(above) Associate coach Brian McCutcheon makes a point with DU Alum Chris ButlerFrom: Buffalo News
by Bucky Gleason
Chris Butler was in town for barely two weeks when he enjoyed one of Buffalo’s finer cultural experiences. He attended the Bills’ season-opening victory over the Seattle Seahawks, just an anonymous visitor who quickly came to appreciate the fans here before they had a chance to appreciate him.
A few hours along One Bills Drive shouldn’t have been anything shocking for the 21-year-old defenseman. He was born and raised in St. Louis and spent three years playing for the University of Denver. Both are among the most feverish sports towns in America, but Butler sensed a drastic difference during his day at The Ralph.
“You definitely notice that the people here love their sports,” Butler said. “You walk around St. Louis, and you don’t see people in Rams hats or Blues hats. Everywhere you go here, people have a Bills jersey on or a Sabres hat. They live and die for their sports here, which is good and bad. You have great fans, but there’s a lot of pressure.”
Pretty perceptive kid, Chris Butler. Spend a few minutes with him, and you wonder whether he was born in St. Louis or South Buffalo Mercy.
Regardless, after he develops his game in Portland and makes his way to Buffalo, he will realize that his first impression was right on the money. Buffalo has been a terrific but tough sports town for generations. The Sabres can only hope that their first impression of Butler also stands the test of time.
Butler played his first professional game Tuesday night and looked like he had been with the Sabres for years. He played a quiet game that suited his style. He was solid in his own end, made smart decisions and effectively moved the puck. He played so well that Sabres coach Lindy Ruff barely noticed him in a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
“It’s always a good thing,” Ruff said. “Usually, a young defenseman gets noticed for a terrible giveaway or he gets beat. He showed a lot of composure. His positioning was sound. When you don’t notice a guy or you’re not worried about who you have him out there against, you’re pretty happy with the way things are going.”
Nathan Gerbe and South Buffalo native Tim Kennedy also played well against the Habs. Gerbe scored his first goal of the exhibition season when he nuked a slap shot into the top corner. Kennedy looked more comfortable as the game went along and was particularly effective on the penalty kill.
You know Gerbe and Kennedy. The book on Butler is as simple as his style. He’s not going to dazzle anyone with his speed or puck-handling, although he’s very good in both areas. He’s not going to overwhelm anyone physically, but he’s strong enough and plenty tough at 6-foot-1, 202 pounds. He’s also not one to make glaring mistakes.
See: Numminen, Teppo.
Butler was mostly paired with rookie Mike Card and third-year defenseman Nathan Paetsch against the Canadiens. The Sabres gave up two short-handed goals, neither of which were Butler’s doing. If anything, he was one of the Sabres’ better defensemen in a game littered with breakdowns during his professional debut.
“He seems like a good well-rounded defenseman,” Sabres veteran Toni Lydman said. “There doesn’t seem to be a weak spot. He’s good-sized, a strong guy, a good skater, and he gets the puck up [the ice]. He has that patience and composure that you usually get with age. Only some young guys have it. He’s one of them, definitely.”
Butler’s patience should serve him before he makes the jump to the NHL. The Sabres are expected to take their time grooming him, as they do with most young players and almost all young defensemen. The learning curve at his position is generally longer than for forwards, so he can expect considerable time in Portland this season.
Plus, the Sabres are deep with defensemen going into the season. Buffalo’s top six appear set with Mike Weber and Andrej Sekera battling for the seventh spot. Ruff suggested that Butler playing three years in college could accelerate his development. He’s about 19 months older than Weber, who was impressive last season.
“There are some older guys here, and it’s a great chance for me to come in and learn,” Butler said. “Teppo Numminen has been playing in the league basically since I was born. Just to watch him, you can learn so much from guys like that. It’s a great spot to be a young defenseman. As a young defenseman, I couldn’t ask for a better situation.”
A few hours along One Bills Drive shouldn’t have been anything shocking for the 21-year-old defenseman. He was born and raised in St. Louis and spent three years playing for the University of Denver. Both are among the most feverish sports towns in America, but Butler sensed a drastic difference during his day at The Ralph.
“You definitely notice that the people here love their sports,” Butler said. “You walk around St. Louis, and you don’t see people in Rams hats or Blues hats. Everywhere you go here, people have a Bills jersey on or a Sabres hat. They live and die for their sports here, which is good and bad. You have great fans, but there’s a lot of pressure.”
Pretty perceptive kid, Chris Butler. Spend a few minutes with him, and you wonder whether he was born in St. Louis or South Buffalo Mercy.
Regardless, after he develops his game in Portland and makes his way to Buffalo, he will realize that his first impression was right on the money. Buffalo has been a terrific but tough sports town for generations. The Sabres can only hope that their first impression of Butler also stands the test of time.
Butler played his first professional game Tuesday night and looked like he had been with the Sabres for years. He played a quiet game that suited his style. He was solid in his own end, made smart decisions and effectively moved the puck. He played so well that Sabres coach Lindy Ruff barely noticed him in a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
“It’s always a good thing,” Ruff said. “Usually, a young defenseman gets noticed for a terrible giveaway or he gets beat. He showed a lot of composure. His positioning was sound. When you don’t notice a guy or you’re not worried about who you have him out there against, you’re pretty happy with the way things are going.”
Nathan Gerbe and South Buffalo native Tim Kennedy also played well against the Habs. Gerbe scored his first goal of the exhibition season when he nuked a slap shot into the top corner. Kennedy looked more comfortable as the game went along and was particularly effective on the penalty kill.
You know Gerbe and Kennedy. The book on Butler is as simple as his style. He’s not going to dazzle anyone with his speed or puck-handling, although he’s very good in both areas. He’s not going to overwhelm anyone physically, but he’s strong enough and plenty tough at 6-foot-1, 202 pounds. He’s also not one to make glaring mistakes.
See: Numminen, Teppo.
Butler was mostly paired with rookie Mike Card and third-year defenseman Nathan Paetsch against the Canadiens. The Sabres gave up two short-handed goals, neither of which were Butler’s doing. If anything, he was one of the Sabres’ better defensemen in a game littered with breakdowns during his professional debut.
“He seems like a good well-rounded defenseman,” Sabres veteran Toni Lydman said. “There doesn’t seem to be a weak spot. He’s good-sized, a strong guy, a good skater, and he gets the puck up [the ice]. He has that patience and composure that you usually get with age. Only some young guys have it. He’s one of them, definitely.”
Butler’s patience should serve him before he makes the jump to the NHL. The Sabres are expected to take their time grooming him, as they do with most young players and almost all young defensemen. The learning curve at his position is generally longer than for forwards, so he can expect considerable time in Portland this season.
Plus, the Sabres are deep with defensemen going into the season. Buffalo’s top six appear set with Mike Weber and Andrej Sekera battling for the seventh spot. Ruff suggested that Butler playing three years in college could accelerate his development. He’s about 19 months older than Weber, who was impressive last season.
“There are some older guys here, and it’s a great chance for me to come in and learn,” Butler said. “Teppo Numminen has been playing in the league basically since I was born. Just to watch him, you can learn so much from guys like that. It’s a great spot to be a young defenseman. As a young defenseman, I couldn’t ask for a better situation.”
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