Sabre fandom: who, what, when, how and why?

[bunomatic]

It was 1975 for me and I was 10. Played minor hockey and wore #11. Loved the french connection and everything sabres. My younger brother was an isles fan. I liked Led Zeppelin , he liked AC/DC. You get the picture. Been hooked ever since. This last oh decade has been real hard to carry on with the love. The years keep slipping by and nothing seems to change. But I’m always hopefull.

[dudacek]

Had two junior hockey-playing uncles (Wings and Leafs fans, respectively) I idolized as a little guy who were rooting hard for this upstart team to beat their hated Flyers and Habs in 75. They had swords, and a Buffalo and this number 11 who was like a magician. I took down my Bobby Orr poster, jumped on the Bandwagon and never left.

Gil was my idol as a little guy, but the player I appreciated most as an adult was Mike Peca. You might be bigger and faster but he wasn’t going to let you beat him, ever. When my girls were little I’d read them The Hockey Sweater and substitute Peca and the Sabres for Richard and the Habs. And I always appreciated the thoughtful, focused way Ryan Miller approached the game and his role as his team’s protector.

In terms of losing it in the moment, it would have to be Mayday, for reasons weave eloquently states up-thread. Pominvilles goal left me with this warm, longer-lasting euphoria, as for maybe the first time in my life I thought we were good enough to win it all. And, maybe because it’s recent, winning the Dahlin lottery really sent a jolt. We actually won. The Sabres never win anything.

I had a surprising lack of frustration in the wake of no-goal; It was kinda an out-of-body thing where I was very detached and analytical. I think I always expected that run to end and had emotionally conditioned myself for it. The first 20 games of 86-87 were a very low point for me that no one ever talks about. The team was awful. That had never been true before in my fandom. Worse, the smugness I had carried through my teenage years about how Bowman and his high picks were going to lead us to the promised land took a well-deserved punch to the jaw. And Perreault retired.

As for fixing the team, I’ve written plenty in the other threads. I don’t think the team is doomed under the Pegulas, they just have to hire the right people and let them do their jobs.

Edited July 9, 2020 by dudacek

[chileanseabass]

19 hours ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

CSB sighting!!

Hello, CSB, how are you doing?

I'm here, alive, healthy.  Can't say much else is going well, but I'll focus on the positives ? 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

3 minutes ago, chileanseabass said:

I'm here, alive, healthy.  Can't say much else is going well, but I'll focus on the positives ? 

Right now healthy is most important.  Sorry for all the other not so good stuff.  If it makes you feel any better, you are not alone in that.  Take care, eh.

[shrader]

It must be nice being able to say when you became a fan.  The only answer I can come up with is at birth.

[Stoner]

Danny Gare, in the corner, with a slide, in 1975 — why? I'm pretty sure it's because my mom liked Irv, Rick and Tom and the Sabres were on Channel 7 then. Film at 11, smoke-eating SabreSpacers.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

1 minute ago, PASabreFan said:

Danny Gare, in the corner, with a slide, in 1975 — why? I'm pretty sure it's because my mom liked Irv, Rick and Tom and the Sabres were on Channel 7 then. Film at 11, smoke-eating SabreSpacers.

 

[Hawerchuk]

• When and how did you become a fan? 1980, my uncle had season tix at the AUD for 15 years. 1st row red in the corner. My dad took me to a game and Bob Sauve was in net. Hooked ever since. I was 7 years old.
• Who is your all-time favourite Sabre and why? #16 Pat Lafonatine. Amazing leader, an assist machine and one hell of a player/person. My 1a would be Mike Peca. Guy was a rock and hit like a Mack Truck. Great leader too. Loved when he dropped Ty Domi coming out of the penalty box!!
• Most exciting moments as a fan? Most frustrating? 1. Running down to the area where the Zamboni came out (at The AUD) and seeing all the players walk out onto the ice. Saw all the Oilers in the 80's (Gretzky, Messier, Fuhr... etc). 2. The '92-'93 season. Everygame I went to Mogilny had a hattrick. He was amazing. 3. Rob Ray pounding the hell out of Claude Lemieux. He was on NJ at the time but I forget the year. 4. Pommer winning it in Oooooooovertime to eliminate OTTAWA! Most Frustrating: Trading Hasek for friggin Kozlov and watching The Dominator win a Cup with The Wings. BRUTAL!! Honorable mention. Not resigning Danny Briere and Chris Drury! SO STUPID!!
• How would you improve the current team? Get a real 2C. More veterans with some grit are sorely needed. Need two top 6 wingers ASAP.

Edited July 9, 2020 by Hawerchuk

[Marvin]

44 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Danny Gare, in the corner, with a slide, in 1975 — why? I'm pretty sure it's because my mom liked Irv, Rick and Tom and the Sabres were on Channel 7 then. Film at 11, smoke-eating SabreSpacers.

Do you know where your children are? ?

Fun fact: Jim Carrey credits his portrayal of Bruce Nolan from "Bruce Almightly" on Don Polec.  Don Polec said that this is closest he gets to immortality.

[Stoner]

1 hour ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

 

That's about as good a sequence of camera work, directing, play by play and commentary as you'll see. Faceoffs matter.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

8 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

That's about as good a sequence of camera work, directing, play by play and commentary as you'll see. Faceoffs matter.

Not too mention the play that led directly to that faceoff ... Schoeny freezing the puck with his hand behind the Sabres net, just after Richard missed by inches from winning it for the Habs.

[Stoner]

Luce getting tossed had the same body language as Eichel not to mention the hair.

[mphs mike]

7 hours ago, nucci said:

My dad and older siblings went to Bisons games at the Aud. 1st Sabre game Dec 1970 in the grey seats

I attended a couple Bison games with Dad. In the fall '70 I couldn't believe the Sabres didn't get to keep Guy Trottier, Gille Villemure and others!

My first Sabres game was in the spring of 71 - Bert scored against the Blues to break the rookie goal record, which he held for a year thanks to Rico. 

[mphs mike]

1 hour ago, PASabreFan said:

That's about as good a sequence of camera work, directing, play by play and commentary as you'll see. Faceoffs matter.

I still remember watching that game live. All 3 forwards headed up ice with the puck after winning the draw

[Tondas]

A fan since 1970.  Day 1.

Gil Perreault was my favorite player.  He skated like no one before him.  Effortless, his side-to-side agility was amazing.  Electrifying. every time he had the puck.

Most memorable moment is when Rene Robert scored against Bernie Parent in the fog game in 1975.  The windows were open at my home and I could hear screams from the entire neighborhood.  

Most frustration was the staph infection game against the Hurricanes.

How to fix the team:  Pegulas, hire an experienced VP of Hockey Operations (Dudley, Lombardi, Burke, Holland, don't really care) and GTFO of the way.

[PromoTheRobot]

I got hooked on hockey in '68 with the AHL Bisons. (I could never understand why WGR broadcasts started in the 2nd period?) Went to my first live game in '69. Once the Sabres replaced them I kept going.

 

[gilbert11]

Was there as a 12-year old when Sabres franchise began.

All-time favorite-  Perreault- he was so exciting to watch

Most exciting moments- 1st Sabres game, making Stanley Cup Finals in franchise’s 5th season, watching French Connection

Most frustrating- two Stanley Cup Final losses,  losing in Conference Finals after winning President’s trophy

Improve current team- add toughness, extensive winning/playoff experience,  top goaltender

[ubkev]

Early 90s. I started collecting cards of all sorts in all sports. I'm a Bills fan because my father is a Bills fan. Same with the Knicks, Yankees and the Orange. But Pops is a Ranger fan. I asked him one day why he likes the Rangers and not the Sabres. I couldn't figure it out. He doesn't like the Giants or the Jets. He likes the Bills, why not the Sabres? He told me "Kev, the Sabres weren't even a team until I was 18 years old. I've been rooting for the Rangers for too long to change teams and besides Messier is gonna bring us a cup soon!" (He was right, *****!) So I decided that I was gonna be different and root for both Buffalo teams. Dad said "good luck! And That new Russian kid they got might be good."

Favorite Player: Mogilny

Moment: I turned 21 in April of 06. Times were very good for a whole lot of reasons. And then our entire defense got snapped out of existence. But it was a very fun run. And a very fun time in my life.

[Broken Ankles]

22 hours ago, Indabuff said:

Polish Catholic from Cheektowaga.  I'm fairly certain at a very young age I was told by some old guy (likely nicknamed "Stosh") at some hole-in-the-wall tavern on Broadway that my parents used to go to that not being a fan was sacrilegious and could result in excommunication.

 If I'm not mistaken that same gentleman tried to convince me that eating one of the pickled eggs in the jar with the murky liquid sitting on the bar would put hair on my chest.  

This is F*cking Hilarious. I knew a Stosh or two when I lived in Buffalo. 

Edited July 10, 2020 by Broken Ankles

[Tondas]

2 hours ago, Broken Ankles said:

This is F*cking Hilarious. I knew a Stosh or two when I lived in Buffalo. 

Me too!  All the Stanley's I knew were nicknamed Stosh.  And there were a lot of Stanley's in towns ending in waga, wanda, and wanna.

Edited July 10, 2020 by Tondas

[Indabuff]

18 minutes ago, Tondas said:

Me too!  All the Stanley's I knew were nicknamed Stosh.  

I think 85 percent of them were married to a Stella.

[SHAAAUGHT!!!]

When and how did you become a fan? It think it was pre-1985 and I was around 5-6 years old at my grandparents house for a family dinner.  Everyone was glued to the TV watching a hockey game (I think it was the Sabres, but may have been two other teams in a playoff game) and it was nuts.  There was fight after fight, there was hardly anyone left on the bench to finish the game even though they were skating 4-3 or 3-3 due to so many penalties, and the excitement was palpable.  Everyone went to the other room to eat but I couldn't stop watching.  In the dying minutes of the game someone took a puck to the face and went down hard, making the benches even shorter.  The skill, the violence, and the characters - who looked like they were out of a Sergio Leone Western, ready for war, with pure exhaustion but no quit in there eyes.  From that moment on I was a hockey fan for life.  

Who is your all-time favourite Sabre and why? It's hard to pick one so I'll pick 2.  I loved watching Geoff Sanderson play even though a lot of people hated it.  He was the epitome of the 80's scoring hockey player - fast as lightning and had a HUGE one-timer.  Didn't matter if he was on a clean break away - he was going to wind up and let it rip from the hashmarks if you let him.  The second was Dom.  The guy was a legend and it was like watching poetry in motion.  

Most exciting moments as a fan?  I think it was the first game of the 2005-2006 season when Briere scored a huge goal to either tie it or put them in the lead.  It was apparent the Sabres were a totally different team and I was able to get a lot of my friends back into hockey, or interested in it for the first time.  I'll also never forget how crazy the building was after winning Game 6 against Carolina. 

Most frustrating?  Patrick Lalime's inability to win a game costing us a playoff berth.  Tie Domi not getting suspending for pulling on Miro Satans ankle in the playoffs when they got tangled up and fell near the boards at center ice.  Satan had just gotten back from missing a few games due to the ankle.  I lost all respect for that man at that exact moment.

How would you improve the current team?   A legit 2C and some accountability among ALL the players to show up every game.

[Marvin]

Welcome back, all you long-absent people!  I know everyone is as glad as I am to see you posting.

[sabresparaavida]

I am a young fan (18).Ive been a Sabres fan (loosely) since I can remember, growing up listening to the games over the radio with my Dad. The past couple years I have gotten more into it, despite a lack of success. 

Favorite Sabre: I would probably have to go with Ryan Miller. I don't recall any of the glory years, but he was an exciting player on decent teams. Honorable mentions to Vanek and Eichel.

Most exciting moment: I went to the game against Philly during the 10 game win streak of last year. We DOMINATED that first period and it gave me hope for the year, leading to the most frustrating moment, of that team falling apart.

How would I fix the team? I would go after a 2C, preferably Monahan or Cirelli (fully realizing that it won't happen) Then I would try to add another top 6 Rw, but I would only want to lose one of Risto/Montour to get these done. (Don't want to sacrifice our defensive integrity) 

[freester]

On 7/8/2020 at 2:19 PM, dudacek said:

 

You were the first non Caucasian in the entire Williamsville school district?  I attended Mill Middle and Williamsville East and I’m older than you. When I attended high school  there were some Indians among my close friends.