Irrational

I know that I have stated in the past that I am a mega, huge Buffalo Sabres fan.  Not necessarily a hockey fan, but a Sabres fan.  There's a difference there.  When you are a fan of a team, there is normally going to be players on that team that you despise, Christian Erhoff, and ones that you love.  Sometimes that love makes no sense.  My go to love on the Buffalo Sabres was Paul Gaustad.  Did you see the past tense there?  He was traded to the Nashville Predators yesterday and I'm just sad about it.  I know that it's irrational to be sad about him being gone.  I've never met him and only once had a close up encounter with him, but I will miss him.

He was not and never will be a super star.  He has the worst hands and skates like he's moving through molasses.  But he is is top 10 in face off wins which is huge in hockey.  He was a big hitter and the go to guy when you wanted an honest answer about team and personal play.  He worked hard every night and was big in the community, working with Camp Good Days, teaching people how to save the planet and planting trees.  Living in Buffalo, you hear the rumors of the local sports guys, Bills and Sabres.  Sometimes you hear the dirt, which ones are down on Chippewa all the time, girl hopping, acting like playas.  But Goose wasn't like that.  You never heard anything bad about him as a person and I liked that.  I like rooting for the underdog.  I always have.  Every favorite player that I've had, has been the guy on the side. 

He is just a guy that people fall in love with.  Everyone loved him for working hard every night, both men and women.  He came back from an injury that should have sidelined him for almost a year, in about 4 months because he worked hard and pushed himself through surgery, rehab, strengthening, etc.  Just for the love of the game.  I loved Goose because of all that and then once I realized how nice he seemed as a person, I realized he also happens to be nice to look at.  So just wrap all that up and I'm sad he's gone.  I hope he wins a Stanley Cup this year and then comes back to us over the summer when he's a UFA.  Again, I realize this won't happen but, fingers crossed.

My one last HONK for the Goose. :(