officially sucks.

Insufficient amenities aside, it was the Islander fans that caused me the most frustration. Cheering amongst the legions of Sabres fans at HSBC Arena in Buffalo is an exciting experience, filled with high-fives and borderline delusional optimism. Heckling opposing players and fans comes second to supporting the team we all love. Conversely, cheering against thousands of “fans” with no knowledge of the rules of hockey or even their own team is absolutely infuriating. When I wasn’t being called “upstate trailer trash” or some of their more vulgar taunts, I had to listen to them boo their own captain, Alexei Yashin. And they call themselves fans?

During their arena-led “Let’s Go Islanders” chants, fans were encouraged to twirl arena-supplied towels bearing their team’s logo. While I cannot deny their exceptional ability to clean my face of nacho cheese or absorb moisture in a urinal, I am confused by their name— “Rally Towel”. Does the word ‘rally’ not insinuate the need for a comeback effort? These fans were obviously confused and misguided. Considering this was likely their first hockey game of the season, if not ever, I suppose it’s understandable.



When the Sabres played the Islanders during the regular season, the Coliseum drew a staggering 8,000 some odd spectators to an arena that reaches capacity at twice that number. Meanwhile, HSBC Arena (which holds a few thousand more people, incidentally) has had every game of the season sold out since before the first puck dropped this October. Is there really any question as to which club has a true fan following?

Considering the ignorance of the Islander fans to their team and the sport itself, it’s no wonder they resort to childish name-calling or throwing full beers on the ice in lieu of just cheering for their team. This isn’t to say we haven’t thrown our fair share of things in Buffalo, but even upstate trailer trash knows you don’t throw a full beer— especially if you paid $6.50 for it.

The game itself was very intense, with pretty goals, big hits and solid goaltending on both ends. With about a minute left in the game, Jason Pominville found the back of the net to put the Sabres up 4-2 and seal the victory. As I celebrated the game-clinching goal, a middle-aged man sitting in front of me threatened to kick my ass in front of his young son. As I commended the father for being such a terrific role model, his son give me the finger to which I could only reply “you learned from the best, kid”.

As I exited the arena, another middle-aged man began taunting me saying that my team has never won any Stanley Cups. Is that really the best insult you could come up with? That fact alone is what makes us cheer so loud to begin with. Considering the last time the Islanders won a Cup was the year I was born, I was not impressed. As easy as it would have been to tear apart these idiots for being such pathetic, classless poor sports— I didn’t have to. I let the scoreboard do all of my talking. I hope all of those verbal threats the Islander’s fans threw my way offer them some consolation during a long off-season once we finish them off tonight in Game 5. (UPDATE: my prediction was correct thanks to an absolutely unbelievable save by Ryan Miller with 12 seconds left)

As long as I’m so deep into the topic of hockey, I would also like to take a moment to address all of the people who like to discredit hockey as a sport. Just because it doesn’t carry the mainstream acceptance of some other sports doesn’t mean it’s participants are any less talented or athletic. I challenge you to skate across a sheet of ice in an attempt to knock a small piece of rubber into a heavily guarded net using nothing but a stick. Add in the fact that every opposing player is looking to take your head off and all of a sudden Shaquille O’Neal putting a ball through an unprotected hole only a few inches out of his standing reach doesn’t seem so damn impressive now does it?

Allow me to further my argument with some examples of a player’s actions and their consequences across the major sports leagues:

Basketball: laugh at the ref— get thrown out of the game.
Baseball: balk at a runner— give him the base.
Football: take off your helmet— 15-yard penalty.
Soccer: no joke needed.
Hockey: knock someone unconscious— sit out for 5 minutes or less.

I think I’ve made my points. Go Sabres and long live hockey!