Miller on top in Buffalo

Everyone who watches hockey loves Saturday night hockey, there is just something special about it. What could be better than Saturday night hockey, with the potential of a record being broken. This Saturday night was no different, and Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres reached a milestone in his career with the Sabres. In a 4-3 Shootout win over the New York Islanders, Miller won his 235th game making him the most winningest goaltender in Buffalo Sabres history! "I'm proud of it," said Miller "It's nice. I'm proud of being a Buffalo Sabre. I was really excited coming here as a young player and looking up to Dominik Hasek. I've played with some great teams and some great players. I've had a coaching staff and a support staff that's had my back for a number of years. It's nice, and there's a source of pride from that."


It was well documented and known that Miller was having an extremely rough season, and when you're not playing your best hockey everyone seems to be a critic. There has been a lot of talk from people who'd like to ship Miller out of town, and give the number one job to Jhonas Enroth which would not have been a good decision. This blog has been firmly behind Miller from the start, but to be honest it's tough to shut the critics up or back Miller up, when his stats speak for themselves about his horrific season: Career worst goals against average (2.89) and a modest (.904) Save Percentage. Looking at those stats, you could easily think you were seeing a rookie goaltender's numbers instead of one of the elite goalies in the world. It's been a far cry from Miller's Vezina winning, and Olympic Silver Medal, season. But in the last few games Miller seems to really be getting back his normal, reliable self. His numbers are good but more importantly, the Sabres are going 3-0-1 in his last 4 stars. Going into Saturday's game Miller had let in just 2 goals in his previous 3 games, and had tied Dominick Hasek's record with 234 wins, just a couple nights before. 


Going into Saturday's game against the Islanders, it was more than likely that Miller and the Sabres would be skating off with a victory, but it wasn't as easy as one may have originally thought. After giving up 3 goals on the first 8 shots, it looked like Miller would have to wait another game before reaching his historic milestone. The "twitterverse" was ripe with people calling to pull him after the 3rd goal. To his credit, head coach Lindy Ruff stuck with him and it proved to be the right decision. He held the Isles until midway through the third period when a a goal by Paul Gaustad (who "does nothing" according to Canadians goalie Carey Price) tied the game at 3-3's and sent it to overtime and an eventual shootout. In the shootout Brad Boyes and captain Jason Pomminvile scored, to give the Buffalo Sabres a 4-3 victory and give Miller his 235th win. Miller broke the record set by former Sabres goalie Hasek in 59 less games. 
Now I'm not saying Miller is a flat out better goaltender than Hasek, in all fairness to myself I never got to see Hasek play with the Sabres so I can't really compare the two of them. I know Hasek was a legend and played in a different "ERA" of the NHL than Ryan Miller is playing in and it's easy to believe Hasek would have won his fair of shootouts. I'd have to say both goalies are incredible and were or are amongst the elite goalies in the league. But the fact that Miller broke Hasek's record in 59 less games, and will likely have a few more seasons in a Sabres uniform, means that record will continue to get larger. 


All the so called "true Sabres fans" that say Ryan Miller is an over-rated, washed up goaltender who had 1 good season. First of all those people are not true Sabres fans, second of all Ryan Miller is the Sabres franchise goalie, without him the Sabres would not be nearly as good, far too often Miller has had to carry this Sabres team on his back and of course now that he's needing some help from his teammates everyone hates him. Even during this good run of 4 games, Miller is carrying the team as the offense is still idling in neutral.

Now there is no doubt that Miller has not been at the top of his game for most of this season, but saying he's over-rated is absolutely ridiculous. In order to win a hockey game you have to outscore your opponent, aka score goals, something the Sabres have not been very good at this season. Lastly to all those who say Miller had 1 good season, let's do some simple math/number looking; Miller just won his 235th game, there are only 82 games in a season and Miller plays roughly 60 some odd games a season. (even less this season) So simple math states that Miller could not have possibly had 1 good season, instead he's had about 5 pretty decent seasons. 


Miller's teammates were quite happy for their number one goaltender and even though they didn't back him up when it really mattered had this to say about the record:
"I think it's tremendous," Gaustad said of Miller's record-breaking victory. "I think it just shows how good of a goaltender he is. He's a tremendous goaltender -- the best I've ever played with and one of the best in the world."  

“He gives us a chance every night. We’re excited and happy for him because he’s an elite goalie,” Pominville said. “I’m glad he was rewarded tonight.”


Congratulations to Ryan Miller on breaking Hasek's record and becoming the franchises winningest goaltender! Here's to a 100 more wins in the future, for Ryan Miller.


NOTE: Editor Donmanski did have the opportunity to watch Hasek play with the Sabres and it is unfair to compare the two goalies. Miller is one of the best of his generation, Hasek, arguably is the best goalie the league has ever seen.

Miller on top in Buffalo

Everyone who watches hockey loves Saturday night hockey, there is just something special about it. What could be better than Saturday night hockey, with the potential of a record being broken. This Saturday night was no different, and Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres reached a milestone in his career with the Sabres. In a 4-3 Shootout win over the New York Islanders, Miller won his 235th game making him the most winningest goaltender in Buffalo Sabres history! "I'm proud of it," said Miller "It's nice. I'm proud of being a Buffalo Sabre. I was really excited coming here as a young player and looking up to Dominik Hasek. I've played with some great teams and some great players. I've had a coaching staff and a support staff that's had my back for a number of years. It's nice, and there's a source of pride from that."


It was well documented and known that Miller was having an extremely rough season, and when you're not playing your best hockey everyone seems to be a critic. There has been a lot of talk from people who'd like to ship Miller out of town, and give the number one job to Jhonas Enroth which would not have been a good decision. This blog has been firmly behind Miller from the start, but to be honest it's tough to shut the critics up or back Miller up, when his stats speak for themselves about his horrific season: Career worst goals against average (2.89) and a modest (.904) Save Percentage. Looking at those stats, you could easily think you were seeing a rookie goaltender's numbers instead of one of the elite goalies in the world. It's been a far cry from Miller's Vezina winning, and Olympic Silver Medal, season. But in the last few games Miller seems to really be getting back his normal, reliable self. His numbers are good but more importantly, the Sabres are going 3-0-1 in his last 4 stars. Going into Saturday's game Miller had let in just 2 goals in his previous 3 games, and had tied Dominick Hasek's record with 234 wins, just a couple nights before. 


Going into Saturday's game against the Islanders, it was more than likely that Miller and the Sabres would be skating off with a victory, but it wasn't as easy as one may have originally thought. After giving up 3 goals on the first 8 shots, it looked like Miller would have to wait another game before reaching his historic milestone. The "twitterverse" was ripe with people calling to pull him after the 3rd goal. To his credit, head coach Lindy Ruff stuck with him and it proved to be the right decision. He held the Isles until midway through the third period when a a goal by Paul Gaustad (who "does nothing" according to Canadians goalie Carey Price) tied the game at 3-3's and sent it to overtime and an eventual shootout. In the shootout Brad Boyes and captain Jason Pomminvile scored, to give the Buffalo Sabres a 4-3 victory and give Miller his 235th win. Miller broke the record set by former Sabres goalie Hasek in 59 less games. 
Now I'm not saying Miller is a flat out better goaltender than Hasek, in all fairness to myself I never got to see Hasek play with the Sabres so I can't really compare the two of them. I know Hasek was a legend and played in a different "ERA" of the NHL than Ryan Miller is playing in and it's easy to believe Hasek would have won his fair of shootouts. I'd have to say both goalies are incredible and were or are amongst the elite goalies in the league. But the fact that Miller broke Hasek's record in 59 less games, and will likely have a few more seasons in a Sabres uniform, means that record will continue to get larger. 


All the so called "true Sabres fans" that say Ryan Miller is an over-rated, washed up goaltender who had 1 good season. First of all those people are not true Sabres fans, second of all Ryan Miller is the Sabres franchise goalie, without him the Sabres would not be nearly as good, far too often Miller has had to carry this Sabres team on his back and of course now that he's needing some help from his teammates everyone hates him. Even during this good run of 4 games, Miller is carrying the team as the offense is still idling in neutral.

Now there is no doubt that Miller has not been at the top of his game for most of this season, but saying he's over-rated is absolutely ridiculous. In order to win a hockey game you have to outscore your opponent, aka score goals, something the Sabres have not been very good at this season. Lastly to all those who say Miller had 1 good season, let's do some simple math/number looking; Miller just won his 235th game, there are only 82 games in a season and Miller plays roughly 60 some odd games a season. (even less this season) So simple math states that Miller could not have possibly had 1 good season, instead he's had about 5 pretty decent seasons. 


Miller's teammates were quite happy for their number one goaltender and even though they didn't back him up when it really mattered had this to say about the record:
"I think it's tremendous," Gaustad said of Miller's record-breaking victory. "I think it just shows how good of a goaltender he is. He's a tremendous goaltender -- the best I've ever played with and one of the best in the world."  

“He gives us a chance every night. We’re excited and happy for him because he’s an elite goalie,” Pominville said. “I’m glad he was rewarded tonight.”


Congratulations to Ryan Miller on breaking Hasek's record and becoming the franchises winningest goaltender! Here's to a 100 more wins in the future, for Ryan Miller.


NOTE: Editor Donmanski did have the opportunity to watch Hasek play with the Sabres and it is unfair to compare the two goalies. Miller is one of the best of his generation, Hasek, arguably is the best goalie the league has ever seen.

You wanna trade me, excuse me while I get 8 points!

You know something really special happened last night when Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle both have 4 point games, but weren't the top performers for the Oilers. That honour went to the Oilers Sam Gagner who became only the 11th player in NHL history to record 8 points in a single game. Gagner joins an exclusive list with names that include; Wayne Gretzky (did it twice), Paul Coffey and Mario Lemieux. He also becomes the first player to accomplish the feat since Super Mario did back in 1988. "I think this is the only situation I can ever have my name mentioned in their breath," Gagner said when asked about joining players like Gretzky and Coffey on the short list of players who've had eight points in a game. "It's really an honor to have a night like this and be mentioned in that class, even if it's only for tonight."

There are a few Oiler players you might expect an 8 point night from; Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent Hopkins, but Sam Gagner? Coming into the game Gagner had tallied 5 goals and 17 assists in 43 games this season. Heck in 4 NHL seasons he had never managed more than 16 goals in a season. But last night against the Blackhawks something was obviously clicking for the 22 year old Oilers defencemen. He managed 4 goals and 4 assists, and was able to get a point on every goal his team scored. Almost as an aside, the Oilers beat Blackhawks 8-4.

As if scoring 4 goals and adding 4 assists wasn't enough for Gagner, his teammates were urging him to go back on the ice and try for a 5th goal! But Gagner said he couldn't he was just too tired to try for five. But it's a night he will not soon forget, he was awarded all three stars of the game and some of the opposing teams players even came over to congratulate Gagner. “A couple of the (Hawks) skated by me and said it’s pretty incredible, congratulations,” Gagner said. “ Obviously, it’s tough to do that when you’re losing the game but it feels good to get that respect from other players in the league. Hopefully, I can keep it going.”  The Rexall place fans showed a ton of appreciation as well when the sold out crowd began chanting his name! “Hearing the ‘Gagner’ chant will stand out,” he said. “To get that kind of ovation from people who know the game was an incredible feeling. Tough to re-create that.”

After a rough 25 minutes of hockey the Oilers were down 2-0, head coach Tom Renney decided to put Eberle, Hall and Gagner together to start the second period. That decision might have been the smartest move Renney will make all season, as the trio connected for 16 points in the final 2 periods. In the new, new era in the NHL it is hard to get 3 points a night not to mention 8, so it was a pretty spectacular night for Gagner. "To get this at the NHL level is something I can't even really fathom, I don't even really know how to react to it."

The fact he was able to get 8 points on the Chicogo Blackhawks is pretty fantastic, going into that game I thought the Blackhawks would manhandle the Oilers, guess I was wrong. But fantasy hockey players that were lucky enough to have Gagner on their team last night, were quite happy. It's actually kind of ironic Gagner had more points in one game than Montreal Canadian forward Scott Gomez does all season. Something tells me Gagner's trade value just increased a ton!

It was quite possible that the Edmonton Oilers were just trying to showcase Gagner, a guy they are desperate to get rid of, after an ablismal season. But the showcase turned into the Sam Gagner show as he tied the franchise record for most points in a game. Needless to say the asking price for the 22 year old just went up a hair! Here's a possible trade scenario: Leafs 22 year old defenceman Luke Schenn for Edmonton Oilers 22 year old Sam Gagner. After all Leafs GM Brian Burke said he might trade a 22 year old defenceman for a 22 year old forward. Other possible destinations for Gagner include Chicago, to be reunited with former London Knights teammate Patrick Kane. Or Nashville who needs help up the middle, as does a certain team in Buffalo perhaps a deal that includes Cam Barker? But who knows after last nights historic game, maybe the Oilers will opt to keep Gagner and trade Ales Hemsky instead!  

You wanna trade me, excuse me while I get 8 points!

You know something really special happened last night when Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle both have 4 point games, but weren't the top performers for the Oilers. That honour went to the Oilers Sam Gagner who became only the 11th player in NHL history to record 8 points in a single game. Gagner joins an exclusive list with names that include; Wayne Gretzky (did it twice), Paul Coffey and Mario Lemieux. He also becomes the first player to accomplish the feat since Super Mario did back in 1988. "I think this is the only situation I can ever have my name mentioned in their breath," Gagner said when asked about joining players like Gretzky and Coffey on the short list of players who've had eight points in a game. "It's really an honor to have a night like this and be mentioned in that class, even if it's only for tonight."

There are a few Oiler players you might expect an 8 point night from; Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent Hopkins, but Sam Gagner? Coming into the game Gagner had tallied 5 goals and 17 assists in 43 games this season. Heck in 4 NHL seasons he had never managed more than 16 goals in a season. But last night against the Blackhawks something was obviously clicking for the 22 year old Oilers defencemen. He managed 4 goals and 4 assists, and was able to get a point on every goal his team scored. Almost as an aside, the Oilers beat Blackhawks 8-4.

As if scoring 4 goals and adding 4 assists wasn't enough for Gagner, his teammates were urging him to go back on the ice and try for a 5th goal! But Gagner said he couldn't he was just too tired to try for five. But it's a night he will not soon forget, he was awarded all three stars of the game and some of the opposing teams players even came over to congratulate Gagner. “A couple of the (Hawks) skated by me and said it’s pretty incredible, congratulations,” Gagner said. “ Obviously, it’s tough to do that when you’re losing the game but it feels good to get that respect from other players in the league. Hopefully, I can keep it going.”  The Rexall place fans showed a ton of appreciation as well when the sold out crowd began chanting his name! “Hearing the ‘Gagner’ chant will stand out,” he said. “To get that kind of ovation from people who know the game was an incredible feeling. Tough to re-create that.”

After a rough 25 minutes of hockey the Oilers were down 2-0, head coach Tom Renney decided to put Eberle, Hall and Gagner together to start the second period. That decision might have been the smartest move Renney will make all season, as the trio connected for 16 points in the final 2 periods. In the new, new era in the NHL it is hard to get 3 points a night not to mention 8, so it was a pretty spectacular night for Gagner. "To get this at the NHL level is something I can't even really fathom, I don't even really know how to react to it."

The fact he was able to get 8 points on the Chicogo Blackhawks is pretty fantastic, going into that game I thought the Blackhawks would manhandle the Oilers, guess I was wrong. But fantasy hockey players that were lucky enough to have Gagner on their team last night, were quite happy. It's actually kind of ironic Gagner had more points in one game than Montreal Canadian forward Scott Gomez does all season. Something tells me Gagner's trade value just increased a ton!

It was quite possible that the Edmonton Oilers were just trying to showcase Gagner, a guy they are desperate to get rid of, after an ablismal season. But the showcase turned into the Sam Gagner show as he tied the franchise record for most points in a game. Needless to say the asking price for the 22 year old just went up a hair! Here's a possible trade scenario: Leafs 22 year old defenceman Luke Schenn for Edmonton Oilers 22 year old Sam Gagner. After all Leafs GM Brian Burke said he might trade a 22 year old defenceman for a 22 year old forward. Other possible destinations for Gagner include Chicago, to be reunited with former London Knights teammate Patrick Kane. Or Nashville who needs help up the middle, as does a certain team in Buffalo perhaps a deal that includes Cam Barker? But who knows after last nights historic game, maybe the Oilers will opt to keep Gagner and trade Ales Hemsky instead!  

Crosby goes soft in the neck

Ladies and gentleman we finally got a meaningful update on Sidney Crosby. If you recall, Crosby had just returned from a 10 month layoff period after a concussion, he was on top of the world; 12 points in 8 games had everyone believing that Sid the Kid was officially back! But on December 5th it all came crashing down for Crosby, during a game against the Boston Bruins he was butt-ended in the face and then later in the game ran into one of his teammates. After the game his concussion "like" symptoms resurfaced and the Penguins put Crosby back on injured reserve. Everyone started freaking out, sports analysts and bloggers alike were all saying Crosby should consider retirement and think about his long term health, stories surged about Crosby possibly having his 3rd concussion in 1 year, some bonehead even said the Penguins were planning on replacing him as the captain. No matter where you looked there was a story about the NHL's most prized player. But during a press conference held yesterday, news broke that Crosby may in fact not be suffering from a concussion or concussion "like" symptoms, but rather a soft-tissue injury in his neck. This sounds very similar to what happened with Tim Connolly when he was out for a year earlier in his career with a "concussion."


The news came a few days after a report that Crosby may have fractured the C1 and C2 vertebrae in his neck. But after being fed up with his slow progress, he flew to Los Angeles to get a second opinion. Multiple doctors ruled out the possibility of a fractured vertebra, but rather a soft-tissue injury that was causing swelling in the top two vertebrae. Crosby learned of the diagnosis after meeting with neck specialist Dr. Robert S. Bray. After looking at the CT scan and MRI, Dr. Bray gave Crosby an injection to help bring down the swelling in his neck. This is good news, or at least Crosby thinks it is; "The biggest thing I can take from this is this is something I can work on. I can come in and get my neck worked on" Crosby said Tuesday night. "From what I've been told, this is something pretty commonly linked with concussion symptoms, and in a way that's encouraging, there's no magic to get rid of it but, if this is contributing, this is something we can obviously treat and work on and hopefully it will go away."


But where does this leave Crosby and the Penguins? The sad thing is, this new diagnosis doesn't really improve his position right now, Crosby and the Penguins are still in limbo. Crosby has to get treatment and see if his symptoms will go away, there is no guarantee they will, and there is still no timetable for his return. The fact that it's "just" a soft tissue injury doesn't guarantee Crosby will return any time soon, so in a way its good news but bad news at the same time. 
So whats next for Crosby? Unfortunately it's still a waiting game at this point, neck/head injuries are very serious and need to be treated that way, which is why Crosby will not get the "green light" to return until doctors are fully confident there is no risk of further injury for Crosby. You have to feel for Crosby everything he has gone through in the last year, he must be frustrated and perhaps a little upset at the Penguins medical staff that hasn't done much to help him. 


As much as it would be a horrible fate for the NHL, Sidney Crosby should consider retiring. Although the 24 year old Crosby claims he's "never thought of that" it is ultimately something he has to have thought about and something he should seriously consider. Now it would be really sad to see the best player in the world retire but it may be his best option. Think about it; Crosby has nothing left to prove; He's won a Stanley Cup, a Gold Medal and an Olympic MVP and NHL MVP. Heck, hes won just about every other NHL trophy, he was the first overall pick, scored 50 goals in a season. He is one of the best to ever play the game, he's changed the status quo of all-star hockey players. But think about the message Crosby would be sending to the youth if he walked away from the game; knowing that Sidney Crosby had to end his career due to concussions, would make kids a lot less ashamed of suffering a concussion and taking a prudent approach. Not to mention the NHL would actually have to take the issue of concussions seriously, or at least more seriously. Crosby would be the perfect spokesman for head injuries. Furthermore, why chance your long term health if another injury could happen in a split second? If he does come back, he's going to have to work his butt off to be the best player in the league, I know he did it once but who's saying he can do it twice, plus can he afford to be hit again!?
The C1 and C2 vertebra that was thought to be fractured are the same vertebra that break when a person is hung, another body check could have left him paralyzed or worse...... dead! Looking at it from that angle makes me sort of happy that his symptoms came back, because they likely saved him from a much worse fate. 


But the question still looms, how could the Penguins medical staff miss this; If you think about it, it's not that hard to miss, with all the talk about concussions, and how bad they are and how the greatest player in the game is suffering from one and that the NHL needs to take it seriously. With all the focus on concussions it's pretty easy to say, "well it must be a concussion, considering he has all the right symptoms". Doctors after all, are human they make mistakes, they assume things, and sometimes they just flat out screw up! But this begs the question, if the Penguins medical staff got it wrong with Crosby, are some of the other players around the league on Injured Reserve "mis-diagnosed"? 
I wish Crosby all the best in his recovery but, and I hope to see him back on the ice soon. (Heck I got tickets to see the Sabres vs Penguins in Buffalo) so we could see Sidney Crosby play, so it would be nice to actually see him play. 


Miller on top in Buffalo
Congratulations to my favorite player and Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller, for winning his 234th game the other night against the Canadians. Miller had been sitting on the milestone for a few games and just couldn't notch the win, but after a 3-1 victory over the Habs, he tied Dominic Hasek's record for most franchise wins. This was also the first time Miller won two straight games since back in October! Miller set the record in 430 games while it took Hasek 491. Although in Haseks day they played to ties and I think everyone would agree "The Dominator" would have been a great bet against anyone in a shootout. Another reason I dislike living in the Leaf crazy market of T.O is there was hardly even a mention of Miller hitting this milestone! He deserves little props for reaching an amazing milestone. 
"I knew I was close because I've been sitting on it way too long, considering where I was at the start of the season," said Miller, who is 13-15-2 with the struggling Sabres this season. "It's nice.""It'll be something to smile about looking back on my career later on. I'm going to take it for what it is because I think Dom would have won a few shootouts in his day, so I think we can safely say Dom would have had a few more wins. I'll keep plugging away for the regulation wins."

Crosby goes soft in the neck

Ladies and gentleman we finally got a meaningful update on Sidney Crosby. If you recall, Crosby had just returned from a 10 month layoff period after a concussion, he was on top of the world; 12 points in 8 games had everyone believing that Sid the Kid was officially back! But on December 5th it all came crashing down for Crosby, during a game against the Boston Bruins he was butt-ended in the face and then later in the game ran into one of his teammates. After the game his concussion "like" symptoms resurfaced and the Penguins put Crosby back on injured reserve. Everyone started freaking out, sports analysts and bloggers alike were all saying Crosby should consider retirement and think about his long term health, stories surged about Crosby possibly having his 3rd concussion in 1 year, some bonehead even said the Penguins were planning on replacing him as the captain. No matter where you looked there was a story about the NHL's most prized player. But during a press conference held yesterday, news broke that Crosby may in fact not be suffering from a concussion or concussion "like" symptoms, but rather a soft-tissue injury in his neck. This sounds very similar to what happened with Tim Connolly when he was out for a year earlier in his career with a "concussion."


The news came a few days after a report that Crosby may have fractured the C1 and C2 vertebrae in his neck. But after being fed up with his slow progress, he flew to Los Angeles to get a second opinion. Multiple doctors ruled out the possibility of a fractured vertebra, but rather a soft-tissue injury that was causing swelling in the top two vertebrae. Crosby learned of the diagnosis after meeting with neck specialist Dr. Robert S. Bray. After looking at the CT scan and MRI, Dr. Bray gave Crosby an injection to help bring down the swelling in his neck. This is good news, or at least Crosby thinks it is; "The biggest thing I can take from this is this is something I can work on. I can come in and get my neck worked on" Crosby said Tuesday night. "From what I've been told, this is something pretty commonly linked with concussion symptoms, and in a way that's encouraging, there's no magic to get rid of it but, if this is contributing, this is something we can obviously treat and work on and hopefully it will go away."


But where does this leave Crosby and the Penguins? The sad thing is, this new diagnosis doesn't really improve his position right now, Crosby and the Penguins are still in limbo. Crosby has to get treatment and see if his symptoms will go away, there is no guarantee they will, and there is still no timetable for his return. The fact that it's "just" a soft tissue injury doesn't guarantee Crosby will return any time soon, so in a way its good news but bad news at the same time. 
So whats next for Crosby? Unfortunately it's still a waiting game at this point, neck/head injuries are very serious and need to be treated that way, which is why Crosby will not get the "green light" to return until doctors are fully confident there is no risk of further injury for Crosby. You have to feel for Crosby everything he has gone through in the last year, he must be frustrated and perhaps a little upset at the Penguins medical staff that hasn't done much to help him. 


As much as it would be a horrible fate for the NHL, Sidney Crosby should consider retiring. Although the 24 year old Crosby claims he's "never thought of that" it is ultimately something he has to have thought about and something he should seriously consider. Now it would be really sad to see the best player in the world retire but it may be his best option. Think about it; Crosby has nothing left to prove; He's won a Stanley Cup, a Gold Medal and an Olympic MVP and NHL MVP. Heck, hes won just about every other NHL trophy, he was the first overall pick, scored 50 goals in a season. He is one of the best to ever play the game, he's changed the status quo of all-star hockey players. But think about the message Crosby would be sending to the youth if he walked away from the game; knowing that Sidney Crosby had to end his career due to concussions, would make kids a lot less ashamed of suffering a concussion and taking a prudent approach. Not to mention the NHL would actually have to take the issue of concussions seriously, or at least more seriously. Crosby would be the perfect spokesman for head injuries. Furthermore, why chance your long term health if another injury could happen in a split second? If he does come back, he's going to have to work his butt off to be the best player in the league, I know he did it once but who's saying he can do it twice, plus can he afford to be hit again!?
The C1 and C2 vertebra that was thought to be fractured are the same vertebra that break when a person is hung, another body check could have left him paralyzed or worse...... dead! Looking at it from that angle makes me sort of happy that his symptoms came back, because they likely saved him from a much worse fate. 


But the question still looms, how could the Penguins medical staff miss this; If you think about it, it's not that hard to miss, with all the talk about concussions, and how bad they are and how the greatest player in the game is suffering from one and that the NHL needs to take it seriously. With all the focus on concussions it's pretty easy to say, "well it must be a concussion, considering he has all the right symptoms". Doctors after all, are human they make mistakes, they assume things, and sometimes they just flat out screw up! But this begs the question, if the Penguins medical staff got it wrong with Crosby, are some of the other players around the league on Injured Reserve "mis-diagnosed"? 
I wish Crosby all the best in his recovery but, and I hope to see him back on the ice soon. (Heck I got tickets to see the Sabres vs Penguins in Buffalo) so we could see Sidney Crosby play, so it would be nice to actually see him play. 


Miller on top in Buffalo
Congratulations to my favorite player and Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller, for winning his 234th game the other night against the Canadians. Miller had been sitting on the milestone for a few games and just couldn't notch the win, but after a 3-1 victory over the Habs, he tied Dominic Hasek's record for most franchise wins. This was also the first time Miller won two straight games since back in October! Miller set the record in 430 games while it took Hasek 491. Although in Haseks day they played to ties and I think everyone would agree "The Dominator" would have been a great bet against anyone in a shootout. Another reason I dislike living in the Leaf crazy market of T.O is there was hardly even a mention of Miller hitting this milestone! He deserves little props for reaching an amazing milestone. 
"I knew I was close because I've been sitting on it way too long, considering where I was at the start of the season," said Miller, who is 13-15-2 with the struggling Sabres this season. "It's nice.""It'll be something to smile about looking back on my career later on. I'm going to take it for what it is because I think Dom would have won a few shootouts in his day, so I think we can safely say Dom would have had a few more wins. I'll keep plugging away for the regulation wins."