Buffalo Sabres and NHL 2022-2023

[Buffalo716]

On 2/1/2023 at 3:59 PM, Nextmanup said:

It feels like Dahlin has been around a long time because he has!  Dude was starting in the National league as an 18 year old, and has now played 325 games! 

 

What I get excited about is Owen Power, who is WAY ahead of Dahlin's development level at a similar stage, though the team he is working with is much better than the one Dahlin had and we have eternally better coaching now too.

 

 

 

 

I am hoping the building will be full tonight as it's the last game for quite a long time.

 

I have no idea why people living in WNY are still staying away from the building.

 

We have one of the most exciting teams in the league and play a wildly exciting brand of hockey.

 

Avoiding that place made all the sense in the world for the last decade, but not now!

 

Because people are hurting for money … There’s about 50% less people going out than there was pre-Covid

 

It’s clear to see when you’re around the city and downtown all day… Not as many people even go out

Edited February 2, 2023 by Buffalo716

[BADOLBILZ]

16 hours ago, Buffalo Super Fan said:

Horrible Buffalo Sabres loss tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes on TNT national television. The Buffalo Sabres week night attendance issues the Sabres organization are going to really have to give that some thought this offseason. Buffalo Sabres fans are treating week night games like Buffalo Bisons games. Meaning Buffalo fans only go on the weekends for Buffalo Bisons games for the most part. I wonder if the Buffalo Sabres need to look at going back to Sunday night games especially when the Buffalo Bills season is over because Buffalo just doesn’t go to week night games on work and school nights anymore. Also part of it is the economic realities of the limits of the Western New York market place. Sure Buffalo fans will pay more for the Buffalo Bills games but that money has to come from somewhere and it sure looks like it is at the expense of the Buffalo Sabres. I don’t buy the Sabres aren’t good excuse anymore nor do I buy that it is Key Bank Center is dirty fill in the blank excuse why Buffalo Sabres fans have stopped going to week night games. 
 

The same so called dirty Key Bank Center isn’t stopping Buffalo fans from going to Buffalo Bandits games. Buffalo fans just refuse to pay the Sabres prices for week night games anymore. It is a problem that the Sabres are going to have to look at. Again Sabres fans are asking a lot for the Sabres organization to max contract young Sabres players with as many empty Sabres seats on weekdays games at Key Bank Center not sold out. I think when the Buffalo Sabres get around to renovating Key Bank Center. I would go back to 16,500 max number of seats like Buffalo Memorial Auditorium days. There are too many seats for this market size and it’s economic constraints of today. I think the Buffalo Sabres financial losses are real and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if things don’t change by the end of this decade if this Sabres team could be potentially in Houston, Texas.
 

Houston is a growing market and too big not to have a NHL team. Terry Pegula is 71 years old and also once I believe lived in Houston, Texas. So could I see Houston Sabres by 2030 when Terry Pegula would be almost 80 years old if Buffalo Sabres attendance numbers don’t change? Yes I could because some NHL team is going to Houston by 2030. Phoenix, Florida, Ottawa, Columbus and Buffalo are the possible NHL moving candidates to Houston. I hope it’s not Buffalo but there are too many lower bowl seats at Key Bank Center empty I believe the Western New York business community dropped a lot of those high end lower bowl seats at Sabres games. Again I hope it doesn’t happen but as a Buffalo Sabres fan it could if things don’t change with Sabres attendance. Again I hope I am wrong in my opinion. Go Sabres! Let’s Go Buffalo 

 

 

You can not buy "the Sabres aren't good excuse anymore" all you want.........but they have been so bad for so long that a lot of fans aren't going to hurry back to see a fringy potential 1 and done playoff team.    Their poor performance drought dwarfs the Bills 17 year run of futility because it's hard not to be competitive in the NHL.     The Golden Knights enter the league and are quickly in the SCF.........the Kraken joined last year and are a top 10 team already and wipe their assiz with the Sabres every time they play.   The distrust turns to disinterest when you are as pathetic as the Sabres have been.  I know fans who used to drag me to mid-week games with them as recently as 5-6 years ago that aren't even back watching them on TV again yet.    

[Nextmanup]

16 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

You can not buy "the Sabres aren't good excuse anymore" all you want.........but they have been so bad for so long that a lot of fans aren't going to hurry back to see a fringy potential 1 and done playoff team.    Their poor performance drought dwarfs the Bills 17 year run of futility because it's hard not to be competitive in the NHL.     The Golden Knights enter the league and are quickly in the SCF.........the Kraken joined last year and are a top 10 team already and wipe their assiz with the Sabres every time they play.   The distrust turns to disinterest when you are as pathetic as the Sabres have been.  I know fans who used to drag me to mid-week games with them as recently as 5-6 years ago that aren't even back watching them on TV again yet.    

Sounds like your "Sabres fan friends" aren't really Sabres fans.

 

Which is perfectly fine!  But I think almost everyone actually interested in NHL hockey and the Sabres are back and have been so for a long time.  Some of us never left, as ugly as it was! 

 

 

17 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

Because people are hurting for money … There’s about 50% less people going out than there was pre-Covid

 

It’s clear to see when you’re around the city and downtown all day… Not as many people even go out

Downtown Buffalo was a ghost town at noon on work days when I was down there wandering around every day working in the mid '90s.  And it was nothing new then.

 

WNY is a community of little rural towns and suburbs.

 

Amherst has been bigger than Buffalo for a long time.

 

I'm sure some are hurting, others are not; I don't think it's a money problem.  It's an interest problem and a trust problem.

 

Pegula has been the most inept owner in the NHL for a very long time and that has done a lot of damage.

 

 

 

[May Day 10]

On 2/2/2023 at 1:59 AM, Buffalo Super Fan said:

Buffalo fans just refuse to pay the Sabres prices for week night games anymore. It is a problem that the Sabres are going to have to look at. 

 

This is the biggest factor IMO.

 

The team fell into an artificial demand trap.  Golisano slashed STH pricing at the perfect time.  The team went on 2 deep runs and the ticket pricing was a huge value.  In 2007 they sold out of STH because you could literally sell only the Leafs games and finance the rest of the season.

 

They slowly but surely (some increases were somewhat aggressive) increased the pricing.  People did not want to miss out as there was a 2-5K person waiting list for season tickets, and the box-office pricing was oppressive.  There was a FOMO for the STH.

 

People were ready to start bailing at a few junctures, but there were massive moments and the STH continued with FOMO.  First was when Pegula bought the team.  People were fed up with status quo and he came in promising resources we never were able to enjoy.  Huge hooplah.  Then, people got sick of it again with Regier/Ruff and we had the master plan of getting McDavid and building a Chicago/Pittsburgh type dynasty.  Eichel came along, with a few other splashes and we were energized.  People got sick of it, then the promise of Eichel and Dahlin.... cant miss!  However, this last juncture, there was no hope left to sell.  Just before Covid, STH finally started to bail and it was clear the STH waiting list were electing NOT to buy season tickets.  

 

All along, the Sabres aggressively increased the pricing based on a sold out STH base.  Once that bubble burst, it is a huge challenge to get it back at these prices in this area.  Ticket prices are actually higher here in many price levels than they are in many large markets, including teams who have won recent Stanley Cups.

 

 

I think the Sabres need to slash pricing, at least in some categories to get the base built, fill the building, make it fun, then build on that, again increase pricing.... and this time, act like they value their STH (I bailed in 2019 due to being neglected since Ted Black was sent packing for that snake Russ Brandon, I returned this season and it is a completely different animal).

 

 

 

 

[May Day 10]

17 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

Sounds like your "Sabres fan friends" aren't really Sabres fans.

 

Which is perfectly fine!  But I think almost everyone actually interested in NHL hockey and the Sabres are back and have been so for a long time.  Some of us never left, as ugly as it was! 

 

 

I strongly disagree with this.  

I probably watched about 98% of every minute of every Sabres game from about 1987-maybe 2013.  Win or lose, bankruptcy, even eliminated from the playoffs.  Long time multiple-decade season ticket holder too.

 

There was a time that it was not worth it to watch anymore.  Through the slog of some of the end of the Ruff/Regier era.  Boring uncompetitive hockey, and then the tank.  Why bother.  I began to miss a lot of games, and I didn't miss watching...  Mind you, this coincided with having kids too.  In the Phil Housley and Kruger time, I think I missed entire seasons other than attending a few games.  I was a very early adopter of knowing who Jack Eichel really is and it bled into the entire organization, and no manager knew how to handle it or step up to him. 

 

The 3-hour time commitment of watching an irrelevant hockey team in an irrelevant game where nothing interesting will happen just wasn't worth it.  Going to the game was even worse, even for free and I got rid of my season tickets. 

 

 

I like this team and direction, however, it is still hard for me to get back into that habit of watching entire games 82 times at 3 hours/pop.  I have issues with the NHL product as a whole too.  I tend to follow how they are doing on the ESPN app... and if its close in the 3rd I will tune in.  I have been to about 6 games this season (and also jumped in as a STH because a great location was available and the Sabres wined and dined me)

Edited February 3, 2023 by May Day 10

[BADOLBILZ]

6 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

Sounds like your "Sabres fan friends" aren't really Sabres fans.

 

Which is perfectly fine!  But I think almost everyone actually interested in NHL hockey and the Sabres are back and have been so for a long time.  Some of us never left, as ugly as it was! 

 

 

Downtown Buffalo was a ghost town at noon on work days when I was down there wandering around every day working in the mid '90s.  And it was nothing new then.

 

WNY is a community of little rural towns and suburbs.

 

Amherst has been bigger than Buffalo for a long time.

 

I'm sure some are hurting, others are not; I don't think it's a money problem.  It's an interest problem and a trust problem.

 

Pegula has been the most inept owner in the NHL for a very long time and that has done a lot of damage.

 

 

 

 

 

Well you are wrong about that.    A lot of people aren't bought back in yet..........and if you think anyone outside of a 25 mile radius of the arena takes issue with being called not a "real" Sabres fan........they do not.    The Sabres are still in easily the worst stretch of hockey in NHL history.   They are again on the outside of the playoffs looking in at this point and have a difficult schedule.   So I am not surprised when I walk into a sports themed restaurant/bar an hour from the arena and the Sabres game is not on anywhere.   They have been a complete embarrassment to their fans and WNY in general and as such are largely irrelevant still.   But you aren't here and going to games either so I guess you wouldn't know.    You are a New England sports fan first and foremost.   If you think having your co-favorite team be the Bruins doesn't keep you from being a "real" Sabres fan.......well, I disagree. 😆   

[PromoTheRobot]

58 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

 

Pegula has been the most inept owner in the NHL for a very long time and that has done a lot of damage.

 

 

 

 

He has competition in Vancouver for that honor.

 

I worry about the Sabres long term prospects if attendance doesn't pick up. Economic hardship is a real factor but there are half a dozen cities an NHL team could thrive in. I never take either the Bills or Sabres for granted staying in WNY.

 

What's it like for Canadians crossing the border for games these days? The Sabres rely on that Canadian fanbase even more than the Bills. They need fans from the Niagara Peninsula to cross and go to games, especially midweek.

[Jauronimo]

11 minutes ago, May Day 10 said:

 

I strongly disagree with this.  

I probably watched about 98% of every minute of every Sabres game from about 1987-maybe 2013.  Win or lose, bankruptcy, even eliminated from the playoffs.  Long time multiple-decade season ticket holder too.

 

There was a time that it was not worth it to watch anymore.  Through the slog of some of the end of the Ruff/Regier era.  Boring uncompetitive hockey, and then the tank.  Why bother.  I began to miss a lot of games, and I didn't miss watching...  Mind you, this coincided with having kids too.  In the Phil Housley and Kruger time, I think I missed entire seasons other than attending a few games.  I was a very early adopter of knowing who Jack Eichel really is and it bled into the entire organization, and no manager knew how to handle it or step up to him. 

 

The 3-hour time commitment of watching an irrelevant hockey team in an irrelevant game where nothing interesting will happen just wasn't worth it.  Going to the game was even worse, even for free and I got rid of my season tickets. 

 

 

I like this team and direction, however, it is still hard for me to get back into that habit of watching entire games 82 times at 3 hours/pop.  I have issues with the NHL product as a whole too.  I tend to follow how they are doing on the ESPN app... and if its close in the 3rd I will tune in.  I have been to about 6 games this season (and also jumped in as a STH because a great location was available and the Sabres wined and dined me)

Watching even 90% of an NHL season is an incredible commitment.  I don't know how you ever did that.  

 

I took a few years off of watching anything other than playoff hockey.  6PM puck drops here in the CST, work, and a social life was not conducive to watching a ton of puck.  I bought into the Dahlin hype and sprung for the NHL package in 2018 after the Sabres were the November Eastern Conference Champs riding a 10 game heater.  Even those games were tough to watch but I thought maybe I was just out of practice on what regular season NHL play looked like. As everyone remembers, the boring hockey continued but the winning stopped and a month later the games were unbearable to watch.  I pledged to watch more hockey each season but the same pattern occurred and I was tuned out before the All Star break.

 

Being a real fan doesn't mean I need to commit to watching the sporting equivalent of paint drying 50 times a year. 

 

Last year, the team still managed to lose a ton but I found myself actually wanting to watch them play and that has continued into this year.  Unfortunately they like to lose when I watch as I witnessed every single second of that 10 game slide early in the year and they got hot as I was out of the country but I'm sticking with it.  Just not on most Friday and Saturday nights.

[Simon]

18 minutes ago, Jauronimo said:

they like to lose when I watch as I witnessed every single second of that 10 game slide early in the year and they got hot as I was out of the country

Are you setting us up to GoFund your next trip abroad?

[Jauronimo]

1 minute ago, Simon said:

Are you setting us up to GoFund your next trip abroad?

If we are in the hunt in March and I need to go back to Bali to get us into the playoffs, its a sacrifice I'm willing to make.  Pass the collection plate and dig deep brothers and sisters!  

[US Egg]

2 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

Pegula has been the most inept owner in the NHL for a very long time and that has done a lot of damage.

Think the fanboy in him clouded his vision out of the gate as new owner of a Thomas Vanek led team, Vanek was never a leader.

 

Pegula’s keep trying but it’s been a mess too long. This season has some twinkle and awaken some longtime slumbering fans.

[Buffalo716]

2 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

Sounds like your "Sabres fan friends" aren't really Sabres fans.

 

Which is perfectly fine!  But I think almost everyone actually interested in NHL hockey and the Sabres are back and have been so for a long time.  Some of us never left, as ugly as it was! 

 

 

Downtown Buffalo was a ghost town at noon on work days when I was down there wandering around every day working in the mid '90s.  And it was nothing new then.

 

WNY is a community of little rural towns and suburbs.

 

Amherst has been bigger than Buffalo for a long time.

 

I'm sure some are hurting, others are not; I don't think it's a money problem.  It's an interest problem and a trust problem.

 

Pegula has been the most inept owner in the NHL for a very long time and that has done a lot of damage.

 

 

 

Downtown Buffalo is a ghost town at noon on workdays because most people are working 

 

Downtown livens up more at night … Especially sheas district and elmwood and Allentown… even parts of west side and south Buffalo are nite places

 

Also Amherst is not bigger than Buffalo… You can take the population of Amherst Cheektowaga and Lancaster And the city of Buffalo still has a larger population

 

And I know economics Is not a straight line thing… Some people are doing better than others

 

But A lot of people in the city of Buffalo are really struggling for money… It has the highest child poverty rate in the country

 

And the Buffalo Sabres fans are all not suburbanites… Lots of city fans… Hence buffalo in the Sabres part… They do represent the city

 

 

 

Edited February 3, 2023 by Buffalo716

[Johnny Hammersticks]

We got 4 tickets 2 rows up in 308 for ~$220 for the 2/11 Calgary game.  Those same seats at TD Garden would be around $525-550 easy for a Saturday night game.  Sabres tix are still a very good deal.

[PromoTheRobot]

5 hours ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

We got 4 tickets 2 rows up in 308 for ~$220 for the 2/11 Calgary game.  Those same seats at TD Garden would be around $525-550 easy for a Saturday night game.  Sabres tix are still a very good deal.

 

You'd never know reading Twitter. 

[Jrb1979]

On 2/3/2023 at 12:25 PM, PromoTheRobot said:

 

He has competition in Vancouver for that honor.

 

I worry about the Sabres long term prospects if attendance doesn't pick up. Economic hardship is a real factor but there are half a dozen cities an NHL team could thrive in. I never take either the Bills or Sabres for granted staying in WNY.

 

What's it like for Canadians crossing the border for games these days? The Sabres rely on that Canadian fanbase even more than the Bills. They need fans from the Niagara Peninsula to cross and go to games, especially midweek.

It's back to the way it used to be in terms of crossing the border. 

 

I've been to 2 games this season already and likely going to the Calgary game next Saturday. I never expected playoffs this season but to be in the mix til the end of the season. They are fun to watch. Was hoping now that the Bills are done the Sabres would get more focus. I'm not just talking about here but even media coverage. 

[BillsFan4]

That all star skills competition was so stupid. I was cringing half the night.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

5 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

That all star skills competition was so stupid. I was cringing half the night.

Most of it was very dumb, yes.  The shootout thing was brutal.  I was waiting for the Nickelodeon slime to start spraying everywhere.

[DD4Bills]

Am in Dallas this week and went to the Stars-Ducks game last night...had this "no goal" atrocity of a banner to look at all night.

 

 

[Draconator]

Sabres extend Cozens

 

 

[Bray Wyatt]

36 minutes ago, Draconator said:

Sabres extend Cozens

 

 

 

He has been really good and should only be getting better, one of my faves on the team so glad they locked him in

[BillsFan4]

Hopefully he has a similar breakout to Thompson and we are saying this contract looks like a steal in a year or two!

[shrader]

1 hour ago, BillsFan4 said:

Hopefully he has a similar breakout to Thompson and we are saying this contract looks like a steal in a year or two!

 

It's scaled back a bit, but isn't he in the middle of that breakout already?  Just like Thompson he's already topped his career highs.

[BillsFan4]

5 hours ago, shrader said:

 

It's scaled back a bit, but isn't he in the middle of that breakout already?  Just like Thompson he's already topped his career highs.

yes, i'd say he's really starting to come into his own this season. I just meant hopefully he will outperform his contract like thompson (already) has, to the point where it looks like a steal.

 

Cozens is playing good hockey and i'm happy with this deal. But i wouldn't call it a steal. Yet. Though i do have confidence it will be in time.

 

 

[Buffalo Super Fan]

On 2/3/2023 at 2:04 PM, Buffalo716 said:

Downtown Buffalo is a ghost town at noon on workdays because most people are working 

 

Downtown livens up more at night … Especially sheas district and elmwood and Allentown… even parts of west side and south Buffalo are nite places

 

Also Amherst is not bigger than Buffalo… You can take the population of Amherst Cheektowaga and Lancaster And the city of Buffalo still has a larger population

 

And I know economics Is not a straight line thing… Some people are doing better than others

 

But A lot of people in the city of Buffalo are really struggling for money… It has the highest child poverty rate in the country

 

And the Buffalo Sabres fans are all not suburbanites… Lots of city fans… Hence buffalo in the Sabres part… They do represent the city

 

 

 

City of Buffalo has a larger population than Amherst but less buying power than in the past that is a problem with downtown sports in Buffalo. Amherst has UB and UB Bulls athletics and the Western New York suburbs have the money the city doesn’t as in the past hence why no Buffalo Bills city stadium built. All I will say is look at the old Buffalo Bills, Sabres, Braves, Bisons, UB Bulls, Bonnies, Griffs and Purple Eagles programs, media guides they tell the sad truth the city of Buffalo I grew up with is gone economically today. Again if one is young you don’t know any better than today’s City of Buffalo which is fine. If you are over 50 years old there is a pretty good likelihood you are a hardcore local college basketball fan under 50 years old probably not. If you are over 50 years old you probably are a hardcore Buffalo Bisons fan there is a major fan change not for the better today in Buffalo it is because Buffalo is poor unfortunately today they can barely afford the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres never mind anything else sports wise.
 

I get it Buffalo fans are going to make excuses instead of just telling it like it is Buffalo is too poor even to go to all the Buffalo Sabres games anymore which is sad. The difference with BSF is I tell it like it is from observation of Buffalo sports for 48 years and counting as a 55 year old. That New Buffalo Bills Stadium in Orchard Park again screams the city of Buffalo is too broke to build a huge sports stadium like that. I question if the Buffalo Sabres stay in Buffalo. I don’t see renovations because the money to make that work money numbers wise isn’t there. The Buffalo Sabres attendance is lower than 1996, college basketball is gone today at downtown Buffalo compared to Buffalo AUD days and the Buffalo Bandits attendance is lower that doesn’t say renovations or building a new arena sadly from a sports business perspective I don’t see it unless things really change in the next 5 to 10 years in my opinion. Let’s Go Buffalo 

Edited February 8, 2023 by Buffalo Super Fan

[Buffalo716]

4 hours ago, Buffalo Super Fan said:

City of Buffalo has a larger population than Amherst but less buying power than in the past that is a problem with downtown sports in Buffalo. Amherst has UB and UB Bulls athletics and the Western New York suburbs have the money the city doesn’t as in the past hence why no Buffalo Bills city stadium built. All I will say is look at the old Buffalo Bills, Sabres, Braves, Bisons, UB Bulls, Bonnies, Griffs and Purple Eagles programs, media guides they tell the sad truth the city of Buffalo I grew up with is gone economically today. Again if one is young you don’t know any better than today’s City of Buffalo which is fine. If you are over 50 years old there is a pretty good likelihood you are a hardcore local college basketball fan under 50 years old probably not. If you are over 50 years old you probably are a hardcore Buffalo Bisons fan there is a major fan change not for the better today in Buffalo it is because Buffalo is poor unfortunately today they can barely afford the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres never mind anything else sports wise.
 

I get it Buffalo fans are going to make excuses instead of just telling it like it is Buffalo is too poor even to go to all the Buffalo Sabres games anymore which is sad. The difference with BSF is I tell it like it is from observation of Buffalo sports for 48 years and counting as a 55 year old. That New Buffalo Bills Stadium in Orchard Park again screams the city of Buffalo is too broke to build a huge sports stadium like that. I question if the Buffalo Sabres stay in Buffalo. I don’t see renovations because the money to make that work money numbers wise isn’t there. The Buffalo Sabres attendance is lower than 1996, college basketball is gone today at downtown Buffalo compared to Buffalo AUD days and the Buffalo Bandits attendance is lower that doesn’t say renovations or building a new arena sadly from a sports business perspective I don’t see it unless things really change in the next 5 to 10 years in my opinion. Let’s Go Buffalo 

You wrote a lot as usual and I can’t respond to everything… But as a lifelong resident of Buffalo and WNY …

 

I will say you are really off the mark

 

There is no Buffalo Bill Stadium in downtown Buffalo not just because of economics …. But because there’s a lot more room in the suburbs.. more tailgating room… they looked at city plans… and yes it’s cheaper , so what

 

It takes an hour to leave the game in wide-open Orchard Park… It would take three or four hours to get out of a downtown stadium

 

It’s called planning and logistics

 

And last I checked it’s still the University at Buffalo… Not the university at Amherst 

 

And there is a city campus

 

If everybody loved the city that much why did everybody leave to Orchard Park and Amherst and Williamsville?

 

And There are plenty of 60 and 70 year old Buffalo sports fans… Who have witnessed everything from the afl to the nfl to the braves to the Sabres and bisons and everything in between 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 8, 2023 by Buffalo716

[QCity]

5 hours ago, Buffalo Super Fan said:

I get it Buffalo fans are going to make excuses instead of just telling it like it is Buffalo is too poor even to go to all the Buffalo Sabres games anymore which is sad. The difference with BSF is I tell it like it is from observation of Buffalo sports for 48 years and counting as a 55 year old. That New Buffalo Bills Stadium in Orchard Park again screams the city of Buffalo is too broke to build a huge sports stadium like that. I question if the Buffalo Sabres stay in Buffalo. I don’t see renovations because the money to make that work money numbers wise isn’t there. The Buffalo Sabres attendance is lower than 1996, college basketball is gone today at downtown Buffalo compared to Buffalo AUD days and the Buffalo Bandits attendance is lower that doesn’t say renovations or building a new arena sadly from a sports business perspective I don’t see it unless things really change in the next 5 to 10 years in my opinion. Let’s Go Buffalo 

 

If only the first ward of Buffalo came up with some more money. Would have been a dream stadium. Alas, what could have been.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 8, 2023 by QCity

[BillsFan4]

11 hours ago, Buffalo Super Fan said:

City of Buffalo has a larger population than Amherst but less buying power than in the past that is a problem with downtown sports in Buffalo. Amherst has UB and UB Bulls athletics and the Western New York suburbs have the money the city doesn’t as in the past hence why no Buffalo Bills city stadium built. All I will say is look at the old Buffalo Bills, Sabres, Braves, Bisons, UB Bulls, Bonnies, Griffs and Purple Eagles programs, media guides they tell the sad truth the city of Buffalo I grew up with is gone economically today. Again if one is young you don’t know any better than today’s City of Buffalo which is fine. If you are over 50 years old there is a pretty good likelihood you are a hardcore local college basketball fan under 50 years old probably not. If you are over 50 years old you probably are a hardcore Buffalo Bisons fan there is a major fan change not for the better today in Buffalo it is because Buffalo is poor unfortunately today they can barely afford the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres never mind anything else sports wise.
 

I get it Buffalo fans are going to make excuses instead of just telling it like it is Buffalo is too poor even to go to all the Buffalo Sabres games anymore which is sad. The difference with BSF is I tell it like it is from observation of Buffalo sports for 48 years and counting as a 55 year old. That New Buffalo Bills Stadium in Orchard Park again screams the city of Buffalo is too broke to build a huge sports stadium like that. I question if the Buffalo Sabres stay in Buffalo. I don’t see renovations because the money to make that work money numbers wise isn’t there. The Buffalo Sabres attendance is lower than 1996, college basketball is gone today at downtown Buffalo compared to Buffalo AUD days and the Buffalo Bandits attendance is lower that doesn’t say renovations or building a new arena sadly from a sports business perspective I don’t see it unless things really change in the next 5 to 10 years in my opinion. Let’s Go Buffalo 

New York State is (mostly) paying for the Bills stadium. It has nothing to do with the city of Buffalo having the money. It was the logistics of putting a stadium downtown and everything that would have needed to be done. Plus the Pegulas wanted it in orchard park near their current facilities (which they will continue to use).

 

As far as Buffalo being broke as the reason for Sabres attendance that is not the case. Bills games cost more and were sold out all season long. It’s mostly the same fan base. 

 

The location of the stadium has nothing to do with the fan base. You are acting like the fan base is only the residents that live near the stadium or arena and that isn’t the case. Sabres fans stretch all across western NY and Canada. A big chunk of the Sabres fan base is in Canada.

 

The reason for poor Sabres attendance still has to do with how bad the team was for so long. Fans are slowly starting to come back but there are still an awful lot of fans that just scoreboard watch at most.

 

You know when the Sabres fan base will come pouring back? If/when the Sabres make the playoffs. Hopefully it happens this year!!

Edited February 8, 2023 by BillsFan4

[Jrb1979]

1 hour ago, BillsFan4 said:

New York State is (mostly) paying for the Bills stadium. It has nothing to do with the city of Buffalo having the money. It was the logistics of putting a stadium downtown and everything that would have needed to be done. Plus the Pegulas wanted it in orchard park near their current facilities (which they will continue to use).

 

As far as Buffalo being broke as the reason for Sabres attendance that is not the case. Bills games cost more and were sold out all season long. It’s mostly the same fan base. 

 

The location of the stadium has nothing to do with the fan base. You are acting like the fan base is only the residents that live near the stadium or arena and that isn’t the case. Sabres fans stretch all across western NY and Canada. A big chunk of the Sabres fan base is in Canada.

 

The reason for poor Sabres attendance still has to do with how bad the team was for so long. Fans are slowly starting to come back but there are still an awful lot of fans that just scoreboard watch at most.

 

You know when the Sabres fan base will come pouring back? If/when the Sabres make the playoffs. Hopefully it happens this year!!

I have no issue with where the stadium is. My issue is that its just a modern update to Highmark stadium. All these other teams are building these state of the art stadiums and Buffalo stays minor league. I'm not saying make it a dome but make it on the level of the 49ers stadium at least.  

 

As far as the Sabres go, one thing that would help them in drawing people is the media actually covering them. It drives me nuts that now that the Bills season is over, the Sabres don't get more coverage. 

[PromoTheRobot]

On 2/8/2023 at 1:06 PM, Jrb1979 said:

I have no issue with where the stadium is. My issue is that its just a modern update to Highmark stadium. All these other teams are building these state of the art stadiums and Buffalo stays minor league. I'm not saying make it a dome but make it on the level of the 49ers stadium at least.  

 

As far as the Sabres go, one thing that would help them in drawing people is the media actually covering them. It drives me nuts that now that the Bills season is over, the Sabres don't get more coverage. 

 

The Sabres are in a bye week so that may be why. Season restarts Saturday.

 

[UConn James]

Ugh. Up 2-0 after one, then UPL turns into Swiss cheese.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

49 minutes ago, UConn James said:

Ugh. Up 2-0 after one, then UPL turns into Swiss cheese.

I was at the game.   The whole team gave up after the first period. Jack Quinn was particularly brutal.  Whole team was s**t though.

[T&C]

I'm trying to get into the Sabres again but dam.

[Simon]

1 hour ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

I was at the game.   The whole team gave up after the first period. Jack Quinn was particularly brutal.  Whole team was s**t though.

 

If you'd have had mushrooms in your omelet, you wouldn't have cared as much and would still be carousing bars enjoying funky neon right now. 🤷‍♂️

[BillsFan4]

Well, that was obviously not what we were hoping to see in their first game coming off break, especially with other teams right in front of Buffalo in the playoff race winning today. Hopefully it was just rust. I'm sure some of it was. But it also looked like they had trouble dealing with Calgary once they turned it up in the 2nd. Buffalo had a good 1st. They were overwhelming Calgary with their speed. But then Calgary pushed back in the 2nd and it didn't go well for Buffalo.

 

That's what they should expect from teams down this stretch. Now is when the games get tougher. Veteran teams know what it takes to stay in a playoff spot. I just hope they can at least stay in the playoff race. They can't crumble down the stretch like every other season if they want to consider this season a success. I'm hopeful they won't!

[PromoTheRobot]

9 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

Well, that was obviously not what we were hoping to see in their first game coming off break, especially with other teams right in front of Buffalo in the playoff race winning today. Hopefully it was just rust. I'm sure some of it was. But it also looked like they had trouble dealing with Calgary once they turned it up in the 2nd. Buffalo had a good 1st. They were overwhelming Calgary with their speed. But then Calgary pushed back in the 2nd and it didn't go well for Buffalo.

 

That's what they should expect from teams down this stretch. Now is when the games get tougher. Veteran teams know what it takes to stay in a playoff spot. I just hope they can at least stay in the playoff race. They can't crumble down the stretch like every other season if they want to consider this season a success. I'm hopeful they won't!

 

Calgary was three games off their bye. It was the Sabres first. Not everyone is at their best coming off a vacation.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

4 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

Calgary was three games off their bye. It was the Sabres first. Not everyone is at their best coming off a vacation.

I was talking to my son as we were on our way to the game.  Buffalo playing an early Sat afternoon game, after a 10 game layoff, right before a 3 game west coast road trip.  It didn’t feel like a recipe for a good Sabres effort.  Frankly, they looked flat and disinterested.  It was weird.

[CountDorkula]

On 2/12/2023 at 9:25 AM, PromoTheRobot said:

 

Calgary was three games off their bye. It was the Sabres first. Not everyone is at their best coming off a vacation.

I’m sorry but these excuses are getting old. 
 

 

the Carolina game was “well it was the last game before break”

 

Calgary game was “well it was the first game back after a break” 

 

the game last night was “well it was the first game of a west coast trip and they need to find their legs after travel”

 

 

how about sack up and win a damn game. They arnt just losing either. They are getting their faces stomped in. 

[BillsPride12]

24 minutes ago, CountDorkula said:

I’m sorry but these excuses are getting old. 
 

 

the Carolina game was “well it was the last game before break”

 

Calgary game was “well it was the first game back after a break” 

 

the game last night was “well it was the first game of a west coast trip and they need to find their legs after travel”

 

 

how about sack up and win a damn game. They arnt just losing either. They are getting their faces stomped in. 

Agreed.  There's no excuses to lose 4 straight games when you are in the playoff hunt.  They are pissing on their own leg at this point.  But I'm glad I was sleeping during the game last night.  

[Fleezoid]

Every time they bring me back in..........thud!

 

I feel like Charlie Brown with Lucy holding the ball.

[BillsFan4]

I’m not going to overreact to 2 bad games, but I’d by lying if I said it doesn’t concern me and give me some flashbacks to all the collapses down the stretch.

 

I thought it was the same story again last night as it was on Saturday. It looked like they couldn’t handle the intensity of a team pushing for the playoffs.

 

and way too many breakdowns in the D zone. Yikes. They gotta clean that **** up quick.

 

Lets hope they can get back in the win column tomorrow. No excuses against Anaheim. That’s a game they have to win!

 

https://www.nhl.com/standings/2022/division

 

they have to get back on track quick if they want to stay in the playoff race.