
Do Buffalo Sabres Players Have a Problem With Tage Thompson?
After there was no response to a cheap shot to the star player by his teammates, we ask the question many aren't saying out loud.
The star Sabres forward was injured after a nasty hit to the head in a victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday. Thompson was taken out by Stefan Noesen, who many thought would be punished by the league but was not. There was no fine or suspension despite the headshot.
It's bizarre that nothing was handed down by the league, which has been trying to stop headshots and protect players. Thompson was hit so hard that his helmet flew off, and he lay motionless on the ice for a brief time. Watch the hit:
What's more bizarre is what his Sabres teammates did or didn't do after the hit.
Sabres Players Don't Respond to Thompson Hit
When a player takes a dirty hit, especially a star player like Thompson, a team usually is quick to start a fight. It's an unwritten rule of hockey that you never let your opponent get away with roughing up your teammates.
That being said, several players simply said they didn't see the hit.
Still, the lack of response was very odd, and even disturbing, to make Sabres fans. Your best offensive player is down on the ice, his helmet is off, and clearly, something happened. Let's say it was true, and no one on the ice saw it. That would mean the next line would go after the Devils with fights or at least big hits in retaliation. Again, it's the unwritten rule: if you get one of our guys, we’ll get one of yours.
But that didn't happen. Instead, Thompson went off. The Sabres did win the game. Jason Zucker even said winning was the priority.
Do Buffalo Sabres Players Have a Problem With Tage Thompson?
This is pure speculation. We don't have reporters following the team. We are not in the locker room. It's so hard to know exactly what is being said, thought, or done.
With that being said, though, the fact your biggest player was taken out and you did nothing to respond is a massive indictment of either the team as a whole, or Thompson himself.
I've played a lot of hockey in my life. Not well, and not at a high level. Enough, though, to know what the unwritten rules are and how to take care of someone cheap shotting your teammate. In my experience, there are only three reasons a team doesn't respond to a hit like that:
- The player stinks, and no one cares about them. I've experienced this because, well, I stunk. While it's not right, it's a reason.
- The team as a whole is completely broken. That's very possible here.
- They don't like the player very much.
The last reason is the most concerning or interesting, depending on how you look at it.
Why would the players not like Thompson? Writing it makes it seem farfetched. He’s led the team in points multiple times. He is a force on the ice. He’s been here a good long while, too. It would seem unlikely, but then go back up and watch the lack of response again. It’s like they don’t care what happened. It’s bizarre. There’s nothing in the public that would suggest the players have a problem with him. So, if this is the case, it’s something we may never know.
Either his teammates aren’t fans of his for some reason, or this team is very, very broken. That’s a real possibility, though. They’ve struggled, again, all year to be accountable, to perform at their expected levels, and have had their commitment and mental capacity quesitoned by many. They could just be a team that is numb inside from all the failures they’ve had this season.
They had a team meeting on Monday to try and address it. It will be interesting to see if and how they do.
Once again, I’d like to point out this is an opinion piece. I am not an expert, just a person who observes things like you do and relates them to my own experiences. I have no idea what that locker room thinks, how the organization really runs, or why they didn’t respond to the hit. Like all of you, I just want them to win.
What do you think? Pat @WBUF.com or send us a message on our app.

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