The little salmon swims onward

"Just going to be taking this off now, don't mind me."

The NHL trade deadline has come and gone, and with it, Cody Hodgson.  I'm not going to get into an evaluation of the players we've received in exchange, because to be perfectly honest, the most I know about Zack Kassian is what his NHL.com bio told me.  Rather, I'd like to take a moment to introduce Sabres fans to their new center.

I'm very pleased to say that I was wrong about Hodgson.  Coming into this season, I honestly thought that as soon as Kesler returned from hip surgery, it would be back to the minors for CoHo.  In cases like this, I'm happy to be proven wrong.  Hodgson has done more than stick with the big club; he's brought an offensive side to the Canucks' third line (or fourth, because Vigneault is rather reluctant to play him ever), and has played himself into contention for the Calder (NHL rookie of the year), despite playing only 12 minutes per game.  Granted, the only reason he (or anyone else for that matter) is in Calder discussions is because Ryan Nugent-Hopkins got injured, but still, well done CoHo.

Buffalo, you're getting a player that has fought through back and neck issues and come out as a better player.  If it weren't for the fact that the Canucks have their top two centers locked up for multiple years, I'd like to believe that Hodgson would have been too valuable to trade.  But he has been.  This is GM Mike Gillis' first move that has made me hesitant, but given his track record, I'll trust him until proven wrong.

So, Buffalo fans, as a welcome gift, I've drawn up a brief package of how to treat CoHo, and you had better treat him well!

1. The "G" is silent.  I'm getting this out in the open right off the bat, because it took the Vancouver media three years to realize that his name is proounced "Hodson".  
2. For goodness sake, play him more than we did!  Here, he was a victim of cirumstance and Vigneault's hesitancy to use him, but he really is quite skilled.  He can man the powerplay, which if you'd like to make a late push for the playoffs, you're going to need to improve, Buffalo.
3. Expect him to make some bad plays in his own end.  This is Hodgson's most glaring deficiency, but to his credit, he is more responsible with the puck than he was at the start of the season.  And besides, the goalie will bail him out... Oh wait, you guys have Miller.  Good luck with those turnovers.
4. You NEED to push this nickname: CoHo: The Little Salmon.  I've been trying to get it to stick, and now it's your job to carry on this endeavour.  The explanation is as follows:
1. Cody Hodgson -------> CoHo.
2. Coho is a type of salmon.
3. Hodgson is not the biggest guy, therefore he is the little salmon.
4. Hodgson has battled critisisms that he is too small, and injuries to earn a spot on an NHL roster.  It hasn't been an easy path for him.  Like the salmon, CoHo swims upstream.

As a rookie hazing, Bieksa threw CoHo into the Fraser river while shouting "Swim Cody, swim for your life!" (citation needed)  Bieksa then attempted to hook Hodgson with a fishing rod.

Now here comes the most vital part of your job as Sabres fans.  You need to get the CoHo goal celebration to catch on.  Again, I've tried my best to do this in Vancouver, but alas, the majority of people seem too busy high-fiving when he scores to execute the CoHo.

Upon a Hodgson goal, bring your forearms together, palms touching.  Your arms are now a salmon, with the hands being the head. See Figure 1.

Fig. 1

Now, move your arms back and forth, leading with your hands and having the forearms follow, as if you were trying to mimick a fish swiming.  The key is to rotate at the wrists; make the motion smooth.  Don't worry if it takes practice, it's worth it.  See Fig. 2 for reference.

Fig. 2

Ideally, your arms should move upward to signify motion (swimming), but it's also acceptable if you swim in motion.  During your swimming, you are encouraged to exclaim "CoHo!  The little salmon!" a half octive or so above your normal speaking level.  Here, watch this video so that you can practice (also, salivate over the fact that you now have a player with this shot release):