A New Hope

Well, it’s been one hell of a week for Sabres fans. About time I got around to posting something here.

You may have noticed my absence. You may not have. For those who don’t know me personally, I had some big things happen since my last post. I went away on a long trip, was gone for the month of December. I got a new computer. I also got a new job… not in Buffalo.

Just after the new year, I packed up and moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Got a job in my field that was better than anything I could’ve gotten with any related companies in Buffalo, so I decided to bounce.

I had to leave my family, my friends, and my season tickets behind. All three have been missed. I sympathize with people who try to follow the Sabres from outside the 716 area code. It’s tough. I’m now on central time, so coming home from work and walking in the door just in time to catch the game on the internet is an adjustment. Of course, it is nice being able to hop online and stream WGR and read all the same websites. I feel attached as I ever have, but it definitely takes more effort.

As the ownership drama has developed from a rumbling to a transaction, even from a distance for me, we’ve seen the situation crystallize everything about the Sabres organization.

We see the departing ownership group be spiteful and petty towards the ones who’ve talked bad about them. We’ve thanked them for what they did in saving the Sabres, but they still beat us to the punch themselves at giving them a pat on the back.

We’ve read the media continue to hold the same grudges against the same people over the same things.

We’ve watched the Sabres struggle on the ice, but yet show flashes of the team we thought they would be this season, never getting away from the frustrating inconsistency that has plagued the team for the last few years

And now, we finally know that there is hope. We have an owner coming in who wants everything that we do. The numbers at the bottom of the ledger might not be as important, and the numbers in the standings will become a bigger part of the picture. We don’t need to worry about “value judgements” and “two legged horses” anymore.

Hope is extremely important. Not just in sports. In life. If you can’t have hope for the future, things will suck. Unless there’s a legitimate reason to think that your situation can get better, it’s tough to put your emotions into what you do. For a while, I struggled with the idea that my professional life was going to take off. When you get an opportunity to move forward, you take it. And the opportunity itself is enough to give you hope.

Terry Pegula and family are taking over soon. We don’t know what they will do, but we’re convinced it will be great. It’s good to have that optimism.

It’s exciting and exhilarating. We see the opportunity for change. A new hope. A chance to never wonder if there’s something going on that we don’t know about. A chance to never hear “5 years/$25 million” again. A chance to think that maybe they want the same things we do at the foot of Washington St. A chance that maybe we’re not going to be changing uniforms again next season.

Now, we’re all convinced that there’s a chance.

Let’s hope it works out.

An open letter to Mr. B. Thomas Golisano

Mr. Golisano,

Hello. Can I call you Tom? Okay. How about Tommy? No? That’s fine.

Anyways, Tom, you’ve got yourself in the news, haven’t you? You’ve said all along that you would be open to sell, and, well, here’s your chance. There’s this guy named Terry, who, while we don’t really know him that well yet, wants to buy the team. He seems like he’s a hockey guy. He’s a local guy too, and he loves the Sabres. I mean, he had season tickets!

We know you got into this mess without really being a hockey man yourself, and that’s alright. You were approached because you cared about our community and had the money to do good things. And you’ve done good things. Look at all the hospitals and universities in western New York that are better places thanks to your generosity. We appreciate that.

When you came in 2003, things looked bleak. We almost lost the team. But you came in, brought your business skills, streamlined the operation, and turned the franchise around. The organization went from bleeding money to sustainable.

You had a good run. We got to see probably the two best seasons in franchise history under your watch. We were a contender. At least until the business side of the operation got in the way of the hockey side of the operation. Things haven’t been as good since, but things are still alright. Hey, at least we’ve had a bunch of new jerseys to go and buy! Thanks for that!

You’ve had your share of bad moments in this whole thing as well. Some of them, well, most of them, can be blamed on the guy who you have running the show, but that’s not all on you. But Larry Quinn was smart enough to get you involved in the first place, so all the dumb things he’s said and done aren’t your fault. I’m not even gonna use the words “eat” or “microphone” here.

Oh… sorry.

But Tom, things have changed. You’ve got an opportunity here to be a hero again. I know it’s a fun toy to have in the arsenal. Professional sports can be pretty sweet. But the fans in Buffalo want a guy who’s not just here to save the team, or be profitable. It seems like this Pegula guy wants to win. That might be cool, right? Winning? I know winning is fun, but we get the sense that you’re not willing to lose a few bucks for a few more notches in the win column. Not that we can blame you, but can you blame us?

You’re gonna get a solid return on your investment. This guy has money, and he’s willing to spend it. You’ll be able to relax in Florida with your beautiful woman and enjoy retirement. You’ll forever be remembered as a guy who stepped in and saved the team. You can also be remembered as a guy who was willing to step aside when his work here was done. So, we’re asking you to do that.

This is not kicking you out the door. We’d be happy to have you around whenever you wanna stop in. Leaving on good terms can cement a reputation. Be remembered as an important part of our beloved Sabres’ history.

But, for the same reason you stepped in, we’d like you to walk away.

For us.

The new alternate uniform? Yeah, about that…

They’re ugly.

I’m gonna say it. Somebody has to.

As I tweeted yesterday, I don’t wanna be “that guy” who rips the Sabres for everything. I’m not gonna go out of my way to criticize them unless they earn it. With these “40th anniversary” jerseys, they should be getting a lot of flack.

Let’s review what the team’s press release gloated about these gifts to Buffalo.

Here are some design facts about the new 40th anniversary jersey:

• The royal blue color of the third jersey reflects the original Sabres jersey that debuted in 1970.
• The “Buffalo” script wordmark was inspired by the old Buffalo Bisons “bottlecap” logo.
• The choice of an off-white color for the Buffalo script was to give the jersey a vintage feel.
• There are four stripes on the sleeves, socks and around the waist that represent 40 years of Sabres hockey.
• A commemorative 40th anniversary “1970” logo sits below the Buffalo script.
• The faux felt numbers have a unique cross stitched pattern in reference to early pro hockey jerseys

In my opinion, the fact they put this much thought into each individual aspect of the uniform just shows they put way too much thought into this.

Let me make a statement that may contradict what many Sabres fans are led to believe: the Buffalo Sabres don’t have any tradition.

Quinn, DiPofi named minority owners of Sabres

Um… good?

The Sabres announced yesterday that managing partner Larry Quinn and COO Dan DiPofi have been granted minority shares of the Buffalo Sabres.

“This announcement marks the culmination of a process that really goes back to my original acquisition of the franchise in 2003,” Golisano said in a statement. “Both Larry and Dan were instrumental with regard to my purchase of the Sabres and continue to be an important part of the organization’s success today.”

It’s hard to tell what this means for the future of the organization, but it begs the question: Is Larry going to be more apt to meddle with the team if he thinks he’s got something riding on it?

For the most part, Quinn’s been playing with house money. Now, it’s in his own best interest to keep the value of the team as high as possible. Will there be more of an emphasis on winning to keep fans coming back? Doubtful. Will ticket prices continue to rise? Most likely.

WJC 2011: Make it happen, Buffalo

In recent history, Buffalo has hosted some relatively large sporting events.

It’s been the site of early round games of the NCAA Basketball tournament on multiple occasions. There are minor hockey tournaments held in the area every year.

Back in 2004, the Queen City played host to the NCAA Frozen Four. Buffalo fans were able to catch a glimpse of Thomas Vanek before he became the all-star player he is.

Every time Buffalo came out with glowing reviews and an economic shot-in-the-arm. That’s never bad for a city that has image problems, both from outsiders and the residents.

There’s another opportunity out there that can do nothing but help Buffalo. In 2007, the IIHF awarded the United States the opportunity to host a few upcoming tournaments, including the 2011 U20 World Championships, commonly known as the World Juniors. Now, USA Hockey is accepting bids from potential host cities.

USA Hockey expects to announce the host for the 2011 IIHF World Under-20 Championship in late December. Bid proposals for the event are due to the USA Hockey national office by August 1.

This is too good an opportunity to pass up.