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2 hours ago, The Wiz said:

You know when do fans take some credit for the state of the Sabres? Chased out successful GM and coach. Cheered for a multiple year tank. Booed the team during the tank when they won. 

 

It was such poisonous atmosphere that basically the fans created. 

 

That said, the Pegulas were way too impatient. They'll get it right eventually, just like they did with the Bills. 

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2 hours ago, Virgil said:

Is it strange that I wish she was our sole owner?

 

Nothing against Terry at all.  I just like Kim

 

I have always considered Kim our owner since she was the one who was Bills fan and attends NFL committee meetings and Terry the Sabres owner who is the hockey fan is opening arenas and other things connected to Hockey.

 

May she have many happy birthdays and still be owner for Superbowl C.

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24 minutes ago, TailgateChef said:

Happy Birthday Kim.  Thanks for hiring the right guys and staying out of their way.

(Does anyone think she actually reads this?)

 

I'm Kim Pegula. Are you referring to the Sabres or the Bills?

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4 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

You know when do fans take some credit for the state of the Sabres? Chased out successful GM and coach. Cheered for a multiple year tank. Booed the team during the tank when they won. 

 

It was such poisonous atmosphere that basically the fans created. 

 

That said, the Pegulas were way too impatient. They'll get it right eventually, just like they did with the Bills. 

My favorite one is a Twitter post to the Sabres. A person's late grandma was a cardboard cutout in the stands and he asked if he could pick it up so she doesn't have to watch the games.

 

But yes to your question. The Bills for a long time were "loveable losers" but both the team and fans have just made the Sabres into a house of losers.

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6 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

You know when do fans take some credit for the state of the Sabres? Chased out successful GM and coach. Cheered for a multiple year tank. Booed the team during the tank when they won. 

 

It was such poisonous atmosphere that basically the fans created. 

 

That said, the Pegulas were way too impatient. They'll get it right eventually, just like they did with the Bills. 

This is the most bizzare take in the Sabres problems.  The fans are the cause?  Wow.  

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1 hour ago, Bob in STL said:

This is the most bizzare take in the Sabres problems.  The fans are the cause?  Wow.  

Yes they are definitely part of the problem. When fans boo wins there is something wrong. 

 

We created a losing atmosphere. It's not the easiest thing to fix. We cheered the team losing for 2-3 years and then expected the Pegulas money to fix everything. They did immediately change the perception of the Sabres. They spent a lot on the facilities and the roster. 

 

The Pegulas were definitely impatient and deserve criticism but the fans also deserve criticism. No one remembers the media arguing about the tank? Remember this was a multiple year thing. Even the GM was at the draft talking about trying to win in 2 years. I've never heard or seen anything like that. 

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13 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Yes they are definitely part of the problem. When fans boo wins there is something wrong. 

 

We created a losing atmosphere. It's not the easiest thing to fix. We cheered the team losing for 2-3 years and then expected the Pegulas money to fix everything. They did immediately change the perception of the Sabres. They spent a lot on the facilities and the roster. 

 

The Pegulas were definitely impatient and deserve criticism but the fans also deserve criticism. No one remembers the media arguing about the tank? Remember this was a multiple year thing. Even the GM was at the draft talking about trying to win in 2 years. I've never heard or seen anything like that. 

I am not sure I will necessarily blame the fans, I think it is just modern sports.  It's never just about the game, unless you have the best team.  Though losing, to get a higher draft pick is, on paper, smart...it is just a terrible stand for a franchise to take, in any sport.  People talk about "culture" in sports being so important...what does it do to that culture when a franchise doesn't go all out to win?  It is just a toxic attitude.  Half the guys (maybe even more) that were part of that tank team, made up the core of teams roster for a number of seasons after that...you create an atmosphere where losing is acceptable, under any circumstance, and most likely you will only get more losing. Sabres are a perfect illustration.  The NBA suffers from this en masse...

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2 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Yes they are definitely part of the problem. When fans boo wins there is something wrong. 

 

We created a losing atmosphere. It's not the easiest thing to fix. We cheered the team losing for 2-3 years and then expected the Pegulas money to fix everything. They did immediately change the perception of the Sabres. They spent a lot on the facilities and the roster. 

 

The Pegulas were definitely impatient and deserve criticism but the fans also deserve criticism. No one remembers the media arguing about the tank? Remember this was a multiple year thing. Even the GM was at the draft talking about trying to win in 2 years. I've never heard or seen anything like that. 

You are totally wrong.  Pegula inherited a marginal playoff team that was mediocre and out of gas and in need of retooling.   The team was stuck in mediocrity and Pegula came in with brash promises of winning Cups when he had no idea how to do it or who actually did.
 

Regier originally sold Pegula on the Tanking but he was fired and never got to orchestrate it, hence his remark that  the “fans will have to suffer for awhile”. 
 

I was at that game when some fans booed, and it was minimal, and the large majority of us were not happy with it either.  The fans wanted to draft McDavid, which never happened anyway due to the lottery.  
 

 

Terry is 100% at fault for the dismal performance of his team. The buck stops with him. 
 

1. He first gave Reiger a blank check to overpay on two terrible free agents in Ville Lieno and Christian Erhoff, which set the team back against the salary cap for years.  
2. He fired Lindy Ruff due to impatience and yet he kept Darcy Regier who promoted  the unqualified Ron Rolston to head coach.
3.  After he fired Regier he set up an overly complex organization that had too many strap hangers from Pittsburgh and Penn State, and they had no vision.  
4.  He hired Pat LaFontaine on a whim, then he found out that  Pat actually wanted to win, not tank.  He approved the Ryan Miller trade against Pat’s wishes leading to Pat’s resignation.   
5.  After Pat resigned Terry approved of Terry Murray gutting the team and stripping them of veteran leadership.  There was no one left with any pride to wear the jersey.   

6.  He hired 3 straight GMs, all of whom had never been an NHL GM before. 
7.  He is on his 7th coach in the last 10 years.  
 

These are the things that ruined the culture.  The fans  did nothing to hurt the hockey culture in this town and deserve better.  Terry and Kim are 100% responsible for the mess they made of the team.  To even suggest the fans played a part is ridiculous.  

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36 minutes ago, Bob in STL said:

You are totally wrong.  Pegula inherited a marginal playoff team that was mediocre and out of gas and in need of retooling.   The team was stuck in mediocrity and Pegula came in with brash promises of winning Cups when he had no idea how to do it or who actually did.
 

Regier originally sold Pegula on the Tanking but he was fired and never got to orchestrate it, hence his remark that  the “fans will have to suffer for awhile”. 
 

I was at that game when some fans booed, and it was minimal, and the large majority of us were not happy with it either.  The fans wanted to draft McDavid, which never happened anyway due to the lottery.  
 

 

Terry is 100% at fault for the dismal performance of his team. The buck stops with him. 
 

1. He first gave Reiger a blank check to overpay on two terrible free agents in Ville Lieno and Christian Erhoff, which set the team back against the salary cap for years.  
2. He fired Lindy Ruff due to impatience and yet he kept Darcy Regier who promoted  the unqualified Ron Rolston to head coach.
3.  After he fired Regier he set up an overly complex organization that had too many strap hangers from Pittsburgh and Penn State, and they had no vision.  
4.  He hired Pat LaFontaine on a whim, then he found out that  Pat actually wanted to win, not tank.  He approved the Ryan Miller trade against Pat’s wishes leading to Pat’s resignation.   
5.  After Pat resigned Terry approved of Terry Murray gutting the team and stripping them of veteran leadership.  There was no one left with any pride to wear the jersey.   

6.  He hired 3 straight GMs, all of whom had never been an NHL GM before. 
7.  He is on his 7th coach in the last 10 years.  
 

These are the things that ruined the culture.  The fans  did nothing to hurt the hockey culture in this town and deserve better.  Terry and Kim are 100% responsible for the mess they made of the team.  To even suggest the fans played a part is ridiculous.  

Obviously the Pegulas have made mistakes. But the Sabres environment has been toxic from the start. I do believe the fans should take some of the blame, along with the media. After Terry Pegula's 1st press conference he held a Q and A with local media. Basically all the questions were about firing Regier and Ruff. It was embarrassing. 

 

Maybe the worst thing to happen after the Pegulas took over was the Sabres getting hot and making the playoffs. Terry is a giant fan. So he committed to trying to win with Regier and Ruff. Only problem was that fans and media were prepared to execute them as soon as something went wrong. It was very toxic. 

 

We went from that toxic situation to the tank. Ruff gets fired but Regier stays. Toxic multiplied. It wasn't much different than what they did with the Bills later on. If you remember they kept Whaley and gave him an extension. They even kept him after hiring McDermott. Lucky for the Bills Beane was tied to McDermott. The Bills had a similar toxic environment but expectations were lower. 

 

The tank lasted 2+ years. I don't know who convinced who to tank. The Pegulas tried everything to attract top UFAs and traded players to Buffalo, they did land some decent players but not the big fish.  They decided the only way to get them was to draft them. So the tank started. Fans were all for it. Fans cheered losing. Media got involved in it. The GM was openly talking about tanking. We all loved it. But it was creating another toxic environment. We all were in on it. Then when Eichel came and couldn't carry the team the boo's started. Fans wanted a return on the tanking. A lot of angry fans. 

 

So yes the Pegulas deserve blame because they've been very impatient and made bad decisions. But there is such a toxic environment surrounding the Sabres that it's going to be hard to get out of. It will happen though because the Pegulas are committed to building a winning organization. But anyone hired is going to be on a short leash because of the environment at the moment. 

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17 hours ago, First Round Bust said:

it was the best of times...it was the worst of times...the hiring of coach McD and that connection to Beane has been as impressive but all those misses and missteps within the hockey dept  now fit the definition of insanity...doing the same and expecting a different result

 

McClappy was the second guy to get the job....Wrex was the original hire ;)

 

I think the Sabres should hire Gerry Gallant as coach...JMHO......(and they better get Krakken if they want him) ;) 

BTW HBD Kim :)

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16 hours ago, Virgil said:

Is it strange that I wish she was our sole owner?

 

Nothing against Terry at all.  I just like Kim

 

Oh my God, you DEFINITELY don't wish that. If you only knew what the people that worked with her thought of her. And as far as the Sabres, PLEASE sell the team ASAP.

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6 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Obviously the Pegulas have made mistakes. But the Sabres environment has been toxic from the start. I do believe the fans should take some of the blame, along with the media. After Terry Pegula's 1st press conference he held a Q and A with local media. Basically all the questions were about firing Regier and Ruff. It was embarrassing. 

 

Maybe the worst thing to happen after the Pegulas took over was the Sabres getting hot and making the playoffs. Terry is a giant fan. So he committed to trying to win with Regier and Ruff. Only problem was that fans and media were prepared to execute them as soon as something went wrong. It was very toxic. 

 

We went from that toxic situation to the tank. Ruff gets fired but Regier stays. Toxic multiplied. It wasn't much different than what they did with the Bills later on. If you remember they kept Whaley and gave him an extension. They even kept him after hiring McDermott. Lucky for the Bills Beane was tied to McDermott. The Bills had a similar toxic environment but expectations were lower. 

 

The tank lasted 2+ years. I don't know who convinced who to tank. The Pegulas tried everything to attract top UFAs and traded players to Buffalo, they did land some decent players but not the big fish.  They decided the only way to get them was to draft them. So the tank started. Fans were all for it. Fans cheered losing. Media got involved in it. The GM was openly talking about tanking. We all loved it. But it was creating another toxic environment. We all were in on it. Then when Eichel came and couldn't carry the team the boo's started. Fans wanted a return on the tanking. A lot of angry fans. 

 

So yes the Pegulas deserve blame because they've been very impatient and made bad decisions. But there is such a toxic environment surrounding the Sabres that it's going to be hard to get out of. It will happen though because the Pegulas are committed to building a winning organization. But anyone hired is going to be on a short leash because of the environment at the moment. 

Sounds like you confuse the fans with the local media.  The fans did not hurt the teams culture.  Far from it.  Buffalo fans are Buffalo fans, they root for both teams with great passion.  The toxic environment you speak of was something that ownership fed and made 100 times worse. 
 

You don’t win in the NHL by signing expensive free agents.  You win by good drafting and developing players and being smart with the cap.  Unlike the NFL, this takes more time.  You add free agents to fill holes and you don’t overpay.  To attract the best and not overpay you need a winning culture.  
 

Pegula got lucky with McDermott and Beane.  He actually passed on McDermott once, listened to Russ Brandon, and hired Rex Ryan instead.  Prior to that the Bills were “toxic” too.  A 17 year playoff drought made the team irrelevant.  Players did not want to come here or stay here.  The ones that did cost us dearly.   McDermott and Beane changed the culture.  
 

The Pegula’s are fine people and great for the city.  The best they can do is find the right people to run their teams and step aside.  

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22 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

You know when do fans take some credit for the state of the Sabres? Chased out successful GM and coach. Cheered for a multiple year tank. Booed the team during the tank when they won. 

 

It was such poisonous atmosphere that basically the fans created. 

 

That said, the Pegulas were way too impatient. They'll get it right eventually, just like they did with the Bills. 

it's the fans fault the Sabres suck? We fired all the coaches and GMs all these years? The only fault of the fans was to continue to buy tickets. Now they are going to trade our best players. Is that our fault too? What a ridiculous comment

11 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Obviously the Pegulas have made mistakes. But the Sabres environment has been toxic from the start. I do believe the fans should take some of the blame, along with the media. After Terry Pegula's 1st press conference he held a Q and A with local media. Basically all the questions were about firing Regier and Ruff. It was embarrassing. 

 

Maybe the worst thing to happen after the Pegulas took over was the Sabres getting hot and making the playoffs. Terry is a giant fan. So he committed to trying to win with Regier and Ruff. Only problem was that fans and media were prepared to execute them as soon as something went wrong. It was very toxic. 

 

We went from that toxic situation to the tank. Ruff gets fired but Regier stays. Toxic multiplied. It wasn't much different than what they did with the Bills later on. If you remember they kept Whaley and gave him an extension. They even kept him after hiring McDermott. Lucky for the Bills Beane was tied to McDermott. The Bills had a similar toxic environment but expectations were lower. 

 

The tank lasted 2+ years. I don't know who convinced who to tank. The Pegulas tried everything to attract top UFAs and traded players to Buffalo, they did land some decent players but not the big fish.  They decided the only way to get them was to draft them. So the tank started. Fans were all for it. Fans cheered losing. Media got involved in it. The GM was openly talking about tanking. We all loved it. But it was creating another toxic environment. We all were in on it. Then when Eichel came and couldn't carry the team the boo's started. Fans wanted a return on the tanking. A lot of angry fans. 

 

So yes the Pegulas deserve blame because they've been very impatient and made bad decisions. But there is such a toxic environment surrounding the Sabres that it's going to be hard to get out of. It will happen though because the Pegulas are committed to building a winning organization. But anyone hired is going to be on a short leash because of the environment at the moment. 

we all didn't love the tanking and the Pegula's are partially responsible for the toxic environment

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