Sabre Fans: Wanting to Lose Makes Sense

Thursday night featured a full slate of hockey with tons of intrigue: the Kings visited the Islanders, the Ducks were in Boston, the Rangers squared off against the Hamburglar, just to name a few. But of course the game that had the most buzz featured the Arizona Coyotes and Buffalo Sabres and it ended with players calling out Sabre fans for cheering to lose.

In case you’ve been following the playoff races too closely and have forgotten about the unwashed masses, the Sabres “lead” the pack in the race for the most lottery balls with 48 points. The Coyotes are somewhat hot on the trail with 54 points. Of course finishing last doesn’t guarantee you the top pick, but that top prize is wonderkid Connor McDavid who has been so impressive in Juniors that he’s even managed to convert Sabre fans into openly rooting against their team’s success. Talk about influence.

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The game ended in overtime with the Coyotes pulling out a 4-3 victory as the home crowd went wild when Sam Gagner ended it just a minute into the extra frame. The only problem was the game was in Buffalo.

Don’t blame Sabre fans though for their excitement. They realize the potential franchise-changer that could be had if things bounce their way. So when Mike Weber gets on his high horse and ponders aloud the actions of the Sabre fans, it’s actually insulting. Sabre fans are a loyal bunch and will be cheering on their team long after Mike Weber‘s playing days are over. They want to win, and understand losing is a necessary evil to the process. One step back, two forward, right?

No one says Sabre fans feel good about it either. Yes, they may need to wash the stench off in tomato juice after the season, but if Connor McDavid is the light at the end of the tunnel, a year from now will any Sabre fan care?

Sabre fans have seen how one player can revitalize an organization, whether its Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, or Steven Stamkos, and also see how in a salary-cap league, you’re never too far away from a contender. Yes, they’ll probably finish with the worst record this season, but with the potential of Connor McDavid, another first round pick in this year’s draft, Evander Kane, Sam Bennett and the development of all their other youngsters, would anyone be surprised to see the Sabres go from worst to competiting for a wild card spot next season? Of course not.

That’s the hope Sabre fans have right now. Players don’t see it this way, and honestly, how can you blame them? They are paid to play hard and win games (unless you’re a Toronto Maple Leaf, then you’re just paid). There’s a good chance that many of these guys won’t be on the team when they finally turn it around, so the allure of the top pick in the draft means less to them. But to ignore the big picture? When you’re 20-46-8 you should be grateful any fans actually show up to watch them play, even if they aren’t rooting you on.

Even if players don’t fully grasp the mentality of the fans, they shouldn’t be naive about it either. No one is suggesting to tank, but if you’re going to be bad, you may as well make it worth your while so you’re never in this position again (or if you’re the Penguins, only once every two decades), so don’t blame Sabre fans for embracing the opportunity now. The league is littered with teams that were bad for so long and built a sustained winner through the draft. If you can land a guy like McDavid it’ll only speed up the process. Why knock Sabre fans for appreciating the obvious?

To the purists out there who would never cheer for their team to lose? I get it. It’s sacrilegious. I never liked the idea and even during the Islanders lottery push in 2009, the thought of the top pick and landing John Tavares didn’t excite me. I wanted to see them win games. Let’s be honest is: losing isn’t fun…winning is. It was that simple to me. I couldn’t bring myself to smile every time we dropped a game (and there were plenty).

What would I tell myself now if I could go back in time during that season? Don’t be a schmuck…winning a couple of meaningless games to jeopardize the chance of landing a franchise player is the ultimate “instant gratification” mindset that leads to teams being stuck in netural forever. But when you land one of those guys? Things just keep going up and suddenly the thought of those bad times fade away.

And that’s why Sabre fans shouldn’t be frowned upon by players, media, or other fans. They have the opportunity to alter the fortunes of the franchise for the better for the next 15 years. They only want what’s best for their team, even if it means giving them a dose of tough-love now.

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