It has been a heck of a year for the Buffalo Sabres.
They’re in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2011, and won their first playoff series since 2007 after dispatching the Boston Bruins in the first round.
And all year long, the team has been leaning on one slogan, “Everybody Ropes, Everybody Rides.”
Now the question on everyone’s mind: What the hell does that mean?
TNT hockey reporter Jackie Redmond shared a photo of the towels fans will receive for Game 2 against the Montreal Canadiens, and they all bear the slogan.
However, one fan thought that this slogan was nothing more than something the team’s front office cooked up. Which, in fairness, we’ve seen from many teams over the years, especially come playoff time.
But Redmond shared that this isn’t the case at all. Instead, it has been the Sabres’ rallying cry all season, and she shared Sabres star and Team USA gold medalist Tage Thompson’s explanation of the saying.
“It means no job is too big or too small for anybody,” Thompson explained, per Redmond. “That when everyone is willing to do the little things that aren’t always flashy — it shows the room that you care about winning and doing whatever it takes.”
Well, it seems to be working.
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I love that kind of attitude in the postseason, too, because it underscores what I think is the key to winning the Stanley Cup: depth.
Especially in the modern NHL, you need everyone showing up and pitching in, whether that’s the stars or the fourth-line grinders or the goalie, and the Sabres seem to be getting that.
The Sabres were one of the biggest surprises of the season by not just making the postseason, but by winning the tough Atlantic Division, which saw five teams make the playoffs.
Now it’s just a matter of seeing how long they can keep it all going.
