Fifteen years in the making.
Yes, for the first time since 2011 the Buffalo Sabres are back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In fact, the Sabres 102 points entering play Tuesday is the most the team has had since the 2006-07 season.
Sold out crowds are the norm once again at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, and post-season hockey should be fun in the Queen City.
“There’s just an awesome buzz around here,” Sabres Head Coach Lindy Ruff said. “I mean, it’s what you should expect when the team is doing well, and everybody’s getting behind the team.”
“The players have seen the sellouts, they’ve seen the energy. I can’t imagine what it’s like for them even just to walk around town.
But it’s well-deserved, for sure.”
As for Canadian NHL teams in the playoffs, with just over a week left in the regular season, the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers are in while the Ottawa Senators and Winnipeg Jets are still in the postseason hunt.
Which means the Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames and last place Vancouver Canucks will be on the golf course next week.
The Maple Leafs search for a new general manager after Brad Treliving was fired, and the likely exodus of head coach Craig Berube will be on top of mind for many Toronto fans over the coming weeks.
So far Buffalo, Tampa Bay, Montreal and Carolina have qualified in the NHL Eastern Conference Standings, while Colorado, Dallas and Minnesota have punched their tickets in the West.
Two other interesting story lines in the NHL were the coaching changes in Vegas as Bruce Cassidy was replaced by John Tortorella and Patrick Roy was replaced by Dunnville native Peter DeBoer with the New York Islanders.
The last day of the NHL regular season is next Thursday, April 16 with the playoffs set to begin on Saturday the 18th.
The NBA regular season wraps up this upcoming Sunday, April 12 with the post-season starting on Saturday the 18th as well.
Entering action Tuesday, the Toronto Raptors sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings at (43-35) with four games remaining including three at home.
If the Raptors fail to finish in the top-six they’ll have to take part in the NBA play-in tournament where the seventh to tenth place teams will battle it out for the final two playoff spots.
So far the Oklahoma City Thunder led by reigning most valuable player and Hamilton native Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the San Antonio Spurs, Los AngelesLakers, Denver Nuggets,and Houston Rockets in the West, and the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Cleveland Cavaliers in the East are locks in the NBA playoff race.
The most intriguing storylines in the NBA entering the postseason are the injuries facing the Lakers with Luca Doncic and Austin Reaves sidelined for at least the rest of the regular season, and whether or not Gilgeous-Alexander can repeat as MVP.
Rod Mawhood is a lifelong Niagara native who has had the pleasure of working in all three mediums – Radio, Print and TV – for over 20 years. His first announcing gig was with the then St. Catharines Stompers. Since then he’s worked in radio and TV in Toronto, and currently is the announcer for the Niagara IceDogs and Niagara River Lions.
Rod also covers the Buffalo Bills for FOX Sports and the Buffalo Sabres for NBC Sports.
