Buffalo Sabres, Mike Babcock And Fan Grieving

Mike Babcock put Buffalo Sabres fans, myself included, through the ringer over the last 72 hours. First he’s coming, then the Detroit Red Wings are back in the mix, then he’s talking to the St. Louis Blues. Finally, seemingly out of nowhere the Toronto Maple Leafs got their man. Why not, right? They couldn’t trade Dion Phaneuf to Detroit at the deadline, so why not play ‘poach the coach’ and bring Babcock in? Perfect.

Unless you’re a fan of the Buffalo Sabres. Fans of the Blue and Gold woke up Monday with visions of Stanley Cups dancing in their heads. Instead Babcock left the team at the altar and left the team (owner Terry Pegula and GM Tim Murray) a bit beyond frustrated.

I can only imagine what the room was like when Mike Babcock informed the Buffalo Sabres he was taking his talents elsewhere. There were likely several words I can’t type without getting called into the principal’s office. Instead let’s look at the ebbs and flows of Buffalo Sabres fandom since the weekend by getting in touch with the grieving process.

Stage one is denial and isolation. That feeling Sabres fans got when they found out it wasn’t between Detroit and Buffalo anymore. Emotions went from disbelief he could go elsewhere to questioning why Toronto has value. They aren’t as far along in the building process, are they? The Sabres are supposed to have more talent, more picks, a GM with no fear and an owner with no end to his wallet. Who doesn’t want to coach the Buffalo Sabres? We talked ourselves into this being the best job in the league.

Stage two, anger, is the most irrational stage of scorned fandom. The loudest of the rage will try to convince you – and themselves – they never wanted Mike Babcock here in the first place. Talk of what has he actually won and that anyone can win gold medals with the Team Canada roster. Add to it the Toronto rivalry, a big one. Of all the teams Babcock could pick, why did it have to be Toronto? That was me for about four hours today.

Stage three was the rationalization, trying to find ways we could still make this deal work in Buffalo. Everything from offering more money to naming the arena after him was considered on various social media platforms. There was nothing formal yet, we still have time! Grasping at straws and gasping for air. We would soon find out there was no air to breathe. No amount of creative accounting or speaking with your religious deity would get this deal done.

Stage four is the one I fear the most for fans. The depressed state where fans start to dwell on a bigger picture of issues not related to Mike Babcock. Fans questioning what’s wrong with Buffalo that he wouldn’t want to come here, why he wouldn’t bring his family here. Buffalo is a wonderful city rich in history and culture, built on hard work and determination.

We were finally climbing out of the hole with the Evander Kane trade, our young defense and a rich prospect pool topped off with Jack Eichel at the draft. Now fans will turn on Eichel and start believing he’s going back to school because we are the Buffalo Sabres and nothing good happens to the Sabres. Or the Bills. Certainly not to the city at large. This is a black mark on America that he went to a Canadian team. I don’t care if he’s from Canada, he didn’t have to go back!

Take a deep breath, everyone. We are going to start next season with a coach for the Buffalo Sabres. No, his name won’t be Mike Babcock but that doesn’t mean the person hired can’t win. Fans need to give this process a chance to work itself out and not focus on the negative as much. Easier said than done.

The fifth and last stage is finally accepting what has happened as fact. There is almost no chance Buffalo Sabres fans do this until the head coach is named. Probably not right away after either because of the inevitable comparisons to Babcock. That’s going down a troubled road as very few, if any NHL coaches, have the résumé Babcock does.

There is also the matter of those scabs from the last two seasons being picked at. Last-place finishes, trading away talented players, and a popular head coach fired. The decision Babcock made is separate from all of those events. The Buffalo Sabres are in better shape than they were two years ago. The experienced winner of a coach could have sped that up.

It didn’t happen and now Sabres fans are left picking up the pieces. We want to feel whole and good again, to root for a competitive playoff team with a chance to finally earn the Stanley Cup. The plan will move forward with or without the big-name coach. With Babcock this process may have been easier, but he chose Toronto over Buffalo.

Hopefully Buffalo Sabres fans can choose a calmer approach and work through their grief easier than I did. I was a victim of expectations. I was perfectly fine with Babcock going back to the Red Wings. I could handle him signing in San José or St. Louis or any other team. It’s where he signed that hurt me and I know I’m not alone.

But that’s not our choice to make. We were invested in the process as fans and what we put in isn’t what we got out. That’s life. Come October this will hurt much less when we go back to talking about Eichel, line changes and who the starting goalie will be night in and out. I wish Babcock well and hope he and his family made the best long-term choice for themselves. I hope he has plenty of success in Toronto. Really, I do.

I just don’t want him planning any parades before the Buffalo Sabres. Did I step back on the grief ladder again?

Next: Several Goaltenders Could Be On The Move

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