Could you imagine Jacobs ever saying this?

[Number8]

Many of you know I am not a huge Jeremy Jacobs fan. I won't belabor you with my long standing gripes. However, can you ever imagine him saying anything like what Kraft said yesterday? Particularly the parts I put in red (my emphais)? I cannot.

Say what you will about Kraft, winning is the first, middle, and last objective. I do not believe the same is true for Jacobs.

Here's the transcript of the parts of yesterday's press conference dealing with Mayo, money, and winning. I cut out the bits about who might be a potential replacement because it doesn't fit the Jacobs/Kraft comparison angle.

+++++++++

“I’m going to be very brief here and say this whole situation is on me. I feel terrible for Jerod because I put him in an untenable situation. I know that he has all the tools as a head coach to be successful in this league. He just needed more time before taking the job. In the end, I’m a fan of this team first, and now I have to go out and find a coach who can get us back to the playoffs and, hopefully, Championships.”

“We’re open for questions.”

Robert, just when was the decision made? In your mind, when was it that you felt you needed to let him go?
“This whole situation evolved, but I’d say over the last month, I went back and forth, and … I don’t know. In my life and my business, I make certain decisions I know when it’s right, and it just happened. It was very hard because the personal relationship I feel for Jerod and the human being he is. I felt guilty I put him in that position. But we’re moving on.”

Robert, I know that you don’t make snap decisions. So I was wondering, at what point during the season did you sense something was not right? And if you could expand on that, what caught your attention that something wasn’t right?
“Well, in the important decisions in my life, I’ve always said I measure nine times and cut once. And this was one of those situations. I guess the main thing for me is I felt we regressed. The high point of everything for me was winning in the Cincinnati game. And then in midseason, I just think we started to regress.”

Robert, how significantly has fan reaction to the product on the field and to Jerod specifically played into your decision?
“I’m the biggest fan, so I understand. Since the day we bought this team and I realized what a privilege it was and how lucky we were as a family that this is the only business we’re involved in, where I see ourselves, we don’t own this team. It’s owned by the fans of this region. We’re custodians of a very special asset of the community. That’s why that helps me try to make decisions that if it was just personal, it would be different.”

Robert, when you say that the situation was untenable, what about it specifically did you find untenable, and how will that influence how you approach this search?
“I don’t like losing. I don’t like losing the way we lost. Just things were not developing the way we would have liked, and it was time to move on.”

I know this was very difficult for you to sit down with him. How did he take it? How did he respond? Was he shocked by the news?
“He was a man. Look, it was one of the more difficult things I’ve had to do in my life because I had such affection for him, and I believe in him, and I really do believe he will go on, and as he gets more experience, he’ll be successful. It was not easy. He was a gentleman and accepted it that way.”

Robert, this is going to be very expensive. Buying out a coaching staff, bringing in an all new coaching staff, perhaps it goes to the personnel department. You also have $120 million in cap space this year, the most in the league. Will what you spend on this transition affect anything that you spend on players this offseason?
“The answer is no. We’ve always had a situation where we spend to the cap, and if we go over the … We have never told any coach or limited the spending. The only thing we’ve said is, ‘if you exceed the cap, we’d like to see it leveled out over three years so that we never get way out of hand.’ But spending to the cap or above the cap is not… We want to win. That’s our priority first.”

You guys were told this was a multi-year rebuild, that it wasn’t going to turn around in one year. You said you believe in Jerod, you think he’ll be better with more experience. Why not let him get that experience here, knowing, going in, this was a multi-year process?
“From my point of view, I just thought we had a rough year last year. Not 24, 23. Going through two years like that and then seeing where we were this year, and especially the second half of the year, just made me feel we weren’t going in the right direction. And I don’t want to go through this next year, and we’re going to do what we got to do to fix it.”

Robert, we saw Jonathan very animated during the Cardinals game on television. How much was he involved in this decision and how is he going to be involved in this decision about who your next coach will be?
“Well, for over 30 years, he’s been with me in most decisions I’ve made in my life, surely business ones that are important. So he will continue to be involved with me.”

Click to read more...

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

Kraft has always been good at speaking of his appreciation for the fans. Regardless of anyone’s personal feelings about him as an owner, he did start out as a genuine local fan from his youth. He does have a passion for the Patriots. And yes, that makes him far more liked than the ownership of the Jacobs’ family which has been and is still entirely a business rather than a true passion.

That being said, I still don’t trust that Kraft is going to be able to get out of his own way. The reversion to 1990s Kraft (ie meddling in personnel decisions fairly outwardly) is what I see a return to given what he has said. Though he takes responsibility now, he is still talking like someone who had no idea of the reality of the roster heading into the season. He likes Mayo, thinks he will be successful, but says he wasn’t ready this year.

I just don’t trust he really grasps the issue was not as much timing on hiring the coach as it was just having a really subpar team. There is no greatest QB of all time to cover up for roster deficiencies anymore. The climb back to the top is steeper IMO than I think he realizes.

 

[Number8]

Kraft has always been good at speaking of his appreciation for the fans. Regardless of anyone’s personal feelings about him as an owner, he did start out as a genuine local fan from his youth. He does have a passion for the Patriots. And yes, that makes him far more liked than the ownership of the Jacobs’ family which has been and is still entirely a business rather than a true passion.

That being said, I still don’t trust that Kraft is going to be able to get out of his own way. The reversion to 1990s Kraft (ie meddling in personnel decisions fairly outwardly) is what I see a return to given what he has said. Though he takes responsibility now, he is still talking like someone who had no idea of the reality of the roster heading into the season. He likes Mayo, thinks he will be successful, but says he wasn’t ready this year.

I just don’t trust he really grasps the issue was not as much timing on hiring the coach as it was just having a really subpar team. There is no greatest QB of all time to cover up for roster deficiencies anymore. The climb back to the top is steeper IMO than I think he realizes.

I agree with all you say here.

It's Jacob's right to run a team like a business from A to Z. His money. I'd just kill for an owner who cares as much as we fans do.

Perfect example? I'd bet a lot that the turf, drainage and playing surface infrastructure at Gillette wasn't bought second hand from a team that had to essentially fold and then have a yard sale.

 

[EverettMike]

Jeremy Jacobs would rather finish last and make a profit than win a championship and break even.

 

[Smitty93]

No, Jeremy and the rest of the Jacobs family would never take personal blame for the team's failure, but they're also not that different either. Kraft doesn't care about winning for the sake of winning, he cares about it because he values his reputation, which is tied to the success of his football team, above all else. He wants credit and is desperate to make the Hall of Fame before he dies. Jacobs cares about winning insomuch as it leads to profits.

The real difference is that Kraft has a personal connection to the team (and area) that the Jacobs simply don't, and NFL owners are much more public faces (by choice) than NHL owners.

 

[RoccoF14]

Jeremy Jacobs would rather finish last and make a profit than win a championship and break even.

This is an honest question, as I've never really gotten all the over the top hatred for Jacobs and this idea that he doesn't care about winning....

Since our last Cup, what exactly has Jacobs done wrong for this organization, thats got people wanting to burn him in effigy? We've got one of the most stable and successful franchises in the NHL over the past 15 years. Including 2 SCF appearances. Has he withheld funds from the team? Blocked any potential personnel moves that have negatively impacted the club? What exactly?

Or is this just sour grapes because he hasn't fired Neely?

 

[EverettMike]

This is an honest question, as I've never really gotten all the over the top hatred for Jacobs and this idea that he doesn't care about winning....

Since our last Cup, what exactly has Jacobs done wrong for this organization, thats got people wanting to burn him in effigy? We've got one of the most stable and successful franchises in the NHL over the past 15 years. Including 2 SCF appearances. Has he withheld funds from the team? Blocked any potential personnel moves that have negatively impacted the club? What exactly?

Or is this just sour grapes because he hasn't fired Neely?

Sigh. Sure sounds like an "honest question" when you end with that.

 

[RoccoF14]

Sigh. Sure sounds like an "honest question" when you end with that.

It is.

I just don't see it. What am I missing? Is firing Neely the only issue here?

 

[Number8]

It is.

I just don't see it. What am I missing? Is firing Neely the only issue here?

As a fan, have you ever complained about the quality of the ice at Boston Garden?

The Boston Bruins for years have skated half of their season on subpar ice.

An owner who put team success above all else doesn't, after years of inaction, try to fix it by buying a used ice machine off an NHL team that had to close up shop and move to Utah. Hope Jerry was on his toes -- he probably could have got some used towels thrown in for cheap.

 

[RoccoF14]

As a fan, have you ever complained about the quality of the ice at Boston Garden?

The Boston Bruins for years have skated half of their season on subpar ice.

An owner who put team success above all else doesn't, after years of inaction, try to fix it by buying a used ice machine off an NHL team that had to close up shop and move to Utah. Hope Jerry was on his toes -- he probably could have got some used towels thrown in for cheap.

Fair enough. The ice is dogshit, for sure, and they own the Arena.

 

[4ORRBRUIN]

Many of you know I am not a huge Jeremy Jacobs fan. I won't belabor you with my long standing gripes. However, can you ever imagine him saying anything like what Kraft said yesterday? Particularly the parts I put in red (my emphais)? I cannot.

Say what you will about Kraft, winning is the first, middle, and last objective. I do not believe the same is true for Jacobs.

Here's the transcript of the parts of yesterday's press conference dealing with Mayo, money, and winning. I cut out the bits about who might be a potential replacement because it doesn't fit the Jacobs/Kraft comparison angle.

+++++++++

“I’m going to be very brief here and say this whole situation is on me. I feel terrible for Jerod because I put him in an untenable situation. I know that he has all the tools as a head coach to be successful in this league. He just needed more time before taking the job. In the end, I’m a fan of this team first, and now I have to go out and find a coach who can get us back to the playoffs and, hopefully, Championships.”

“We’re open for questions.”

Robert, just when was the decision made? In your mind, when was it that you felt you needed to let him go?
“This whole situation evolved, but I’d say over the last month, I went back and forth, and … I don’t know. In my life and my business, I make certain decisions I know when it’s right, and it just happened. It was very hard because the personal relationship I feel for Jerod and the human being he is. I felt guilty I put him in that position. But we’re moving on.”

Robert, I know that you don’t make snap decisions. So I was wondering, at what point during the season did you sense something was not right? And if you could expand on that, what caught your attention that something wasn’t right?
“Well, in the important decisions in my life, I’ve always said I measure nine times and cut once. And this was one of those situations. I guess the main thing for me is I felt we regressed. The high point of everything for me was winning in the Cincinnati game. And then in midseason, I just think we started to regress.”

Robert, how significantly has fan reaction to the product on the field and to Jerod specifically played into your decision?
“I’m the biggest fan, so I understand. Since the day we bought this team and I realized what a privilege it was and how lucky we were as a family that this is the only business we’re involved in, where I see ourselves, we don’t own this team. It’s owned by the fans of this region. We’re custodians of a very special asset of the community. That’s why that helps me try to make decisions that if it was just personal, it would be different.”

Robert, when you say that the situation was untenable, what about it specifically did you find untenable, and how will that influence how you approach this search?
“I don’t like losing. I don’t like losing the way we lost. Just things were not developing the way we would have liked, and it was time to move on.”

I know this was very difficult for you to sit down with him. How did he take it? How did he respond? Was he shocked by the news?
“He was a man. Look, it was one of the more difficult things I’ve had to do in my life because I had such affection for him, and I believe in him, and I really do believe he will go on, and as he gets more experience, he’ll be successful. It was not easy. He was a gentleman and accepted it that way.”

Robert, this is going to be very expensive. Buying out a coaching staff, bringing in an all new coaching staff, perhaps it goes to the personnel department. You also have $120 million in cap space this year, the most in the league. Will what you spend on this transition affect anything that you spend on players this offseason?
“The answer is no. We’ve always had a situation where we spend to the cap, and if we go over the … We have never told any coach or limited the spending. The only thing we’ve said is, ‘if you exceed the cap, we’d like to see it leveled out over three years so that we never get way out of hand.’ But spending to the cap or above the cap is not… We want to win. That’s our priority first.”

You guys were told this was a multi-year rebuild, that it wasn’t going to turn around in one year. You said you believe in Jerod, you think he’ll be better with more experience. Why not let him get that experience here, knowing, going in, this was a multi-year process?
“From my point of view, I just thought we had a rough year last year. Not 24, 23. Going through two years like that and then seeing where we were this year, and especially the second half of the year, just made me feel we weren’t going in the right direction. And I don’t want to go through this next year, and we’re going to do what we got to do to fix it.”

Robert, we saw Jonathan very animated during the Cardinals game on television. How much was he involved in this decision and how is he going to be involved in this decision about who your next coach will be?
“Well, for over 30 years, he’s been with me in most decisions I’ve made in my life, surely business ones that are important. So he will continue to be involved with me.”

Mayo was fired for not gifting the Krafts an out card on being cheap and good for him going out with his head held high.

Go listen to last year when these bozzos hire Mayo, Frauds

Fair enough. The ice is dogshit, for sure, and they own the Arena.

Want to improve the ice? Get rid of the basketball team that puts wood on top of it 45 time a season.

 

[McGarnagle]

This is an honest question, as I've never really gotten all the over the top hatred for Jacobs and this idea that he doesn't care about winning....

Since our last Cup, what exactly has Jacobs done wrong for this organization, thats got people wanting to burn him in effigy? We've got one of the most stable and successful franchises in the NHL over the past 15 years. Including 2 SCF appearances. Has he withheld funds from the team? Blocked any potential personnel moves that have negatively impacted the club? What exactly?

Or is this just sour grapes because he hasn't fired Neely?

Jacobs is a very good owner. They spend to the cap, and he's given Sweeney and Neely support to run hockey operations without meddling. What more can you ask for, other than a new ice plant (which I've read is something that they can't really fix given the current building's limitations)?

 

[Smitty93]

This is an honest question, as I've never really gotten all the over the top hatred for Jacobs and this idea that he doesn't care about winning....

Since our last Cup, what exactly has Jacobs done wrong for this organization, thats got people wanting to burn him in effigy? We've got one of the most stable and successful franchises in the NHL over the past 15 years. Including 2 SCF appearances. Has he withheld funds from the team? Blocked any potential personnel moves that have negatively impacted the club? What exactly?

Or is this just sour grapes because he hasn't fired Neely?

Yes, ownership funds the team, but what they really do is set the expectations and goals for the organization.

We had a semi-regime change 10 years ago, so let's look at that. They are first in point % in that period. They have made the playoffs 8 out of 9 years. Those 8 playoffs have ended with 1 Finals loss, 4 Second Round losses, and 3 First Round losses. They are 5th in playoff wins, but only 17th in playoff win %. They win 60% of their regular season games but only 48% of playoff games. How does that compare to other teams? Colorado is 55% and 61%, Tampa is 60% and 61%, Vegas is 59% and 60%. There are 6 teams with a worse drop off in W% between the regular season and playoffs: Kings, Wild, Red Wings, Flames, Jets, and Maple Leafs. So they might not be the biggest underperformers, but they're on the list.

The Jacobs' Family's actions (or lack thereof) would suggest the team is not underperforming on the metrics they care about. And if we just saw that they're underperforming on winning when it matters, what must that mean?

 

[Therick67]

Jacobs is a very good owner. They spend to the cap, and he's given Sweeney and Neely support to run hockey operations without meddling. What more can you ask for, other than a new ice plant (which I've read is something that they can't really fix given the current building's limitations)?

the thing is, he wasn't always a good owner and some of us will always hold that against him..

 

[Smitty93]

People know there's more to a team's budget than just the players, right? Spending to the cap is like the minimum expectation of an owner. 60% of the league spent to the cap last year, and 85% of the league spent at least 90% of the cap.

How does their budget compare to other teams on scouting and analytics, player health and wellness, skill development? Maybe they're at the top of the league for all of those, but private financials means we just don't know. How much of their revenue do they spend on the team and how does that compare to everyone else?

If we're going to call someone a good owner because of their spending, don't we need to know all of that?

 

[Fenian24]

This is an honest question, as I've never really gotten all the over the top hatred for Jacobs and this idea that he doesn't care about winning....

Since our last Cup, what exactly has Jacobs done wrong for this organization, thats got people wanting to burn him in effigy? We've got one of the most stable and successful franchises in the NHL over the past 15 years. Including 2 SCF appearances. Has he withheld funds from the team? Blocked any potential personnel moves that have negatively impacted the club? What exactly?

Or is this just sour grapes because he hasn't fired Neely?

Jeremy Jacobs is a cancer to the league as a whole and the Bruins in particular. He and Harry Sinden were a nightmare for fans from 1974 until fans stopped going and Monty Burns and his mini me realized they would actually have to spend money. This team is about profit. Period. Always has been, always will be. If they could still get away with just opening the doors and putting a mediocre team on the ice year after year they would as long as the concession money kept flowing in.

If you wonder why so many older fans hate Jacobs' guts it's pretty simple, we were the cows being lead to slaughter year after year. No real chance of winning just keep giving us your money. I gave up in 95 and didn't renew my season tickets after 10 years, and I loved hockey then. In place of putting one penny in JJ's pocket I would go to Islander games, Montreal, Whalers until they left, AHL, and when I found out about the QSPHL I went to those games. I started to watch a bit when they signed Chara and Savard but they were still awful (thanks Dave Lewis) and I couldn't commit, then they signed Shawn Thornton and added Milan Lucic and started playing a style I love, I still won't give Jacobs a penny and even though the current game does not resemble the game I fell in love with years ago I still watch and get frustrated by this team.

The Jacobs enablers say "it's his team, he can run it how he wants" and they are right. But the man is such a cheap scumbag and has treated this fan base as his personal ATM for so long it sickens me that he is still here. Kraft gets crap for being cheap, I don't really follow football so he may well be but he seems to care about his fans and has won championships. JJ has 1 (ONE) in 50 plus years of ownership. I cannot find the source of the quote on line but he was credited in the late 80's with saying "winning a championship costs to much" and I do not doubt that one bit. He has had fights with other NHL owners about how poorly he ran the Bruins ( I will always be happy Mile Illitch got to win some Cups in Detroit because of his disagreements with Jacobs), he cares about his profits and nothing else. As a fan of this team for many, many years I despise this man and will rejoice when he is gone.

People know there's more to a team's budget than just the players, right? Spending to the cap is like the minimum expectation of an owner. 60% of the league spent to the cap last year, and 85% of the league spent at least 90% of the cap.

How does their budget compare to other teams on scouting and analytics, player health and wellness, skill development? Maybe they're at the top of the league for all of those, but private financials means we just don't know. How much of their revenue do they spend on the team and how does that compare to everyone else?

If we're going to call someone a good owner because of their spending, don't we need to know all of that?

Take a look at the ice conditions in the Garden and you have your answer. They are so poor they are ok risking injuries to players to save from installing new ice making equipment. F*** Jacobs, now and forever.

 

[Smitty93]

Jeremy Jacobs is a cancer to the league as a whole and the Bruins in particular. He and Harry Sinden were a nightmare for fans from 1974 until fans stopped going and Monty Burns and his mini me realized they would actually have to spend money. This team is about profit. Period. Always has been, always will be. If they could still get away with just opening the doors and putting a mediocre team on the ice year after year they would as long as the concession money kept flowing in.

If you wonder why so many older fans hate Jacobs' guts it's pretty simple, we were the cows being lead to slaughter year after year. No real chance of winning just keep giving us your money. I gave up in 95 and didn't renew my season tickets after 10 years, and I loved hockey then. In place of putting one penny in JJ's pocket I would go to Islander games, Montreal, Whalers until they left, AHL, and when I found out about the QSPHL I went to those games. I started to watch a bit when they signed Chara and Savard but they were still awful (thanks Dave Lewis) and I couldn't commit, then they signed Shawn Thornton and added Milan Lucic and started playing a style I love, I still won't give Jacobs a penny and even though the current game does not resemble the game I fell in love with years ago I still watch and get frustrated by this team.

The Jacobs enablers say "it's his team, he can run it how he wants" and they are right. But the man is such a cheap scumbag and has treated this fan base as his personal ATM for so long it sickens me that he is still here. Kraft gets crap for being cheap, I don't really follow football so he may well be but he seems to care about his fans and has won championships. JJ has 1 (ONE) in 50 plus years of ownership. I cannot find the source of the quote on line but he was credited in the late 80's with saying "winning a championship costs to much" and I do not doubt that one bit. He has had fights with other NHL owners about how poorly he ran the Bruins ( I will always be happy Mile Illitch got to win some Cups in Detroit because of his disagreements with Jacobs), he cares about his profits and nothing else. As a fan of this team for many, many years I despise this man and will rejoice when he is gone.


Take a look at the ice conditions in the Garden and you have your answer. They are so poor they are ok risking injuries to players to save from installing new ice making equipment. F*** Jacobs, now and forever.

I swear, hasn't there been talk of a new ice plant for years? It definitely pre-dates COVID. I feel like there was definitely talk around the 2019 Finals that they had to delay it because the season lasted so long.

 

[GloryDaze4877]

Mayo was fired for not gifting the Krafts an out card on being cheap and good for him going out with his head held high.

Go listen to last year when these bozzos hire Mayo, Frauds

Mayo was fired for one reason and one reason only. He was in over his head and the team regressed over the year under his watch.

Same mistakes over and over again, poor clock management and strategic decisions, no in-game adjustments, players running their mouths after horrible losses, constantly running back things he said publicly to the media.

Did he get a raw deal? Absolutely. Firing him was still the right way to go. The easy thing for Kraft would have been to bring him back. Personally, I don’t care why Kraft wants to win, as long as he does.

 

[4ORRBRUIN]

Mayo was fired for one reason and on reason only. He was in over his head and the team regressed over the year under his watch. Same mistakes over and over again, poor clock management and strategic decisions, no in-game adjustments, players running their mouths after horrible losses.

Did he get a raw deal? Absolutely. Firing him was still the right way to go. The easy thing for Kraft would have been to bring him back. Personally, I don’t care why Kraft wants to win, as long as he does.

I think you are giving Kraft way to much credit, time will tell. They knew what they had when they hired the guy.

They lucked out with Maye but there is nothing to get excited about with that team. Mayo ruined what the Krafts where hoping was a get out of jail card for spending nothing on the teams roster and in the end planing on a media lovefest with the first overall pick.

They are F'ed and its on him, no-one else. At least now he will be forced to spend on FA market or watch the stadium be 3/4 full again next season

 

[GloryDaze4877]

I think you are giving Kraft way to much credit, time will tell. They knew what they had when they hired the guy.

They lucked out with Maye but there is nothing to get excited about with that team. Mayo ruined what the Krafts where hoping was a get out of jail card for spending nothing on the teams roster and in the end planing on a media lovefest with the first overall pick.

They are F'ed and its on him, no-one else. At least now he will be forced to spend on FA market or watch the stadium be 3/4 full again next season

Didn’t Kraft take responsibility for everything at the press conference? Mayo was put in a tough position, but after the season, I would be hard pressed to name one thing he did right.

Kraft is spending money on the facilities, and he will have to spend money to name a new coach (and pay the fired ones). Hopefully, he spends more money on scouting, analytics and team infrastructure as well. If he truly does want to win, he will have to bring in the right people and it’s going to cost him. I do believe he wants to win.

 

[chizzler]

Kraft trying to cheap out again like when Brady was here. He found out that isn’t working anymore. He’s going to have to pay out. He’s as cheap as Jacobs, except he got luck with a mega quarterback that took less money to play.

 

[4ORRBRUIN]

Didn’t Kraft take responsibility for everything at the press conference? Mayo was put in a tough position, but after the season, I would be hard pressed to name one thing he did right.

Kraft is spending money on the facilities, and he will have to spend money to name a new coach (and pay the fired ones). Hopefully, he spends more money on scouting, analytics and team infrastructure as well. If he truly does want to win, he will have to bring in the right people and it’s going to cost him. I do believe he wants to win.

I have zero doubt he AND Jacobs want to win, I just wish Bobby Orr heard the deal Jacobs offered him to stay in Boston.

I would have to think Orr in the mix all these years the B's may have looked different.

Imagine saying no if Orr wanted you to come to Boston to be on his team that he had ownership in?

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Mayo was fired for not gifting the Krafts an out card on being cheap and good for him going out with his head held high.

Go listen to last year when these bozzos hire Mayo, Frauds


Want to improve the ice? Get rid of the basketball team that puts wood on top of it 45 time a season.

Good point.

Rangers have had bad ice for as long as I can remember.

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

I swear, hasn't there been talk of a new ice plant for years? It definitely pre-dates COVID. I feel like there was definitely talk around the 2019 Finals that they had to delay it because the season lasted so long.

They also said they would swap out the seats in the balcony for ones that those who weigh more than 90 points could fit into comfortably. The kept making excuses after every season for why they couldn’t do it and just waited for people to stop asking about it. Everyone remember that deal they made with the city when they built the new Garden to fund a charity event yearly? They figured out no one was actually monitoring whether or not it happened and just declined to do it.

That actually irks me more than anything. Jacobs is hardly the first owner to gouge the f*** out of everyone and everything to pile up gross sums of cash. But the insult bullshit gauge is uncomfortably high even in the context of other multi-billion dollar corporations with his/their ownership. And yeah, it doesn’t help that there’s nothing about what the Jacobs family does that indicates any passion for the team or game itself.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

I agree with all you say here.

It's Jacob's right to run a team like a business from A to Z. His money. I'd just kill for an owner who cares as much as we fans do.

Perfect example? I'd bet a lot that the turf, drainage and playing surface infrastructure at Gillette wasn't bought second hand from a team that had to essentially fold and then have a yard sale.

The Sabres have that guy in Terry Pegula.

How's that worked out?

Pegula also owns the Buffalo Bills. They do quite well.

Vincent Viola owns the Florida Panthers. Originally from Brooklyn, still lives in NYC. No interest in hockey until he bought the team.

Seems the owner really doesn't have much to do with a team's success.

Everyone remember that deal they made with the city when they built the new Garden to fund a charity event yearly? They figured out no one was actually monitoring whether or not it happened and just declined to do it.
That actually irks me more than anything. Jacobs is hardly the first owner to gouge the f*** out of everyone and everything to pile up gross sums of cash. But the insult bullshit gauge is uncomfortably high even in the context of other multi-billion dollar corporations with his/their ownership. And yeah, it doesn’t help that there’s nothing about what the Jacobs family does that indicates any passion for the team or game itself.

That's not true.