25th Anniversary of the last Sabres game at 'The Aud': April 14, 1996

[ExWNYer]

(Mods feel free to take down or merge if this has already been posted. I didn't see anything)

 

A lot of things make me feel old and you can add this one to the list...

"The final game at the Aud was April 14, 1996 against the Hartford Whalers, a game in which the Sabres won, 4-1. Everyone in attendance or even watching on television felt goosebumps as Pat LaFontaine put the ceremonial final puck in the net and the lights going out to close the Aud."

https://thehockeywriters.com/remembering-old-friend-buffalo-memorial-auditorium/

[Weave]

I still have the give away poster from that game hanging in my office.

I gave up season tickets that season.  There was a pretty big price jump in anticipation of the move to the new arena and season tix were no longer affordable for me.  My wife and I sat in the lower blues behind the opposition net for that game.  Prior to that season our tix were 1st row oranges about blue line.
 

 

[Marvin]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

I still have the give away poster from that game hanging in my office.

I gave up season tickets that season.  There was a pretty big price jump in anticipation of the move to the new arena and season tix were no longer affordable for me.  My wife and I sat in the lower blues behind the opposition net for that game.  Prior to that season our tix were 1st row oranges about blue line.

The Sabres sold Standing Room for that game.  That was where I was.

[That Aud Smell]

I re-watched the ceremony's video - well, parts of it.

Thoughts:

1. I didn't - and still don't - recall Doug Moss.

2. Where was Perreault?

3. Mike Wilson?!

[DHawerchuk10]

8 hours ago, Marvin, Sabres Fan said:

The Sabres sold Standing Room for that game.  That was where I was.

Do they even do "standing room" anymore?  If I recall correctly, standing room was around the Oranges primarily, but there we spots in the Blues as well.  

 

I can still smell the Aud.  So many memories!

[LabattBlue]

2 minutes ago, DHawerchuk10 said:

Do they even do "standing room" anymore?  If I recall correctly, standing room was around the Oranges primarily, but there we spots in the Blues as well.  

 

I can still smell the Aud.  So many memories!

I’m not sure how much it would cost to tear out the top 5 rows of the 300’s and put in standing room, but that would be awesome!

[Weave]

11 minutes ago, DHawerchuk10 said:

Do they even do "standing room" anymore?  If I recall correctly, standing room was around the Oranges primarily, but there we spots in the Blues as well.  

 

I can still smell the Aud.  So many memories!

I seem to recall at some point before the Aud closed that the city stopped allowing SRO tix due to occupancy ordinances, so I am surprised a bit to here they had SRO tix for that last game.

[Taro T]

10 hours ago, Marvin, Sabres Fan said:

The Sabres sold Standing Room for that game.  That was where I was.

 

9 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

I re-watched the ceremony's video - well, parts of it.

Thoughts:

1. I didn't - and still don't - recall Doug Moss.

2. Where was Perreault?

3. Mike Wilson?!

Doug Moss, brought in from MSG to bring the Sabres into the new era as they got ready for the new barn.  It was his idea to change the way the seats were priced in the new building & he also brought us his girlfriend Jennifer Smith who took away blue & gold.

He was a disaster for the Sabres.  He went on to be the IHL President and oversaw its folding.  

#### that guy.

1 hour ago, DHawerchuk10 said:

Do they even do "standing room" anymore?  If I recall correctly, standing room was around the Oranges primarily, but there we spots in the Blues as well.  

 

I can still smell the Aud.  So many memories!

Standing room was definitely in the oranges on the pressbox side and in the blues behind the net at the end where the dressing rooms were.  Pretty sure they were available behind the oranges on the other side as well.  But never had SRO tix, so not positive if there were other areas as well.

1 hour ago, Weave said:

I seem to recall at some point before the Aud closed that the city stopped allowing SRO tix due to occupancy ordinances, so I am surprised a bit to here they had SRO tix for that last game.

Thought they were still allowed to have a few on the blues level but cut out the SRO for the oranges around the time the guy fell out of the oranges.  (Could be totally misremembering that.  As stated above, never had SRO tix, so didn't pay that much attention to them.  Always thought, growing up, that it would be cool to have those tix as pretty much every single one came with a "beer rail." 😉 )

[Weave]

58 minutes ago, Taro T said:

 

Doug Moss, brought in from MSG to bring the Sabres into the new era as they got ready for the new barn.  It was his idea to change the way the seats were priced in the new building & he also brought us his girlfriend Jennifer Smith who took away blue & gold.

He was a disaster for the Sabres.  He went on to be the IHL President and oversaw its folding.  

#### that guy.

Standing room was definitely in the oranges on the pressbox side and in the blues behind the net at the end where the dressing rooms were.  Pretty sure they were available behind the oranges on the other side as well.  But never had SRO tix, so not positive if there were other areas as well.

Thought they were still allowed to have a few on the blues level but cut out the SRO for the oranges around the time the guy fell out of the oranges.  (Could be totally misremembering that.  As stated above, never had SRO tix, so didn't pay that much attention to them.  Always thought, growing up, that it would be cool to have those tix as pretty much every single one came with a "beer rail." 😉 )

As someone who purchased more than a few SRO tix I can say with some certainty that SRO was often over sold so there were plenty of people looking over the shoulder of those who had a beer rail.