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.
BOYCOTT THE SABRES
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HOOats
born Ruffian
No. I'll come out of hiding to snuff this out any time someone tries to speak it in to existence. Just no.
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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
RIP RJ
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
Registered User
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.
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.
When Bettman tried to keep the Sabres in Buffalo was their such a bad feeling surrounding the team as there is now within its own fanbase? I certainly don’t believe there was.
And, again, the arena. The Sabres are playing in a dump. I just don’t see support for a new arena unless the team turns it around.
Beerz
Registered User
- Jun 28, 2011
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Talk on a new arena is not even in the cards. They just put a new roof on the arena.. they wouldn't do that if they didn't plan on signing a new lease in the next year or two.
They are going to continue with renovations unfortunately
Jim Bob
RIP RJ
It was a completely different scenario.
At that time, the team was having such cash flow issues that the owners were illegally funneling money from other businesses to the team to keep it afloat. And when they were arrested, that all went away and the team was in a huge financial hole.
That did leave issues with the fanbase.
The arena situation is different now than it was then. And that is the #1 thing to watch when it comes to what happens next.
But, I do not believe the Pegulas will sell in the next decade and they certainly will not sell to someone that is looking to move the team out of WNY.
ValJamesDuex
Registered User
- Nov 4, 2021
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New scoreboard as well
They also get NCAA basketball and other events
The sound is cavernous, made worse when there is half a crowd
Perhaps there is some smoke the Jacobs family interest, but as said previously it is complicated
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