While the actions of both teams will be argued about for days around the league, the one thing that I believe remains a constant in all of this is that the Sabres proved they are a team willing to go through walls for each other while the Senators proved they are nothing more than a collection of underachieving cowards.

Yes, that is harsh but very true.

THE NEIL HIT

The first thing I have to get off my chest is that Neil's hit on Drury was cheap, dirty and gutless. It has absolutely no place in the game of hockey. That being said I don't believe Neil's vicious hit warranted a suspension under the current rules of the NHL because — technically — it was legal. However, the only reason it remains legal today is because the NHL is simply not progressive enough to eliminate headshots from its sport like the NFL has strived to do over the past half decade.

Somehow elbows and sticks to the head are bad, but a shoulder to the head is acceptable? That simply makes absolutely no sense. Echoing an example given by a caller on Buffalo's WGR 550 Friday night, if you're going to ram your body through a door do you run through it with your elbow or with your shoulder?

From the reaction of Ottawa fans I gathered today — thanks for your e-mails by the way — they believe Neil did absolutely nothing wrong and that Chris Drury along with Lindy Ruff are to be blamed for what transpired Thursday night. I wouldn't even try to presume I could persuade them otherwise. Senator fans have always been known to be a bit delusional.

That being said, the basis of this commentary is that Chris Neil simply did not have to headhunt Drury the way he did. There was and is no excuse or reason that can justify his actions.

Neil had enough time after Drury released the puck to alter his course of action. Now, I'm not suggesting Neil should have aborted his attempt to hit Drury, but rather I am suggesting the Senators' smug agitator — who openly admits he hits to hurt — didn't have to take a run at Drury's head.

I've played competitive hockey my entire life, all the way through the college level. I've played with many great players including a handful who went on to professional careers whether in the minors or all the way in the NHL, like St. Louis Blues forward Lee Stempniak, whom I had the pleasure of playing with in high school. Why am I telling you this? Simply for the reason that I've been involved with and seen many situations develop like the one that presented itself for Neil Thursday night. I am telling you as a player that he intended to hurt Drury.

Neil circled in the neutral zone, picked up steam and found Drury in a vulnerable position. Like I mentioned above, the Senators' forward could have run Drury over with a shoulder-on-shoulder or shoulder-to-chest hit. Instead he showed his true colors by whipping around Drury's blind-spot and ripping his shoulder squarely into the Buffalo co-captain's face.

Just look at the replay. The proof is in the pudding, and there is no arguing it. Neil blatantly tried to knock Drury's head off, and that is why the hit was scum. You can see the progression of Neil's elbow and shoulder movement. He was low coming into the hit and then came up high on Drury's head.

Neil, his coach Bryan Murray and the Ottawa fans are throwing out things like Drury had his head down or his helmet wasn't fastened properly. Seriously, what play were you watching?

When you get a chance to watch the hit again, look at Drury closely. He never — not even for a second — had his head down. And since Drury doesn't have eyes on the side or back of his head, he never anticipated Neil coming in from behind him to deliver a crushing cheapshot.

Like any clean and respectable hitter, Neil could have stayed low and still pummeled Drury over. That, however, was not his intention. He wanted to put a hurting on Drury, and he accomplished just that by going high, something he didn't have to do.

As for Drury's helmet, that might be the lamest excuse I've ever heard. Let me tell you quickly a thing about hockey and physics. When you get hit in the head as hard as Drury did, your helmet is flying off no matter how secure it is.

THE BUFFALO RESPONSE

Apparently Bryan Murray thinks Lindy Ruff should have been suspended because he threw his "goons" on the ice the next shift and told them to attack Ottawa's skilled players.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I didn't know coaches could get suspended for the lines they choose to put out on the ice. Is this a new rule we're not aware of yet in Buffalo?

Lindy, as well as his counterpart on the Ottawa bench, had every right to put out whatever players they felt like without worrying about any repercussions. Since his leader was taken out viciously, Ruff decided to send in the cavalry. Murray on the other hand was either naive or completely stupid sending out his skilled players. He knew what was coming, and he and his team got what they deserved.

Honestly, it wouldn't have mattered if Jason Spezza or the Ghost of Dennis Vial was on the ice, the Sabres were going to respond immediately.

TRUE COLORS BLEED THROUGH

If I was a Senators' fan today I wouldn't be as concerned with what the Sabres or Ruff did Thursday night as I'd be with the way their team responded. Could there have been five bigger cowards on the ice for Ottawa? How can Spezza, Dany Heatley and company even look their teammates in the eyes after the game? They embarrassed themselves and proved for yet another time why the Ottawa Senators don't have what it takes to win when it matters. They simply have no heart.

Want examples?

Right off the ensuing faceoff, Adam Mair was whaling away at Spezza, and none of his Ottawa teammates could hold Mair back. Mair  — last time I checked — is only one guy yet he somehow fought off three Senators while pummeling away at Spezza. When the Senators' forward finally broke away from Mair, he hid in the arms of the linesman like a one-year-old toddler in his mother's clutch. It was almost embarrassing to watch.

Heatley wanted no part of the action either. When Peters grabbed Heatley and all hell broke loss, the Senators' forward skated away for dear life all the while pointing out to Peters that there were other guys on the ice that he could go after.

Yes, you can already hear the Ottawa fans now. Did you really expect Heatley to fight Peters? Normally a good point, but I don't really think Sabres' fans expected Martin "The Babbler" Biron engaging in a fight with "Sugar" Ray Emery.

Marty did anyway, and you don't think he knew Emery — who's almost twice the size of the toothpick that is Martin Biron — is an avid boxer? Yet the Sabres' backup netminder didn't hesitate one second streaking down the ice for a fight in which he had no chance of coming out on top.

That's the philosophical difference between the two teams.

The Sabres' backup goaltender would spill his guts for his team while the Senators' so-called leaders couldn't give the rest of their team something to inspire to. All of this without even mentioning Ottawa's response — or lack thereof — to Peters going after Emery. Let's just say if it was a Senators' player who went after Biron or Ryan Miller, the Buffalo bench would have cleared over the boards in mere seconds.

So while Neil's hit was damaging to Buffalo in that Drury will be out of the lineup indefinitely, it did one thing that will be twice as damaging to the rest of the NHL. It made the Sabres and their extended family of kids from Rochester a stronger and closer group. Whether it is Daniel Briere or Patrick Kaleta on the ice, you know very well they are playing for the crest on the front of their jersey and not the name on the back.

That's something that can't be said nor has ever been said about the Ottawa Senators.