KBC Renovations Update

[JohnC]

4 hours ago, Taro T said:

True dat.  But it was cheaper than adding additional escalators.  Heck of job there, Quinny, heck of a job.

And, because of the congestion at the escalators (which is even worse when you have to come from the penalty box side of the rink after being used to coming from the other side) we've always taken the stairs back down to leave the building.

@Taro T, you are our designated arena expert. I took it upon myself to bestow that honor on you. Your crown is being shipped by UPS. It will soon arrive. Since you possess so much knowledge on the arena you should be able to answer some questions about it. Since Pegula has exclusive rights and control of the arena, is he solely responsible for upkeep and improvements? And does his company get all the revenue when the building is leased out for concerts and events?

[LabattBlue]

5 hours ago, Brawndo said:

…current ownership probably does not have the appetite to spend hundreds of millions on KBC either(beyond the roof and Jumbotron). 

Someone needs to remind Pegula that you need to spend money to make money. 

[Taro T]

21 minutes ago, JohnC said:

@Taro T, you are our designated arena expert. I took it upon myself to bestow that honor on you. Your crown is being shipped by UPS. It will soon arrive. Since you possess so much knowledge on the arena you should be able to answer some questions about it. Since Pegula has exclusive rights and control of the arena, is he solely responsible for upkeep and improvements? And does his company get all the revenue when the building is leased out for concerts and events?

Good questions.  Been a long time since looking at the bankruptcy documents from the criminals' era.  The answers to your Q's would be in there.  (Golisano assumed the lease and then it transferred to Pegula with the sale.)  Not intentionally putting you off, but with it having been so long since looking at that stuff would be afraid of posting "fake news" at this point.  

@Brawndo could likely answer your Q.  If you haven't gotten a good answer by Sunday evening, I might try to track them down.

[Stoner]

5 hours ago, JohnC said:

@Taro T, you are our designated arena expert. I took it upon myself to bestow that honor on you. Your crown is being shipped by UPS. It will soon arrive. Since you possess so much knowledge on the arena you should be able to answer some questions about it. Since Pegula has exclusive rights and control of the arena, is he solely responsible for upkeep and improvements? And does his company get all the revenue when the building is leased out for concerts and events?

Just arena? He's the expert. Period.

[Broken Ankles]

8 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

Agreed. I have said this for a long time. In the past 5-10 years, I have been to more events at other Arenas around the country than I have in Buffalo.  The KBC really is way behind the other Arenas...and I'm not just talking about the Brand new ones.  Look at the other ones that were built around the same time...I haven't been to all of them but I have been to TD Garden in Boston (older than the KBC) and Philly (the same age), Bridgestone in Nashville (I think the same age) Columbus (3-4 years newer I think).  A couple of them  had renoviations, but it isn't even close, their quality is MUCH greater.

And I know those will say a hardcore fan doesn't need a nice arena, the game is enough.  I would have agreed with that 20-30 years ago, but now with high def TV, all the camera angles, our computers/phones/tablets to check stats and news on as the game is ongoing.....with all that as a hardcore fan I can (most of the time) experience the pure game of hockey better at home than I can at an 'average' seat at the Arena.  If they want to get me out of my house and to the Arena, give me comfortable seats, some nice (and different) places to eat, just an overall good experience.  But with me, at this point it doesn't matter so I shouldn't complain. With the price of going to the game (tix, parking, food), they could build the greatest Arena in the NHL and i'm not going much, I'd rather save the money and have that gameday experience at home.  If I could go with someone else (2 people) and have the entire experience that is good for under $100 then maybe, but those days are long gone.

But to your original point...The KBC is one of the bigger 'dumps' in the league, and you really realize that once you go to other places.  As others have said, seats that creak when you sit on them, broken or missing cup holders, concrete that is pitted and cracking, restrooms where 1/3 of everything in them is out of order, just not acceptable at all for the prices paid for tickets.

Add the Anaheim Honda Center to your list.  Built in 1993 for ~$123m.  Unsure of the renovation costs since but the building is superior in most aspects and three years older.  Two levels of luxury boxes.  

[JohnC]

9 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

Just arena? He's the expert. Period.

He's what you call multifaceted good. 

[ska-T Chitown]

16 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

You're exaggerating. I've been to several NHL arenas. United Center in Chicago, TD Garden Boston, and whatever they call the Panthers arena these days.. They are all nice but KBC isn't that bad in comparison. 

Was going to mention the same for the UC. 3 years older - but maybe a tad unfair since the two primary teams that call it home have either 6 or 7 championships during that time (can't remember when all the Bulls chips were) - so MAD playoff revenue from TWO sports (possibly enough to pay for the $130M cost entirely?) And I guess 2x the ticket revenue (I think NBA and NHL tickets are about the same in Chicago right now?) and the owner gets that sweet Sweet SWEET NBA TV money split. 

Wondering out loud how many other similar age arenas have a 2 (major) sport revenue stream? Definitely gives them a financial advantage. Solution: TPegs gets an NBA team 😉 

[PromoTheRobot]

3 hours ago, ska-T Chitown said:

Was going to mention the same for the UC. 3 years older - but maybe a tad unfair since the two primary teams that call it home have either 6 or 7 championships during that time (can't remember when all the Bulls chips were) - so MAD playoff revenue from TWO sports (possibly enough to pay for the $130M cost entirely?) And I guess 2x the ticket revenue (I think NBA and NHL tickets are about the same in Chicago right now?) and the owner gets that sweet Sweet SWEET NBA TV money split. 

Wondering out loud how many other similar age arenas have a 2 (major) sport revenue stream? Definitely gives them a financial advantage. Solution: TPegs gets an NBA team 😉 

GOD NO!!!!!  

[JohnC]

19 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

GOD NO!!!!!  

It would never happen because Toronto would not permit it. As it is, Terry P has more than enough on his hands with the two franchises that he owns in western NY. 

[sabremike]

22 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

You're exaggerating. I've been to several NHL arenas. United Center in Chicago, TD Garden Boston, and whatever they call the Panthers arena these days.. They are all nice but KBC isn't that bad in comparison. 

There are literally no redeeming features about KBC. None. Every single thing about it completely sucks.

[Pimlach]

On 7/17/2024 at 10:17 AM, Drag0nDan said:

These are fine improvements.  But they're a long ways away from having a solid arena.  In no particular order

• 300 concourses are insanely tiny
• Everything feels really dated
• Uncomfortable seats that rattle and are barely bolted down
• Cupholders that don't fit literally any beverage that you sell
• The bottom bleacher rows aren't even flush with the boards so you could very easily drop a phone under them
• Feels really steep at the top rows for whatever reason
• Food options are... fine?  
• Bathrooms need... help.  
• The whole place just feels soulless.  Paint and new lighting would go a long way to improvement.  It just feels sooooo minor league.  

Yup.  It’s dark in there for sure.  It is often quiet, mostly because of the home team’s poor play.  
 

The seats seem far away in whatever level you are in.  My giant size 12 1/2 feet barely fit when I sit in the 300 level, no legroom or feet room.  

The lighting, sound, scoreboard, seats and cup holders, can all be fixed.   Some of the problems, like the viewing distance, cannot. 

[PromoTheRobot]

6 hours ago, JohnC said:

It would never happen because Toronto would not permit it. As it is, Terry P has more than enough on his hands with the two franchises that he owns in western NY. 

Can you imagine trying to get NBA free agents to come to Buffalo?

5 hours ago, sabremike said:

There are literally no redeeming features about KBC. None. Every single thing about it completely sucks.

It does with that attitude.

[JohnC]

10 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

It does with that attitude.

I'm not commenting about the facility because I'm not as familiar of it as others are. (You certainly are.) What I can say as a distant observer, as demonstrated by a Bandit playoff game with Toronto, the arena was bursting with a raucous and frenzied audience. The full house was rocking all game long. The fans were having a great time. If the Sabres can turn things around and become a serious team, that arena will come back to life. When that happens, you will not be hearing so many complaints about the less than comfortable accommodations in this weathered facility. What it comes down to is the product. 

[spndnchz]

6 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I'm not commenting about the facility because I'm not as familiar of it as others are. (You certainly are.) What I can say as a distant observer, as demonstrated by a Bandit playoff game with Toronto, the arena was bursting with a raucous and frenzied audience. The full house was rocking all game long. The fans were having a great time. If the Sabres can turn things around and become a serious team, that arena will come back to life. When that happens, you will not be hearing so many complaints about the less than comfortable accommodations in this weathered facility. What it comes down to is the product. 

Bandits games are much different then hockey 

[PromoTheRobot]

48 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I'm not commenting about the facility because I'm not as familiar of it as others are. (You certainly are.) What I can say as a distant observer, as demonstrated by a Bandit playoff game with Toronto, the arena was bursting with a raucous and frenzied audience. The full house was rocking all game long. The fans were having a great time. If the Sabres can turn things around and become a serious team, that arena will come back to life. When that happens, you will not be hearing so many complaints about the less than comfortable accommodations in this weathered facility. What it comes down to is the product. 

You assume I never go to games. I go to 4-5 a year in Buffalo. I'm fully familiar with the state of KBC. I've never had an issue. My seat isn't broken. My cupholder works. Maybe I should look for some cracks in the floor, like John Vogl with the Athletic did?

I get it. It's not a shiny new building. But I think this whole thing is just a proxy rant over the playoff drought. Something else to complain about. 

[JohnC]

30 minutes ago, spndnchz said:

Bandits games are much different then hockey 

Absolutely! But the biggest difference is that the product is not only better but also the team over a sustained period has been one of the top teams in that particular sport. For nearly half a generation, the Sabres have been in a state malaise due to its own organizational incompetence. As a result, the arena is often half full with a sleeping and too often agitated crowd.

If the Sabres become a serious team in this league instead of being one of the most irrelevant franchises in the sport, the arena will be full and the place will be rocking and rolling. A half a generation of ownership/organizational incompetence has suffocated this market to near death. However, I do see the tide turning in a positive direction. 

[JohnC]

3 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

You assume I never go to games. I go to 4-5 a year in Buffalo. I'm fully familiar with the state of KBC. I've never had an issue. My seat isn't broken. My cupholder works. Maybe I should look for some cracks in the floor, like John Vogl with the Athletic did?

I get it. It's not a shiny new building. But I think this whole thing is just a proxy rant over the playoff drought. Something else to complain about. 

Did you read my post? I said the opposite. It's well known that you do attend local hockey games, and also football games. 

[Stoner]

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

You assume I never go to games. I go to 4-5 a year in Buffalo. I'm fully familiar with the state of KBC. I've never had an issue. My seat isn't broken. My cupholder works. Maybe I should look for some cracks in the floor, like John Vogl with the Athletic did?

I get it. It's not a shiny new building. But I think this whole thing is just a proxy rant over the playoff drought. Something else to complain about. 

I actually agree. Write the date down!

I like the place. They could do some curb appeal out front for sure.

In Sabredom, the house is the least of our worries. Grandpa is the problem, and always has been.

[#freejame]

It certainly isn’t a temple in hockey heaven. 

[Pimlach]

6 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

I actually agree. Write the date down!

I like the place. They could do some curb appeal out front for sure.

In Sabredom, the house is the least of our worries. Grandpa is the problem, and always has been.

[Wyldnwoody44]

Can we upgrade the owner while we're at it? 

[PromoTheRobot]

 

On 7/20/2024 at 4:34 PM, Wyldnwoody44 said:

Can we upgrade the owner while we're at it? 

Alex Meruelo is available.

[Warriorspikes51]

2 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

Alex Meruelo is available.

Is that video supposed to be impressive???

[Taro T]

32 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

Is that video supposed to be impressive???

Probably.

(Narrator:  It wasn't.)

[PromoTheRobot]

4 hours ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

Is that video supposed to be impressive???

It's meant to pique interest. I doubt they reveal the new scoreboard until the first preseason game.

Edited July 23 by PromoTheRobot