Fourteen years. Fourteen long, painful, agonizing years. And finally - finally - the wait is over in Buffalo.
The Buffalo Sabres are back in the playoffs.
I don't care how many Stanley Cups you've won, I don't care how many championship parades you've been to - if you have a heart, you feel something for Buffalo right now. This city has suffered through the longest playoff drought in the NHL, watching season after season slip away, watching hope turn to frustration turn to resignation.
But not this year. Not anymore.
The Sabres have clinched their first playoff berth since 2011, ending a 14-year drought that tested the loyalty of one of hockey's most passionate fanbases. And you know what? Those fans never gave up. They kept showing up. They kept believing. And now they get their reward.
"This is for the fans who stuck with us," is what you'll hear from the players, and they mean it. This wasn't just about the roster on the ice - this was about a covenant between a team and a city that refused to quit on each other.
The clinching leaves the New York Jets with the dubious honor of the longest active playoff drought in major North American sports at 15 years. But tonight isn't about them - tonight is about Buffalo.
When playoff hockey returns to Buffalo, that building is going to be electric. The city will be buzzing. And every single person who stuck with this team through the dark years will have earned the right to celebrate.
This is what sports gives us. The lows make the highs so much sweeter. The suffering makes the breakthrough so much more meaningful. Buffalo has waited 14 years for this moment, and now that it's here, they're going to savor every second.
That's what sports is all about, folks. Loyalty rewarded. Faith restored. A city getting its team back.
