Peters Says to Expect Major Changes to the Organization Before End of Season

[Stoner]

2 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

If there is a new owner, I only want 2 things:

1.)  The deal has to include a clause where the team can't be moved

2.) The new owner doesn't do anything to 'accelerate' the rebuild. Bring people in that want to do things differently?  Fine, but not to make moves to abandon the youth movement and speed things up.

 

You let your hockey czar figure out how to achieve the mission. While I don't endorse meddling, there's no way a new owner would or should hire someone who's fine with the glacier-like pace of returning NHL hockey to Buffalo.

1 hour ago, Weave said:

Damn.  That is harshly awesome.

Especially the word grifter. Pretend not to see the franchise GOAT, cry a little, build a rink on top of a donut shop and move right along to the Bills. "I'm really a football guy." Someone wake Merriam and Webster up, assuming it was two people.

[mjd1001]

10 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

You let your hockey czar figure out how to achieve the mission. While I don't endorse meddling, there's no way a new owner would or should hire someone who's fine with the glacier-like pace of returning NHL hockey to Buffalo.

Many of us feel the reason the tank/first rebuild didn't work is because they wanted it to happen to quickly. Yes, bad drafting was a part of it, but right now we finally have some prospects that appear to be 1-3 years away from being very good NHL players.  I do not want that 'sped up' by a year at the expense of almost any of them.

[Flashsabre]

IF the Sabres are sold, the Bills Stadium deal gives me some sense of security.

If the Pegulas are investing the Bills and staying on as owners they cannot sell the Sabres to some guy or group that will move them. They would absolutely be eaten alive in the market. They will have to make a deal that keeps the Sabres in Buffalo and looks good on them.

[Marvin]

Just now, Flashsabre said:

IF the Sabres are sold, the Bills Stadium deal gives me some sense of security.

If the Pegulas are investing the Bills and staying on as owners they cannot sell the Sabres to some guy or group that will move them. They would absolutely be eaten alive in the market. They will have to make a deal that keeps the Sabres in Buffalo and looks good on them.

I am not allowed by my religion to take the hallucinogenics which you are taking.  Not enough people care, taxes are too high, the business climate is too bad, the politics are too liberal, the city is too small, the residents are too poor on average, and the team has been too bad for too long.  Unless the Pegulas sell to someone with ties to the city, the Sabres are gone.

[PromoTheRobot]

8 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

IF the Sabres are sold, the Bills Stadium deal gives me some sense of security.

If the Pegulas are investing the Bills and staying on as owners they cannot sell the Sabres to some guy or group that will move them. They would absolutely be eaten alive in the market. They will have to make a deal that keeps the Sabres in Buffalo and looks good on them.

They can do whatever they want. Most Bills fans don't care about or follow the Sabres. 

[Stoner]

24 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

They can do whatever they want. Most Bills fans don't care about or follow the Sabres. 

I don't have any data, but I have a hard time believing the second sentence.

[Radar]

28 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

They can do whatever they want. Most Bills fans don't care about or follow the Sabres. 

Not sure.I agree.

[That Aud Smell]

29 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Most Bills fans don't care about or follow the Sabres. 

4 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

I don't have any data, but I have a hard time believing the second sentence.

Eeesh. I actually think PTR may be more correct than wrong on this point. If this were a Venn diagram drawn to scale, the Bills sphere would absolutely dwarf the Sabres sphere — and, sure, there’d be some overlap — and the Sabres sphere would largely be in the Bills sphere — but a lot of the Bills sphere would be independent.

[Curt]

36 minutes ago, Marvin, Sabres Fan said:

I am not allowed by my religion to take the hallucinogenics which you are taking.  Not enough people care, taxes are too high, the business climate is too bad, the politics are too liberal, the city is too small, the residents are too poor on average, and the team has been too bad for too long.  Unless the Pegulas sell to someone with ties to the city, the Sabres are gone.

I don’t believe that to be true.  Not that the team could never be moved, but I think it would be very far from a certainty.  

[Two or less]

On 2/28/2022 at 6:07 PM, Zamboni said:

I’ll believe it when I see it from sources that aren’t questioned as “I wonder how reliable this source is” 😂

that’s just my feelings personally 

 

 

And that’s not to say they are wrong… 

 

[PromoTheRobot]

23 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

I don't have any data, but I have a hard time believing the second sentence.

Go on Two Bills Drive.

20 minutes ago, Radar said:

Not sure.I agree.

The Bills are a national brand now. The Sabres are a quaint local distraction.

[thewookie1]

28 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Go on Two Bills Drive.

The Bills are a national brand now. The Sabres are a quaint local distraction.

Bills are definitely a larger fanbase but a huge number of local Bills fans are also Sabres fans. The primary point of divergence comes from Canadian Bills fans.

The NHL is unlikely to allow the Sabres to move however; while I don't think Bettman would put a hammer on it, plenty of owners would question why move a typically popular team in a far greater "hockey town" than Arizona and its endless embarrassments.  

[nfreeman]

6 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

Bills are definitely a larger fanbase but a huge number of local Bills fans are also Sabres fans. The primary point of divergence comes from Canadian Bills fans.

The NHL is unlikely to allow the Sabres to move however; while I don't think Bettman would put a hammer on it, plenty of owners would question why move a typically popular team in a far greater "hockey town" than Arizona and its endless embarrassments.  

Respectfully, the other owners wouldn't give a crap about keeping the Sabres in Buffalo.  For that matter, the Leafs are probably the most powerful franchise and they would gladly support the franchise moving.

The other owners care about the Benjamins, and Buffalo doesn't provide many of them.  Many, many more would flow from Houston or a number of other places.

I'll say it again:  don't kid yourself about the NHL, about clauses in the contract or about anything else on this.  If TP sells the team, the risk of losing the team will immediately jump from 10% to at least 50%.

[thewookie1]

5 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

Respectfully, the other owners wouldn't give a crap about keeping the Sabres in Buffalo.  For that matter, the Leafs are probably the most powerful franchise and they would gladly support the franchise moving.

The other owners care about the Benjamins, and Buffalo doesn't provide many of them.  Many, many more would flow from Houston or a number of other places.

I'll say it again:  don't kid yourself about the NHL, about clauses in the contract or about anything else on this.  If TP sells the team, the risk of losing the team will immediately jump from 10% to at least 50%.

Well if they move, I'll invite WWIII and the world's end to be perfectly honest

[Curt]

7 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

Well if they move, I'll invite WWIII and the world's end to be perfectly honest

This would have been 140% funnier 2 weeks ago.

[PromoTheRobot]

23 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

Bills are definitely a larger fanbase but a huge number of local Bills fans are also Sabres fans. The primary point of divergence comes from Canadian Bills fans.

The NHL is unlikely to allow the Sabres to move however; while I don't think Bettman would put a hammer on it, plenty of owners would question why move a typically popular team in a far greater "hockey town" than Arizona and its endless embarrassments.  

I agree Bettman would not like a relocation. But that's not a guarantee it won't happen. Moving the Coyotes doesn't change their franchise value that much. Moving the Sabres would. If Canada doesn't make crossing the border easy again, the Sabres won't be viable. 

The Bills can survive without Canada because they only have 10 dates with games once a week. Hockey has 41 home dates. Most are on weeknights. Which means you have to live nearby to go to games. Losing Canadians that will cross the border weeknights will kill the franchise.

[LGR4GM]

Just now, Curt said:

This would have been 140% funnier 2 weeks ago.

Weeks? Hell at this point it changes by the hour. There's a section of Maldova that is supposedly next. 

Just now, PromoTheRobot said:

I agree Bettman would not like a relocation. But that's not a guarantee it won't happen. Moving the Coyotes doesn't change their franchise value that much. Moving the Sabres would. If Canada doesn't make crossing the border easy again, the Sabres won't be viable. 

The Bills can survive without Canada because they only have 10 dates with games once a week. Hockey has 41 home dates. Most are on weeknights. Which means you have to live nearby to go to games. Losing Canadians that will cross the border weeknights will kill the franchise.

Why wouldn't the border go back to normal? Canada planning on invading Ogdensburg? 

[JohnC]

7 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

Have you been by, around Seneca One? Jesus Christmas. What an abomination it is from an urban development standpoint. How the funk did Jemal get the local planning board to approve those 15' high fortress walls? Amazing what having a "MFN" status can do for a guy. His treatment of the streetscape in that area never, ever should have been approved. It does additional violence to one of downtown's most valuable historical areas. I predict failure for whatever sterile-ass environment he's trying to manufacture behind those walls. Gross.

That's one. I have others. But I'll keep that powder dry.

EDIT: I will acknowledge that his work to secure the Statler has been far superior to what Croce was doing (which was essentially nothing). There no longer appears to be a risk of that building's masonry falling into the streets below.

Let me get this straight. Jemal took over the tallest building in western NY that was virtually vacant for more than a decade. At the time no one else had any interest in taking on that challenging project. He built up the area around the mostly empty building in order to get more economic activity around the building. He then restores  the building and fills it up with tenants that includes a banking operation, stores, other businesses and apartments.  So your main criticism of this grand and complicated project is that you don't find it aesthetically pleasing. Do you know what is less aesthetic than his completed project? An empty building with little activity around it. 

On this topic we simply disagree. You stated your position very well. However, I respectfully but strenuously disagree with your take as you do with my take. It's pointless to continue going back and forth on this topic.  

Edited March 2, 2022 by JohnC

[Broken Ankles]

38 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

Bills are definitely a larger fanbase but a huge number of local Bills fans are also Sabres fans. The primary point of divergence comes from Canadian Bills fans.

The NHL is unlikely to allow the Sabres to move however; while I don't think Bettman would put a hammer on it, plenty of owners would question why move a typically popular team in a far greater "hockey town" than Arizona and its endless embarrassments.  

Inaccurate.  The Bills had a 46 share of the local market this year.  That’s 260k televisions/homes.  The Sabres peaked at 28 share a dozen years ago, but now are in the 10% or lower range.  That’s roughly a fifth of the viewership and that does not include any national/ international numbers.  Way more ‘Bills only’ fans than both.  
Agree that Buffalo is perceived a good hockey town and they will try to keep the Sabres there, we hope. 

[Taro T]

8 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

I agree Bettman would not like a relocation. But that's not a guarantee it won't happen. Moving the Coyotes doesn't change their franchise value that much. Moving the Sabres would. If Canada doesn't make crossing the border easy again, the Sabres won't be viable. 

The Bills can survive without Canada because they only have 10 dates with games once a week. Hockey has 41 home dates. Most are on weeknights. Which means you have to live nearby to go to games. Losing Canadians that will cross the border weeknights will kill the franchise.

Actually, for a long time the Sabres home games have fallen w/ ~ a 50/50 Monday-Thursday and Friday-Sunday split.  Including games scheduled on holidays usually skews it to slightly more weekends.

Fridays don't help folks like you traveling 7+ hours, but they work for those of us w/in 2 hours of the rink.

Can't realistically see the Canadian governments (federal down to locals) keeping the border effectively shut through another winter, but who knows.  And pretty sure restrictions have been significantly relaxed already, but way to late to get people that were guaranteed the ability to renew their seats next year with no penalties to bother to jump through even minor hoops to attend games this "non-tanking tank" season.

[Pimlach]

10 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Bardown not backing off.

 

 

C'mon. We are past "marketing" at this point. Is some giveaway going to bring 10K more people in?  Improving the team is the only course.

I’m talking about the entire game experience, including the pre-game, and post-game.  Especially the televised product  

And don’t think that over 10 years of losing,  with no playoffs, and very little hope, has not put a major hole into a future fan base.  

 

Edited March 2, 2022 by Pimlach

[Porous Five Hole]

2 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

IF the Sabres are sold, the Bills Stadium deal gives me some sense of security.

If the Pegulas are investing the Bills and staying on as owners they cannot sell the Sabres to some guy or group that will move them. They would absolutely be eaten alive in the market. They will have to make a deal that keeps the Sabres in Buffalo and looks good on them.

You and I agree. I’m not saying the Sabres aren’t on the block because I don’t know that…but someone needs to explain to me how selling the hockey team furthers the Bills long term interests. The owner is worth five billion dollars.  He doesn’t need to sell the hockey team to build a stadium. Debt can be utilized to build a stadium.  
 

I think people are putting too much emphasis on Twitter rumors. And I’m not interested in fighting the Twitter mob.  But it just doesn’t make sense to me that the Sabres are for sale.  
 

Someone, please, make it make sense (ducks). Are people saying Terry & Kim are so butt hurt over negative press that they don’t care anymore? Is this what it is all about? Because I’ll die on the hill that it isn’t about money…regardless of how big their yacht is. 

[7+6=13]

51 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

I agree Bettman would not like a relocation. But that's not a guarantee it won't happen. Moving the Coyotes doesn't change their franchise value that much. Moving the Sabres would. If Canada doesn't make crossing the border easy again, the Sabres won't be viable. 

The Bills can survive without Canada because they only have 10 dates with games once a week. Hockey has 41 home dates. Most are on weeknights. Which means you have to live nearby to go to games. Losing Canadians that will cross the border weeknights will kill the franchise.

It's funny how some still think the NFL is funded by game attendance. 

[PromoTheRobot]

32 minutes ago, 7+6=13 said:

It's funny how some still think the NFL is funded by game attendance. 

You act like owners don't care about the $5-6MM gross per game. Don't forget the road team gets 40%.

[Flashsabre]

9 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Bardown not backing off.

 

 

C'mon. We are past "marketing" at this point. Is some giveaway going to bring 10K more people in?  Improving the team is the only course.

Is this TSN Tortorella led group story recent? Doug MaCLean said last year on Kypreos podcast that he heard Torts friend was looking at buying the Sabres. Was this a new report?