Thread for Canadians

[Crusader1969]

I’m always intrigued why people, who don’t live in Buffalo and surrounding area,  become Sabres fans.

9/10 times when I tell people I’m a Sabres fan, living in Burlington Ontario (30 mins from Toronto, an hour a bit from Buffalo), they always say “what are you? American or something?” 

so if you are Canadian. Or living outside the greater Buffalo area.  I ask “why the Sabres?”

My reason is simple. - I preferred the swords on the jersey to the Maple Leaf.  Unfortunately for my Dad a long time leaf fan, as was most everyone else 

when you are 5 or 6  Those things like having a sword on the jersey matter!

luckily I was able to watch games on tv and listen to them on the radio.  Plus the Sabres were good in those days mid 70s 

the biggest reason I remained a Sabres fan when the swords on the jersey weren’t so important?

#11 Gilbert Perreault.   He was must watch tv

Its a shame that a lot of Sabres footage was destroyed or is difficult to find.  I still remember games , or moments.  Taking the puck behind his own the net and skating by everyone   Splitting the d and decking the goalie 

I was lucky enough to see the Sabres in Maple Leaf Gardens in 1978    I’ve looked for this game on YouTube because I swear he scored on a slap shot from outside the blue line   
hopefully younger Sabres fans have gone back and watched what they could of Perreault 

So what’s your story.  Why are you a Sabres fan while not having any connection to the city of Buffalo? 

 

 

[Thorner]

Great thread. 

I get that a lot. “Have you ever even been to Buffalo?!” Some actually find the concept of being a fan of a team from a city you have no connection with actively odd. I find their surprise odd - it’s always been second nature to me. I have a connection to the city, now, in a real way. Forged by common pursuit. Even in those that get it, I often get the follow up, “but the Jets are your second favourite team, right?” as if they just obviously would be. No. It’s one team. Can only *be* one. If you have two teams you don’t have 1 - that’s the Sith like (ill)logic I chose employ here, to an illogical passion. 

As for when I became a fan: I don’t remember ever not being one. My dad brainwashed me from the start. I didn’t chose the Sabres - I don’t even know whether I truly have a choice, now. Even when I hate them, the Sabres just Are. My team. 

[Sabres73]

I was 9 years old in 1973, growing up in small town Saskatchewan. I was already a dedicated Hab-hater, so when the Sabres made the playoffs for the first time I was cheering for them to knock of the favoured Canadiens. They didn't, but it was an exciting series, very impressionable on my young self. So they became my team, and I haven't wavered since. It was very common for Sask folks to cheer for a variety of team as we didn't have our own team, we were where NHL players came from 😉

The Sabres of course had exciting and successful teams in those early 70's years, and there were many dedicated Sabres and Flyers fans that came about from both teams mid-70's successes.

My only Sabre jersey is my beloved #7 Martin.

edit - I just realized this will be my 50th year cheering for the boys in blue and gold. Jeezus I'm getting up there

Edited January 18, 2023 by Sabres73

[Sabres Fan in NS]

I am Canadian.

I do have a connection to Buffalo.  My mom was born there and she grew up in Elma.  My grandparents bought land way out in Elma in around 1930 and built a house.  Before that they built what turned into a barn, but initially the family lived in said barn.  So, my mom was raised in a barn.  True story.

My Aunt and Uncle lived next door to my grandparents.  My cousin and his family have lived in my grandparents house since my grandfather passed away on my 18th birthday in 1982.

We used to spend a lot of time there as kids.  It was great to be in *the country* as compared to The Great Satan.

I grew up watching the Bills and Sabres and have loved them ever since.  When I was in Junior High and High School everybody was wondering why the Sabres ... there was not one other Sabre fan in the whole school.

When I was older we would go to a few Bills games (my uncle had seasons for entertaining clients) and some Sabre games too.

When my wife and I married we would go to Buffalo many times for games.

We have not been to Buffalo, or The Great Satan, since we moved to NS in 1998.

[Crusader1969]

1 hour ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

I am Canadian.

I do have a connection to Buffalo.  My mom was born there and she grew up in Elma.  My grandparents bought land way out in Elma in around 1930 and built a house.  Before that they built what turned into a barn, but initially the family lived in said barn.  So, my mom was raised in a barn.  True story.

My Aunt and Uncle lived next door to my grandparents.  My cousin and his family have lived in my grandparents house since my grandfather passed away on my 18th birthday in 1982.

We used to spend a lot of time there as kids.  It was great to be in *the country* as compared to The Great Satan.

I grew up watching the Bills and Sabres and have loved them ever since.  When I was in Junior High and High School everybody was wondering why the Sabres ... there was not one other Sabre fan in the whole school.

When I was older we would go to a few Bills games (my uncle had seasons for entertaining clients) and some Sabre games too.

When my wife and I married we would go to Buffalo many times for games.

We have not been to Buffalo, or The Great Satan, since we moved to NS in 1998.

There may be a day you may not be the only Sabres fan in NS   Seriously thinking about retirement out that way   So beautiful out there 

 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

6 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

There may be a day you may not be the only Sabres fan in NS   Seriously thinking about retirement out that way   So beautiful out there 

 

It is beautiful.  You would always be welcome.

[JoeSchmoe]

Do people from the Niagara Region count in this thread? Leafs still rule here, but there are still a good deal of Sabres fans (especially as you get closer to the border).

Over my almost half century I've probably been to 70 or 80 Sabres games... Almost all paid for by me (or my parents). How many Leaf fans can say the same? 

[Digger]

I became a fan as a young kid with the Sabres in the 70's.  I always lived in Ontario (moving from places between Windsor to Toronto at various times).  Watched Hockey Night in Canada every Saturday night.  No family influence.  Personally I always found the Leafs and Canadians to be such arrogant teams and fan bases.  The Sabres had that underdog blue collar foundation that I was attracted to.  The team, city and fans are my kind of people.  

[Crusader1969]

12 minutes ago, JoeSchmoe said:

Do people from the Niagara Region count in this thread? Leafs still rule here, but there are still a good deal of Sabres fans (especially as you get closer to the border).

Over my almost half century I've probably been to 70 or 80 Sabres games... Almost all paid for by me (or my parents). How many Leaf fans can say the same? 

Definitely counts ! 

13 minutes ago, JoeSchmoe said:

Do people from the Niagara Region count in this thread? Leafs still rule here, but there are still a good deal of Sabres fans (especially as you get closer to the border).

Over my almost half century I've probably been to 70 or 80 Sabres games... Almost all paid for by me (or my parents). How many Leaf fans can say the same? 

So why Sabres and not leaf’s ? 

[JoeSchmoe]

12 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:

Definitely counts ! 

So why Sabres and not leaf’s ? 

My dad hated the Leafs and we lived in st Catharines. For whatever reason, he followed Perreault in junior, so when the Sabres drafted him, they were his team.

I hated the Leafs too... By proxy from my dad, and because they were terrible when I was young and impressionable.

Sabres tickets are affordable for most fans. Leafs tickets are only for the elite who are mostly non-fans.

Edited January 18, 2023 by JoeSchmoe

[Taro T]

28 minutes ago, JoeSchmoe said:

Do people from the Niagara Region count in this thread? Leafs still rule here, but there are still a good deal of Sabres fans (especially as you get closer to the border).

Over my almost half century I've probably been to 70 or 80 Sabres games... Almost all paid for by me (or my parents). How many Leaf fans can say the same? 

No idea.  Just how generous are your parents?  😉

[matter2003]

2 hours ago, Crusader1969 said:

I’m always intrigued why people, who don’t live in Buffalo and surrounding area,  become Sabres fans.

9/10 times when I tell people I’m a Sabres fan, living in Burlington Ontario (30 mins from Toronto, an hour a bit from Buffalo), they always say “what are you? American or something?” 

so if you are Canadian. Or living outside the greater Buffalo area.  I ask “why the Sabres?”

My reason is simple. - I preferred the swords on the jersey to the Maple Leaf.  Unfortunately for my Dad a long time leaf fan, as was most everyone else 

when you are 5 or 6  Those things like having a sword on the jersey matter!

luckily I was able to watch games on tv and listen to them on the radio.  Plus the Sabres were good in those days mid 70s 

the biggest reason I remained a Sabres fan when the swords on the jersey weren’t so important?

#11 Gilbert Perreault.   He was must watch tv

Its a shame that a lot of Sabres footage was destroyed or is difficult to find.  I still remember games , or moments.  Taking the puck behind his own the net and skating by everyone   Splitting the d and decking the goalie 

I was lucky enough to see the Sabres in Maple Leaf Gardens in 1978    I’ve looked for this game on YouTube because I swear he scored on a slap shot from outside the blue line   
hopefully younger Sabres fans have gone back and watched what they could of Perreault 

So what’s your story.  Why are you a Sabres fan while not having any connection to the city of Buffalo? 

 

 

I'm always amazed watching those games at how terrible the goalies were. I have no idea how games back then were not like 10-8 every night. They looked like they had trouble stopping beach balls.

[JoeSchmoe]

2 minutes ago, Taro T said:

No idea.  Just how generous are your parents?  😉

My parents would take me to a couple games a year. Our hockey league had a game we'd all go to with the whole league, plus they'd grab another game or two with just the family (or sometimes just my dad and I). We'd sit in the Oranges or sometimes the Upper Blues. Never lower.

As an adult I've been to far more. I used to get the mini-packs plus buy one or two extra games. Then I'd do the StubHub route once that became more economical.

Once the kids started rep hockey though, it got harder to get the time (and money) to get to that many games a season. The Wild game was my first since before COVID.

[Taro T]

12 minutes ago, JoeSchmoe said:

My parents would take me to a couple games a year. Our hockey league had a game we'd all go to with the whole league, plus they'd grab another game or two with just the family (or sometimes just my dad and I). We'd sit in the Oranges or sometimes the Upper Blues. Never lower.

As an adult I've been to far more. I used to get the mini-packs plus buy one or two extra games. Then I'd do the StubHub route once that became more economical.

Once the kids started rep hockey though, it got harder to get the time (and money) to get to that many games a season. The Wild game was my first since before COVID.

You missed the (attempt at a) joke.  You said your parents paid for you to go to Sabres games, then asked how many Leaf fans could say likewise.  No idea how many Leaf fans your parents sent to Sabres games.

Cool that you've made it to a bunch.

[Crusader1969]

28 minutes ago, JoeSchmoe said:

My dad hated the Leafs and we lived in st Catharines. For whatever reason, he followed Perreault in junior, so when the Sabres drafted him, they were his team.

I hated the Leafs too... By proxy from my dad, and because they were terrible when I was young and impressionable.

Sabres tickets are affordable for most fans. Leafs tickets are only for the elite who are mostly non-fans.

Good parenting by your dad

i always say I have 2 fav teams.  The Sabres and whoever is playing the Leafs.   
 

[bunomatic]

I grew up in a small logging/mill town on Vancouver Island pop.1500 where the majority of people liked the habs, leafs or canucks. My younger brother was an Islanders fan. At the age of 10 I discovered the French connection and the Buffalo Sabres. The year was 1975. The rest is history. 

[inkman]

Can one of the Canadians in this thread answer why y’all struggle so much with descriptors for 1st round draft picks?  Every Canadian I hear (and wherever Paul Hamilton is from) cannot get this term correct.  The most common I hear I “first pick”, “ First overall pick” (even though said player was not the first overall pick, just a first round pick).  

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

[mjd1001]

14 hours ago, Thorny said:

Great thread. 

I get that a lot. “Have you ever even been to Buffalo?!” Some actually find the concept of being a fan of a team from a city you have no connection with actively odd.

Your above statement resonated with me.  I'm not from Canada and this is only indriectly related to the topic, but I think of it alot.  A lot of people in our age think 'an hour' away from something is very far, when that isn't the case in many parts of North America.  

-I spent a lot of time working in New England. I lived on Cape cod but I traved to or through Boston everyday, and on a monthly basis I had stops/meets in Burlington, VT, Bangor Maine, Providence RI and many, many cities in between.  One common thing about that area?  Distance really didn't matter.  Portland Maine is about 2 hours from Boston (more with traffic) and 2 states away (maine-->New Hampshire-->Mass)  Yet most of the people I met there identified with Boston.  They were just as much Red sox or Bruin fans and people who lived in Metro Boston.  Providence RI? Same thing.  Where I lived on Cape cod, I was about a 2 hour drive from Boston yet just about EVERYONE near me considered themselves a 'Bostonian', for Theater, sports, many things you just go to and identify with Boston.

-My wife grew up in NY city and has many friends on Long island.  Same thing for them.  She has former co-workers that live 50+ miles from the city (almost 2 hours with traffic) and its nothing to them to support or go to events in NY city.

Now yes, I get the fact that in many cases those are the closest teams for them (no other options) but it isn't an issue.  Its a bit different in Buffalo. I had friends that lived in Amherst growing up, and would have an opportunity to go to a college basketball game at Niagara, and often no one would go because it was 'too far' away. (the 20 mile, 25 minute drive)

[French Collection]

I grew up in Northwestern Ontario, closer to the Manitoba border than Toronto. We had no cable so HNIC was it for hockey coverage. My family is French so the Habs were everyone’s the team.

My grandparents lived 3 hours away and had cable, Buffalo channels. I watched the Sabres games whenever we visited and was drawn to the French Connection. I had found my own team!

First live NHL game was in Toronto, 6 hour drive + 9 hour train ride.

[MattPie]

2 hours ago, \GoBillsInDallas/ said:

I expected more of this kind of content based on the thread title.

[French Collection]

27 minutes ago, MattPie said:

I expected more of this kind of content based on the thread title.

I make maple syrup as a hobby, but I don’t eat any.

[Thorner]

5 hours ago, inkman said:

Can one of the Canadians in this thread answer why y’all struggle so much with descriptors for 1st round draft picks?  Every Canadian I hear (and wherever Paul Hamilton is from) cannot get this term correct.  The most common I hear I “first pick”, “ First overall pick” (even though said player was not the first overall pick, just a first round pick).  

I just say “first rounder” 

[Derrico]

I was 4 years old.  My uncle, who became a Sabres fan after listening to Rick Darling (then RJ) on the radio, converted me young.  Much to the chagrin of my leaf fan father.   

Fast forward to 1999 leaf/sabres playoff gameday.  I didn't have the hatred for leafs at this point but was a pretty big sabres fan still.  I'm walking down the road at 14 with my Sabres jersey on and some guy driving in a truck rolls down his window, yells 'go leafs go' and whips his half drank beer can out the window at me.  Maybe it says something more about Oshawa than leaf fans but I have had a deep hatred for the leafs and all of their fans ever since.....

[SwampD]

7 hours ago, inkman said:

Can one of the Canadians in this thread answer why y’all struggle so much with descriptors for 1st round draft picks?  Every Canadian I hear (and wherever Paul Hamilton is from) cannot get this term correct.  The most common I hear I “first pick”, “ First overall pick” (even though said player was not the first overall pick, just a first round pick).  

The easy solution for this is to just stop listening to Canadians.