Checking in with RJ

What have I been up to? Not very much, really!
I am doing some work now for the Sabres that, going forward, will afford me more opportunities to keep in touch with both the team and the fans. I'm looking forward to that.
I'm not missing the play-by-play. And I sure as hell don't miss the travel! For half a century, I flew all over this country, and it's not a big deal, I guess, but I'm not a pilot. Unless you really love your job in that way, it can get to you, and it did. It did.
I'm missing the surroundings. I'm missing the atmosphere and that type of thing when I'm away from it.

When the organization first approached me to introduce the team on opening night, the one thing I said was that I did not want to be on the ice during the ceremony. I felt like that would detract from the team itself. I did not want that to happen. So it was a much better idea for me to do it from the stage in the 100 level. Most people didn't even know where I was, so that was fine!

I'm still watching the team and the NHL very closely. I never asked for extra notes for the visiting team when I was doing play-by-play because I've always kept my eye on the league as a whole and, most importantly, the teams we were about to play. So out of habit, I'm still doing that.
I looked at that West Coast trip where they won the first three games… and they blew a tire on the last game. Big deal! Nobody sweeps the Coast! As long as I've been around, it doesn't happen! So I wasn't surprised that happened whatsoever.
I was more surprised they swept Alberta. Man, those are two good teams in Edmonton and Calgary. It knocked my socks off, as far as I was concerned.
This year, I'm most looking forward to the maturation of this team. It's just going to get better. I'm not going to go overboard and say I'm looking forward to the Stanley Cup parade. It's going to happen, but it's not going to happen this year. But it's the improvement that you see happening almost every night.

It's phenomenal. A total change from the past. The attitude has changed. I'm not saying we didn't have some wonderful players in the past, but they didn't all play together very well - and now they do. And they can laugh at each other.
I don't say that's the way they spend their day, but they're free to be able to do that and it doesn't bother them at all.
Their closeness reminds me of 2006 when Danny Briere and Chris Drury were here as co-captains, and Ryan Miller was outstanding.
I've told the story several times about how after we lost in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Carolina, I went down to the dressing room - which I never did - I shook each guy's hand. I walked around the room and thanked them for what I thought was an extra effort.
I got around to Ryan. He was the last one that the media let go. We looked at each other and we both started crying. It was tough, but it was fun. The whole run was fun.

Rasmus Dahlin is playing much more aggressive. He sticks his nose in there now.
He's not going to be a goon or anything like that, nor do you want him to be, but if somebody gives him a whack, he'll whack back. And that's a good thing because the other guy says, "Wait a minute! He didn't used to do that!" And he'll back off.
Dahlin has always been wonderfully talented, particularly his hands. There aren't too many players that can come into the NHL and stick handle without looking at the puck. I mean, he knows it's there! He doesn't have to look down at his stick and he feels it. You can watch, and there aren't a lot of guys that don't have to look down and be reassured that it's there.
Watch: Youtube Video
When I think of Dahlin, Phil Housley sticks out in my mind right off the bat.
I remember when training camp was in Lake Placid in his rookie year and we played Montreal in an exhibition game. Bob Gainey was playing for Montreal.
Bob turned out to be a wonderful general manager, he was a wonderful player and everything, but he thought he would Welcome Mr. Housley to the National Hockey League.
Phil had the puck along the boards and I saw Gainey coming right across the ice. He was like a heat-seeking missile. He was coming right at him.
At the last second, Housley wasn't there anymore. Gainey hit the boards, damn-near knocked himself silly and Housley had danced off to the side. And he still had the puck, mind you! Still had the puck!
I was really impressed. I was seeing the guy for the first time and he's doing this. That's pretty impressive. Yeah, you can play, son!

Coming up, I'm looking forward to the Road Crew party in Raleigh on November 3. I think Road Crew is awesome and I hope to see many of you there.
The last one I did was in Vegas. Sabres fans flew in from everywhere for that thing. There were all kind of people from California - it's not that far, I realize that - but they still went out of their way and decided they wanted to come and say "Hi" to us all.
Again, you go back to that 2006 series we played in Carolina, I swear every time Buffalo scored a goal in their building, there were as many fans cheering as there were when the Hurricanes were scoring. They are there and they're out there and they like to make themselves heard.
I think it's a great way to keep in touch with the fans that are on the road.