World's Greatest Game Meets World's Oldest Profession

Which town most craves a Stanley Cup championship? It's hard to argue with the case for Buffalo after reading SI.com's profile of a city and its long-suffering fans. Buffalo leads the sporting world in disappointment, agony, near-misses, and knife-twisting bad endings.

There is no Curse of the Bambino for Buffalo, no folksy lore surrounding the city's losing ways, no "lovable losers" tag like the Cubs have. There is just losing.

But faith endures, and the Sabres give a city new reason to hope. Here's a measure of how Sabre-mania has gripped northern New York:

One Sabres fan from Albion, desperate for a glimpse of the postseason, offered to "put out" for playoff tickets in a Craigslist ad. The 23-year-old college student said she received more than 50 responses. "After seeing how good some of the seats were, a few of my girlfriends insisted I go for it," she says. "But in the end I suppose self-respect comes before hockey. But only barely."

Thanks to NHL Fanhouse for the pointer.