May Day 10

The NHL and hockey in general doesn't and can't work like that. I want to grab the Pegulas and shake them until it gets into their skull. They are blending what works in the NFL (coach centric) to their NHL team (my favorite team) (coach centric). McDermott has appeared to work out so far and the Bills have had OK success based on a very low bar set over 17 years of barely being considered a part of the league. So the Pegulas think they have sports figured out now. NHL coaches are throw-away independent contractors. They all have a limited shelf-life and are a low-ranked person in the organizations behind players, GM, president. Coaches, frankly, dont usually have a huge influence on results. There are good ones, that you hang onto for a bit... completely unsure if Kruger is it. There is limited/no data with him, and I am offput by his sig-sigma growth shtick. You reserve a card to pull. Switch the coach to light a fire on a team going through the motions. This is the problem we had under Ruff. Players tuned him out and Regier refused to make a change which led to stagnation. What happens if/when players tune Kruger out (it will happen someday). You cant turn over players in the NHL like you can in the NFL where contracts arent guaranteed and you could get like 7 immediate players in a draft. So yeah. We need to sit here and wait 2-4 more years for the Pegulas to figure this out.

oh. More embarrassment and proof how inept everything is. Maybe they wouldnt be hurting for money if they werent constantly lighting their house on fire

I agree so much. It is making the fans distraught. At least the Bills always muddied the waters and would pretend they were trying to get better in the day and age of Levy as GM, Brandon, Nix, etc... there would always be at least 50% of fans who would defend the moves. Through the thick of the drought, the Bills weren't nearly as bad as the Sabres are compared to the rest of the league. The Pegulas' signaling is awful and I cannot even find any solid ground to talk myself into optimism. The fact that they sit there and say that they need to be heard and more control is chilling. They said similar things when firing Murray and are now doubling down on that. If soft-willed (publicly) Jason Botterill isnt malleable enough for them, I shudder thinking about what is next. Why do they keep going through these painful votes of confidence, only to do a complete and random-seeming about-face soon after? Happened with Botterill, Murray/Bylsma, kind of with Housley (team falling off a cliff made it nearly impossible to keep him), Whaley (which led to the embarrassing "privy-gate"), and probably others. Marrone quitting also comes to mind, and LaFontaine's departure. I think it also puts a timer on the Bills before it blows up and there will be a divorce once McDermott and Beane have enough credibility to write their own ticket elsewhere. Also, as far as this being cost moves. Evidence points to that, such as dragging their feet on the hourly employees and firing long-time executives.

They have a lot of fans who are humongous jersey-wearing fans when they are winning, mainly in the playoffs... but losing and they have no interest in hockey whatsoever and pretend they don't care (and in some cases I have seen them pretend they are fans of other teams who are competing for the Stanley Cup). I went to college with tons of downstate people and saw so many examples of the 2 'breeds' of NY sports fans.

I feel nothing at all for the Dolphins. I grew up in the Kelly v Marino days, but that is dead and buried. I see the Dolphins in the same light I see the Buccaneers, Jaguars, Titans, etc... just another game. Jets I dislike, but not entirely. Mainly dislike them for being a NY team... and I loathe Fireman Ed. But their fans are pretty thoroughly tortured and are typically of the Islanders/Jets/Mets vein that isnt front-running trash sports fans that you get with the Giants-Rangers-Yankees crowd I loathe the Patriots, but that goes without saying. I think I would hate them nearly the same if the Bills werent even in the same Division.

I was a season ticket holder too. Bailed based on a ridiculous increase this season. 10% on my tickets, mainly because my seniority buying tickets through all these lean years got me closer to center ice in the 300 level. They carved the arena into 50 price levels and I was penalized for loyalty during historic futility. I was thinking of cancelling anyways due to no urgency to get this correct and win. As it was, it cost me $100 between parking and tickets to walk into the building, while I watched people sitting next to me who paid $10 on stubhub. From about 1985-on, I was a huge Sabres fan, probably missing only a handful of games between like 1988 and 2013. Some of my personal identity was tied into this team. Over these Pegula years I have disengaged more and more as it is awful with no hope. Last year, I watch portions of maybe 3 games on TV and only attended the 4-6 'retro nights' purely for nostalgia. This whole thing was the last straw. I actually dislike the team and will not engage at all. They diminish their brand every turn of the way. Not only on the ice, but things like the alumni jerseys, the embarrassing Hasek jersey retirement ceremony, forgetting teams do a Hockey is for Everybody Night, say they werent scheduling it because the retro nights, then pretend they had it scheduled all along 'sometime' in the final 3 games... I couldnt care less about Hockey is for Everybody night. But this team is an unorganized mess, and these things fell under this 'genius' Kevyn Adams and Kim Pegula's realm and they were botched. Hearing the Pegulas again reject having anyone else (who knows what they are doing) making decisions is chilling. They said similar things when they fired Murray. They do not know what they are doing. Kim Pegula thinks she could run the Sabres from Florida using an Ipad with this 'flat' management structure. Its a joke and it will never work unless they get extremely fortunate. Its tough to get fortunate in the NHL because there are so many aspects to drafting, developing, building a team, etc... It will catch up to the Bills. Maybe not this year or next, but their ineptitude will drive Beane and McDermott off and we are going to be stuck with them hiring people they "know" and are "comfortable with". The other day is how I felt when the Bills announced Russ Brandon as the GM. At least then, I knew Ralph Wilson was late in life and things would change either way before too long. This, there is no end in sight.

LaFontaine left due to bumping heads with Kim Pegula and getting overridden on silly things. The one that broke the camel's back was her allowing Ryan Miller's wife to go on the "parents trip' after he told the Millers that it was a parent's trip, no wives. IMO, they need a couple team presidents at this point. One for the business/branding side and one for the hockey ops side. Would be a great opportunity to start fresh right now because they culled so many people and they may have like 6 months until the season starts. But they will waste it pretending they know what they are doing

I think its impossible to overstate the level of terrible management and self imposed turmoil the Pegulas have inflicted on this franchise over the past 9+ years. On all fronts But wait! There's More!

Wait until one of the daughters is a scout and tries to tell them who to draft (and after McDermott and Beane built enough credibility to write their own tickets).

they will ruin the Bills too, even if they have it right temporarily. They are toxic. They think they are experts and are really clueless. Crazy hubris

I wonder if the Pegulas leaked that $60 million figure themselves, or had an underling do it

That's the problem. Normally I would be encouraged and awaiting a new chapter.... but this doesnt add up. I have never seen such a cleansing. Sudden. Adams was an internal hire too. It's not like they got an established guy with his team of scouts and staff he has cultivated over the years. This was kevyn adams' staff he knew. As far as I know, Adams lacks the experience or credibility to build everything decisively to that extent. All things normal... Adams would probably prefer a lot of infrastructure remain in place. And there is a draft coming up. And a week ago, ownership seemed to portray that everything was cool.

I dont think there is a plan yet beyond clearing employees

Because the pegulas dont know what the hell they are doing and may possibly be in some hot water financially. My guess is they wanted botterill to fire all these people and he wouldnt.

all the Amerks' coaches just got turfed

All of Adams' answers were deferred to communicating with Kim, Terry, and Ralph. That's all I need to hear to confirm. The entire reason he got the job is he is willing to do 'communicate' and 'collaborate' (heard those words 100x in that PC). A real GM wouldn't stand for that. They want a bobblehead, and hired/promoted one.

This zoom press conference is a low point in franchise history. It is depressing. Terry Pegula's brain is gone.

Management 100% Dont think Lamoriello wont throw Trotz away the second he thinks it is beneficial to do so. They didnt hire Trotz, and then find some internal soft, inexperienced guy as GM.

The NHL doesnt work like that. This is a mistake that you can see the Pegulas falling into from satellite. In the NFL. All the power and clout eminates from the head coach. he is your central figure and CEO of football. The NFL is much more forgiving to change as there are no guaranteed contracts, and you could theoretically find like 7 immediate starters in a draft class. The NHL is much more about organizational structure. Scouting is so much more wide-reaching and advanced. Development is a major pillar that doesnt really exist in the NFL. Head coaches in the NHL are throw-away independent contractors. The GM will cast the coach aside in 2 seconds if the team needs a kick in the butt. But the Pegulas seem to think that they have the NFL figured out and want to transpose that to the NHL. They have been mystified by the Ralph Kruger six sigma shtick and it seems they are giving him the McDermott clout. No NHL teams operate that way. Also mind you, this is a coach with only 2 incomplete seasons under his belt, and really not a whole lot of NHL experience.

I just don't get what Adams brings to the table to right this ship. There is nothing. Groomed? You groom people if you are a good organization and need to someday pass the torch. Not a neverending pocket of dysfunction. God knows what that grooms. Kruger is another one. Uses nicely constructed words... but this is a guy with 2 incomplete NHL seasons of coaching under his belt. Now we are elevating him to some sort of 'super-coach' who will also help out with GM duties? It sounds like a terrible idea bound to fail. This is all so Kim Pegula can remain comfortable in her role. That is all it is. Toxic ownership. Dont believe for 1 second the Bills are safe.

This actually makes me more ill. Id take Botterill/Sexton/Greeley over Adams/Kruger.

Adams played hockey and lives in Buffalo. Took a few college courses and worked at Harbor Center. Most importantly, Kim Pegula is comfortable challenging him with ideas. Perfect GM for this team.

So how many years do we need to wait until we can lock in the fact that Adams is in over his head and terrible? 3 seasons?

what a circus organization. Really awful. I hate Botterill, but they need a seismic shift. Not promote the guy from the adjacent office they are comfortable with. This is the Ralph Wilson Bills from 2003-2013.