Skating out the storm

Like many students, this past weekend for me was filled with no electricity, heat, food or clean clothes. But things I did have were friends, beer and a shower clock radio, which ended up being a lifesaver in many ways.

The clock radio was not tuned into KISS 98.5 and it wasn't blaring "Sexy Back" by Justin Timberlake, which I have been known to bust out to, but instead it was tuned into the Sabres Radio Network. Rick Jeanneret could be heard calling the game for almost a mile in my lifeless blackout neighborhood.

My Sabres journey began during last year's historic playoff run when one of my roommates practically forced me to sit and watch the games. He would explain every play and all the rules and I immediately became hooked.

The excitement of the playoff run was amazing, and never before had I witnessed Buffalo with so much life and energy. Everywhere you went the cashier behind the register would say, "Go Sabres."

The life and energy that was sucked up by the October storm was brought back when the Sabres hit the ice against Detroit on Friday. Freezing cold with a package of cheddar hot dogs, my roommates, friends and I sat on a porch and listened to the entire Sabres game.

In a time of need, the Sabres defeated Detroit in a 3-2 shootout with Thomas Vanek scoring the winning goal. Making the victory sweeter was that former Buffalo goaltender Dominick Hasek was in goal for Detroit.

We have a tradition in my house that if the Sabres go into a shootout, my roommate grabs his bag of hockey equipment and we suit up in random pieces of gear for good luck. I'm not really sure how this started, but it works, and being superstitious we can't stop. On that night in the dark, once again being clothed in hockey gear turned out to be good luck as Buffalo took another victory and inspired the city.

After the winning goal, you could hear multiple houses on the block erupt into cheering. At that moment the fans in Buffalo were no longer cold, but warm with a sense of pride and exuberance.

The Sabres post game show ended up becoming a forum for Buffalo fans letting the Sabres know how much the win meant to them and the community. Many of the callers were also in blackout conditions and listening to the game, and this brought me closer to everyone in the Buffalo region

The reason why the win meant so much to me is that I realized that many of these players were living in the same conditions as the fans were. Most of them have families and had to deal with not knowing the condition of their residences and loved ones in Buffalo. But yet they overcame all of that and went on to win one of the biggest games of the season because it meant the most to the fans.

The Sabres did not end there as the organization decided that the home game for Saturday would still be played. The ruling was made because throughout the storm HSBC Arena never lost power. The Sabres encouraged the public to come out and get their minds off the storm.

By this time I had fled the region to the warmth and comfort of Rochester. One of the biggest reasons for my flight was that I had to watch the Sabres game on television. While many of my roommates stayed, I was told to report the score to them via cell phones.

Again the Sabres responded by railroading the New York Rangers 7-4, once again proving why they are the No. 1 team in Buffalo. The Bills played on Sunday and were beat by one of the worst teams in the National Football League, but through it all the fans kept saying, "Hey, we still got the Sabres."

We have a Sabres team that has come out this season in an unprecedented way, faster and stronger then any other team in the National Hockey League and tied for first place. Two years ago, this team was in limbo of leaving this area because of bankruptcy, today they stand as a team that frightens every competitor that puts a skate on the ice.

This past Tuesday I attended my first Sabres game at HSBC Arena after sifting through my dark house for any blue and gold I could find. I have never experienced anything like HSBC Arena and the atmosphere of a hockey game. Watching the onslaught of nine goals against Peter Forsberg and the Philadelphia Flyers left me feeling great for the next few days.

To the Sabres I say "thank you" for bringing life into a community that was hopeless. Thank you for providing Buffalo with a team that we can be proud of. But most importantly, thank you for being here during the times we need you the most.