BOYCOTT THE SABRES

[5 Minute Major]

IMO,it really doesn’t matter. With the sad state of this franchise and a bad arena, the Sabres are not long for Buffalo. There will be no appetite to keep them. Pegula will eventually sell to the highest bidder.

 

[HOOats]

IMO,it really doesn’t matter. With the sad state of this franchise and a bad arena, the Sabres are not long for Buffalo. There will be no appetite to keep them. Pegula will eventually sell to the highest bidder.

No. I'll come out of hiding to snuff this out any time someone tries to speak it in to existence. Just no.

 

[5 Minute Major]

No. I'll come out of hiding to snuff this out any time someone tries to speak it in to existence. Just no.

It will be too late to “come out”. Nobody is going to start going to these games with the way the team is playing. It will be sudden.

 

[Jim Bob]

It will be too late to “come out”. Nobody is going to start going to these games with the way the team is playing. It will be sudden.

I highly doubt you see the Pegulas sell to someone who will move the team. They are invested in this region and I highly doubt they will want to deal with the ire of the Sabres moving.

Plus, Bettman did whatever he could to keep the Sabres in Buffalo when the owners were arrested and the team was in bankruptcy. I doubt you see Bettman being OK with the team moving.

 

[May Day 10]

The building was 6 years old then. Now it is the worst in the league. The last game I went to, there was a jagged rusty piece of metal where the arm rest belonged. The place is awful. Bad tomb concourses, seats far away from the ice, terrible sound, bad ice, etc.

2 contemporaries which were built with more $ and higher quality: Washington just got $500 Million to renovate their arena. Philadelphia is building a new one already.

The arena situation is coming to a head soon. Lease is up in a year or 2. Will Pegula be in the mood to put up hundreds of millions of dollars of his own money right after the Highmark cost overruns?
Will the state/county/city have an appetite to put up that money for this franchise?


I would also say, in 2002, Buffalo was right-sized for the NHL. It was largely attendance driven and franchise values were low. Now, franchise values are $1 Billion and corporate sponsorships and premium suites are much larger (we have none), and regional and national TV money is a bigger deal (Buffalo is a sink). I do not think the NHL would be quite as staunch in protecting Buffalo as an NHL market if it meant maybe a Houston or Atlanta. The NHLPA (who had much less of a voice in 2002) would also probably be for a better city, not a lame duck owner/management, thus more revenue they share.


With all that said, I can't see Pegula willingly shepherding the team to an owner whose intent is relocation. Maybe this can change with arena negotiations and following through with threats? Also, are the Sabres worth the tax bill that he will pass on to the kids? That will be another danger point, but I think if we can land a long-term lease in the next few years, we will be safe.