Still a bit stunned by this news. I was somewhat aware that Joe had some health issues, but didn't realize it was this serious.
No question, Joe was the heartbeat of the HF Boards. He certainly had help from many mods and tech people over the years, but Joe was the one that pretty much set the tone and helped keep the site running smoothly so that hockey fans from around the globe could discuss/argue about their favorite sport (and other subjects, of course). The fact that the HF Boards has maintained its status as the go-to message board for hockey discussion is a testament to the excellent job that Joe did for two decades. That's a great run - very few websites last this long, let alone maintain a strong following for that length of time. Joe deserves much of the credit for this success, but it's sad that he won't be able to add to that legacy.
It's strange, but despite the fact that we both lived in WNY, we never met face-to-face. But, we had plenty of contact with one another while he was running the boards and I was running HF, so I did get to know him fairly well. He was very protective of the boards, and made it clear to me that HF was my domain, and the boards were his. I figured it wasn't a good idea to tick off the tech guy since I might need his help, so we stuck to that arrangement up until HF was shuttered a few years back.
But, no need to blabber on. Many of you that have posted in this thread have pointed out why Joe was a valued and well-liked contributor at the Sabres board, so I just wanted to emphasize that he was far more than that when it comes to the HF Boards.
RIP, Joe.