The Buffalo Sabres honored one of their players for reaching a milestone on the jumbotron during Tuesday’s game against the Ottawa Senators. But no one could have predicted the reaction from the fans…
Once again, the Buffalo Sabres are missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They currently hold the longest postseason drought of any professional sports team in North America, and they certainly didn’t get off to the best start against the Senators.
Brady Tkachuk opened the scoring for Ottawa on the power play less than two minutes into the game, and Sabres fans had just about had enough. It seemed like they took out their frustration on one of their own players.
During the first TV timeout, with the Sabres down 1-0, Buffalo took a moment to celebrate defenseman Mattias Samuelsson for playing his 200th career game. Selected 32nd overall in 2018 and a mainstay on the Sabres’ blue line since, many expected fans to cheer him on.
Buffalo Sabres fans boo their own player
But that didn’t happen. Instead, when his milestone was acknowledged on the jumbotron, some fans in the arena started booing Samuelsson and his accomplishment.
Buffalo Sabres fans are clearly unhappy with the performance of the big, shutdown defenseman—especially considering he’s locked into a seven-year, $30 million contract that he hasn’t been playing up to. But booing your own player? That’s next-level frustration. It’s obvious Buffalo fans expect more from their team.
Earlier this season, NHL analyst Paul Bissonnette reported that captain Rasmus Dahlin had asked for a trade if things didn’t improve soon. If the Sabres fail to make the playoffs again next year, things could get very interesting in Buffalo.
READ MORE: Former Bruins goalie Andrew Raycroft calls out Jeremy Swayman
