When disaster strikes, sporting events can contain a powerful healing element to them, creating a sense of community and togetherness. Perhaps no team knows this better than the Buffalo Sabres.

On September 11, 2001, terrorists crashed hijacked airplanes into the World Trade Center Towers, bringing down both and killing almost 3,000 people. On October 7, the Sabres and Rangers played the very first hockey game in New York City following the attacks.

On February 12, 2009, Continental Airlines Flight 3407 crashed into a residential neighborhood in the Buffalo suburb of Clarence, killing everyone on board and one on the ground. The very next night, the Sabres hosted the San Jose Sharks in an extremely emotional 6-5 shootout win.

And on Monday, two bombs were detonated at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, sending a day that was supposed to be reserved for joy, celebration, and our nation’s very independence into one of chaos, fear, and devastation. Tonight, the Sabres will visit the Bruins in the first sporting event to take place in Boston since.

Like New York after 9/11, or Buffalo after the 3407 disaster, I have no doubt that many who fill the stands at T.D. Garden tonight will have been affected in some way by the Marathon bombings. There will no doubt be an emotional tribute of some sort prior to the game, as we’ve seen done throughout the NHL this week. Both teams are likely to find an extra spark and play hard the entire 60 minutes. The CBS Sports blog Eye On Hockey posted earlier today with some of what to expect at tonight’s game:

“Prior to the National Anthem, a ‘Boston Strong’ themed video will be played on the Garden HDX followed by a moment of silence to honor the victims and the first responders.

The National Anthem will feature TD Garden legend Rene Rancourt and the Boston Fire Department Honor Guard and the Bruins organization will encourage all fans to join in the singing of the Star Spangled Banner.

The Boston Bruins Foundation and 50/50 raffle will be accepting donations throughout the various concourses tonight, which will be donated to One Fund Boston.

There will also be a special “8-Spoked-Salute” honoring the first responders during the second intermission. The “8-Spoked-Salute” takes place at select Bruins home games throughout the season and traditionally honors men and women of the Armed Forces and their contributions and service to our country.”

In addition, both the Bruins and Sabres will display “Boston Strong” decals on their helmets. Boston is a strong, resilient city filled with good, honest, hardworking people who have been dealt an unfair blow. Tonight, whether you wear black and gold or blue and gold, you are our brothers and sisters, our mothers, fathers, children, cousins, and friends. We stand in solidarity and support with all of you who are hurting.

That’s why tonight is bigger than the Battle of the Thruway/MassPike. Tonight is bigger than hockey, bigger than the NHL, bigger than sports, bigger than all of us. Tonight is about giving the players, the coaches, the team staff, the fans, and the entire Greater Boston area a respite from reality, a place to feel together, and a perception of normalcy–if only for a few hours.

Whatever the score at the final buzzer, I hope that everyone will feel their spirits lifted, even if only slightly. From Buffalo to Boston–we’re all in this one together.

Stay strong, Beantown.  With love,  Buffalo.

Except, as it turned out, it wasn’t.

In the time it took to make a bank deposit, the tenure of the longest-serving head coach in the National Hockey League came to an abrupt, startling end. The Lindy Ruff era was over. For the first time this season, I (and I would venture to guess most of Western New York) felt a sense of sadness for the man who’s been in charge of the Sabres bench for the last 15 years.

Yes, it was certainly time for a change of some kind. After going just 6-10-1 in this greed lockout-shortened season and dropping a 2-1 decision on Tuesday to basement-dweller Winnipeg, the blue and gold faithful were at a tipping point. Something had to be done, and it had to be done right now. Whether that something will prove to be the right decision is perhaps the biggest uncertainty in Buffalo right now.

What is certain, however, is the legacy Ruff left behind. Two years after he was hired by the Sabres in July of 1997, he led the team to their second-ever appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals. Had it not been for Brett Hull’s (still to this day) controversial triple overtime “skate in the crease” goal (or NO GOAL, depending on who you ask), the Sabres very well might have hoisted hockey’s holy grail in June of 1999. After the (2004) lockout, Ruff led his team to back-to-back conference finals. This included a very memorable contest in 2006 during which then-rookie Jason Pominville scored a shorthanded, overtime goal to clinch the series against Ottawa. That same year, Ruff won the Jack Adams award for the NHL’s Coach of the Year. In 2006-07, the Sabres won, for the first time ever, the Presidents’ Trophy under Ruff’s leadership.Unfortunately, that’s when things began to slide. The Sabres failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2008, 2009, and 2012, and were eliminated by archrivals Boston and Philadelphia in the first round in 2010 and 2011 respectively. After a 2-0 start to the 2013 season, the team has since frankly looked lost, slow, and lazy on the ice, especially defensively.

Perhaps nobody summed it up better than Heather Bermingham of Buffalo Wins, in this post:

“I think most of us would agree that it was long past time for Lindy Ruff to get fired.  As much as my head knew that, however, I could never quite make it connect to my heart.”

It is indeed quite the odd feeling losing a coach who seemed like he’d be here forever- a mix of shock, disbelief, sadness, relief, and hope, among others. I grew quite fond of Lindy during his time in Buffalo, and I’m sure that he won’t stay unemployed for long. He’s a tremendous head coach and an even better person, and I’m sure we’ll see his name hoisted into the rafters of First Niagara Center sooner than later, and justifiably so. Since the Sabres’ inception in 1970, Lindy has been a part of 24 years, or 65 percent of their history as a player and a coach.

He’s done perhaps more for this team over the years than anyone else, and the city of Buffalo, the Sabres, and the hockey community will surely remember him in a decidedly positive light. If Lindy should ever return to the Sabres organisation in another capacity, I have no doubt that he will be warmly welcomed. As former Sabres great Larry Playfair put it, “My guess is wherever Lindy Ruff ends up going, Buffalo will still be a big part of his life.”

So now, as a community, and as a team, we move on. Ron Rolston, the now-former head coach of the AHL Rochester Americans, will take over Ruff’s duties in the interim, but yesterday’s actions certainly don’t solve all of the Sabres problems. Buffalo seemingly has more defencemen than the Pentagon, yet they can’t seem to find their stride. If not for the outstanding performance of Ryan Miller night after night, the team might be in an even worse position than they are now. With a few exceptions, the team seemingly lacks the heart to get the job done on a consistent basis. Addressing the media for the first time as Sabres head coach this morning, Rolston commented that many players seem to enjoy taking shortcuts that aren’t working.

If the Buffalo Sabres want any chance of a playoff berth, they need to understand that victory comes from hard work, consistent effort, and the drive to succeed, no matter what that entails.

And so Buffalo bids adieu to Lindy Ruff, at least for now. I’ll remember Lindy Ruff as part of the reason why I became so impassioned with hockey–some of my life’s most memorable moments have come watching his team play, and I owe him a massive amount of gratitude for that. United under the blue and gold flag, Sabres Nation raises our collective hockey sticks to you. Thank you, Lindy Ruff.

Is it October yet?  Yes, October is here, and with it comes all of the glorious things fall has to offer–apple picking, pumpkin-inspired everything, corn mazes, and of course, the seasonal return of the world’s best sport, ice hockey!

Except of course, that this year is different. All too reminiscent of eight years ago, the NHL and NHLPA have failed to come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement. As John Vogl from The Buffalo News puts it, “a bunch of rich guys can’t figure out how to split $3.3 billion per year.” As a result, First Niagara Center and the other 29 NHL arenas will sit dark during forfeited games.

So what now?

Over two weeks have now passed since the start of the lockout. All preseason games have been cancelled, and only a small miracle is likely to prevent regular season games from following suit. But there is hope , and there is hockey.

Any NHL player eligible to play in the American Hockey League right now is doing just that. For the Sabres’ affiliate Rochester Americans, that includes rising stars Marcus Foligno and Cody Hodgson, vet Luke Adam, and a few other Amerks who spent some time at the FN Center last season. Most NHL clubs are focusing marketing and promotional efforts on their AHL brethren, which is likely to be a very good thing.

There are also the East Coast Hockey League, Central Hockey League, Western Hockey League, and numerous junior leagues to boot. A handy website you might find useful is called Hockey Team Finder, which searches all of the aforementioned leagues, plus NCAA D-1 teams.

I’m doing my fall semester overseas and recently attended my first Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) games in Scotland and Ireland. And although hockey in the U.K. does not enjoy quite the popularity of soccer and rugby (or cricket for that matter), there are positive signs. Much to my surprise, this Canadian wannabe found a Tim Hortons in the Dublin airport. There’s no place like home, no matter how far from home I may travel.

Let’s Go Caps!

Last week, the Edinburgh Capitals defeated the Hull Stingrays 4-3 in a seven round shootout thriller that had all 673 in attendance on their feet!

The EIHL level of play is probably comparable to an ECHL game, but having never been to one of those I can’t say for sure. Nevertheless, just seeing hockey play was a welcome experience. 

Belfast v. Nottingham

This weekend I took in games in Belfast and Glasgow, so there will be lots more to report regarding the good old hockey game on the other side of the Atlantic as the EIHL season progresses. Lat night, the Belfast Giants topped the Nottingham Panthers 3-2 (SO), at Odyssey Arena, and Glasgow’s Breahead Clan face the Sheffield Steelers tonight – puck drop at 6:00pm (BST).

Back in North America, I don’t know when this year’s lockout will end. I hope it’s soon, but optimism is becoming increasingly scarce. Regardless, just because the NHL doesn’t want to play nice doesn’t mean all of the fans have to sit in time out. Get out, go see a game and support the teams who, if it weren’t for the lockout, wouldn’t be getting that support and exposure.

Half way around the world, I’ve found hockey fans. There’s no telling where you’ll come across one – Dublin, Ohio or Dublin, Ireland. And where else but Bonnie Scotland can a Canucks and Sabres fan so peacefully coexist?

All of that being said, Let’s go Amerks! And let’s go my new home team, the Edinburgh Capitals! So for the next few months I’ll continue to Loccupy Scotland. Or perhaps, Lochupy may be more appropriate.

You see, I didn’t grow up a hockey fan. In fact, about 5 years ago, hockey was about as important to me as Derek Roy’s Twitter . Then, in my junior year of high school, I moved from the college sports-obsessed city of Louisville, Ky. to Western New York. I watched the 2010 playoff series against those goons from Boston the Bruins with a newfound fascination I had never before experienced in the sports world. The 2010-11 season sealed the deal for me – I was officially, undeniably a hockey fan, hopelessly in love with all of the glorious action that takes place on a 200′ x 85′ sheet of ice.

Since that time, I’ve been to 9 NHL games (including one in Vancouver, our league cousins and my long-distance inamorato.) My apartment is decked out in enough Sabres flair to qualify for “Hoarders: Hockey Edition.” Rick Jeanneret announces my text messages, and anyone within a block’s radius knows when a goal is scored, because the magnificent, winsome sound known as the Sabres goal horn pumps through the stereo speakers at full volume. I’ve also recently forked over $200 to the “Blue and Gold Club,” i.e. the season ticket holder waiting list. It’s 2,800 deep and I’m bringing up the caboose, so hopefully in 5-7 years I’ll receive that heavenly phone call. Until then, tickets will be had by haggling with Craigslisters during class the day before games.

Of course, I still have much to learn. Though I’ve grasped many of the finer details of the game, there are still some things I could understand better (i.e. why this warrants the wrath of the Shanahammer and this doesn’t… anyone?) I’ll also be spending the first half of this season studying abroad in Scotland, so I’m hoping to provide somewhat of an insight to what following a team from another country (no Canada, I’m not talking about you this time) is like.

In closing – simply put, I love this sport. There’s nothing else quite like it, the speed, the agility, the skill, and yes, the fact that so many of our players are so ravishingly good-looking. And by that, I mean Tyler Myers. With the “You Can Play” movement rapidly becoming a mainstay of League culture among players and fans, what’s not to love?

Editor’s Note: We came across Mac, a journalism major entering his senior year at Buffalo State College, not too long ago after seeing an op-ed that he wrote and placed in the Buffalo News, on You Can Play. It was love (and respect) at first sight. Give it a read.