Birth of an American Hockey Fan Week Five Point Five:The Trade Deadline

I'd like to think that the NHL Trade Deadline coming so early in my education might offer up some sort of naive protective shield, sort of a blissful ignorance thing going on, but there's no flowers for Algernon today- I know a bad, or at the very, very, net-is-half full best, questionable move when I see one. The loss of Marty Biron this afternoon and the subsequent pickup of a goalie that no one can describe to me without spitting does not bode well* for my Sabres.

But think of poor Biron (though not often. He's a Flyer now, and must learn to be ignored). Impending free agency aside, poor guy's putting in a solid backup netminding performance, on his way to the playoffs and a possible Cup win, then one day Darcy Regier pulls him aside, pats him on the ass (I'm taking a few poetic liberties here), and condemns him to the bottom of the conference. I know rough times are ahead for Sabres fans, and woe to the man in charge of massaging Ryan Miller down at the end of his now incredibly-full days, but have some compassion for someone who truly got pooch-screwed today. Maybe it's time to trade in the blank mask for a new one:

All I've got to say is, Sabres management better be blowing that $2.2 mill on something pretty sweet for the fans next year, like a shiny new Amerk or four.

*By "does not bode well", I mean we'll sail into the playoffs with slightly less ease. C'mon people, it's just a backup goalie.