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THE ROLSTON ERA BEGINS TONIGHT

Thursday, 02.21.2013 / 2:22 PM
Kevin Snow
- Sabres.com (@kwsnow)

TORONTO -- When Buffalo Sabres interim head coach Ron Rolston met with his new team for the first time last night, he said the message was simple and to the point.

“We were pretty brief. We understand at this point that the talking part of things is over,” explained Rolston this morning in Toronto before a post-morning skate media throng at the Air Canada Centre. “As Michael Jordan says, ‘I want to see it done and I want to hear it done.’

“We just talked about the situation. For a lot of players, that was there first time involved in a situation like that where a coach was let go and a new one was coming in to talk to them. We briefly talked about what we wanted to focus on; not worry about where we’re at, but what direction we’re moving in at this point.”

It’s been a whirlwind 24 hours for Rolston, who woke up yesterday morning as the head coach of the Rochester Americans, getting ready to prepare for a home game against the Texas Stars. He realizes that with 31 games left in the regular season, it’s just a matter of jumpstarting a Sabres team that has struggled to not only score goals, but defend them as well.

“There’s not going to be major changes in terms of systems and things like that. Certainly, I think the players know what needs to be done at this point. The responsibility at this point falls on us to make sure we’re moving in that direction. And most importantly for the players as individuals, they have to make sure they’re accountable, and when they come to the rink tonight they’re ready to roll.”

For a handful of Sabres, this isn’t their first experience having Rolston behind the bench. Youngsters Marcus Foligno and TJ Brennan have spent parts of the last two seasons under Rolston in Rochester. The newest member of the Sabres, Kevin Porter, who joined the Sabres today, has served as the Amerks’ captain this season after being signed as a free agent in the summer.

This trio of players gave us some of their thoughts about Rolston, the 16th head coach in Sabres’ franchise history:

Foligno on how Rolston helped him in his rookie season with Rochester"We did a lot of video. He brought me in to explain what he expected from me, and that he wanted me to be an important player. He just explained the facts. We started with the little things, and from there it moved on to bigger things. Ron is just very good at developing young guys, and I’m very fortunate to have been coached by him."

Foligno talks about what Rolston will bring to the Sabres
"Ron’s definitely a good developer and a good teacher, and he’s going to bring a lot of good things here. He’s familiar with my play, and he’s familiar with my style, so I think it’ll be a pretty easy transition."

Brennan describes Rolston’s coaching style
"He’s very positive; he’s an energy guy. I feel lucky that he’s coming in. He’s a familiar face that I know, and it’ll make me a little more comfortable. Hopefully it can be a positive turnaround for the team having Ron come in."

Porter’s thoughts on Rolston’s coaching philosphies
"He’s a great coach, really knows what he’s doing. He’s good with defensive play and he lets you play offense. I think it’s a good mixture and he’s going to be a good fit here"

Porter talks about Rolston’s future in the NHL
"He really has the tendencies of an NHL coach, and he definitely has the qualities. I think he’s going to be a good fit here for this team."

Cody McCormick cleared waivers today, and was replaced on the roster by Porter. The Detroit, Mich., native has played in 48 games this season with Rochester, amassing 44 points (15+29) and 38 penalty minutes.

Jordan Leopold did not take part in today’s skate, and will miss tonight’s game with an upper body injury. Rookie Mikhail Grigorenko will be a healthy scratch for the third straight game, and fourth time this season.

NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks and NHL Mobile name and logo, NHL GameCenter and Unlimited NHL are trademarks of the National Hockey League. NHL and NHL team marks are the property of the NHL and its teams.