Hey Terry, Do Us A Favor and SELL

[HogtownSabresfan]

IIRC, there was a huge tug of war when Research In Motion's (the company behind the BlackBerry) Jim Balsillie wanted to bring a team to Hamilton and there was speculation that he could buy the Sabres out of bankruptcy and move them. But, the Leafs argued that Hamilton was within their territorial area and blocked it.

But, I could be remembering the Balsillie stuff wrong.

The Leafs argued moving another team there was in their territory. There was a rumour he tried to buy Sabres but never much on that. Pegula is spending on rink, so this is probably a moot point.

From the NYT: (What Balsillie Means by 'Southern Ontario,' and Why Losing the Sabres Could Crush the N.H.L.)

Here’s the rub. Under longstanding N.H.L. rules, Hamilton lies within the Buffalo Sabres’ territory. Anything having to do with N.H.L. or affiliated minor league hockey within a 50-mile radius of the Sabres’ home rink in downtown Buffalo has to be approved by the Sabres. Hamilton’s Copps Coliseum is 45 miles from downtown Buffalo — a problem the Hamilton City Council knew about before construction began in 1983 but chose to ignore by jettisoning alternative plans to build the rink farther to the north. (Nice timeline on the history of Copps Coliseum in this article from The Hamilton Spectator.

 

[Jim Bob]

Fifty years ago, a deejay and a Sabres novelty song inspired Terry Pegula’s Buffalo sports empire

Late in the 1974-75 NHL season, Pegula relocated to rural Western New York and started hearing new voices that transformed him.

www.nytimes.com

Fifty years ago, late in the 1974-75 NHL season, Pegula relocated to rural Western New York for a job at Felmont Oil and started hearing new voices that transformed him.

It was in Olean, N.Y., near the Pennsylvania border and about 70 miles south of Buffalo, where Pegula would listen to WGR 550-AM, in those days an adult top 40 station that played Jim Croce, the Mamas and the Papas, America, Anne Murray and B.J. Thomas.

WGR also aired Buffalo Sabres games and took great lengths to hype the young franchise. Pegula was hooked by morning disc jockey Stan Roberts and an inescapable, jaunty novelty song.

“He’s the reason I own the Sabres,” Pegula said in a 2019 interview with The Athletic. “Stan Roberts was one of the funniest people I’ve ever heard on a radio show. That was my wake-up every morning, and they promoted the Sabres.

“They’d play that song, ‘We’re Gonna Win That Cup,’ and I just got brainwashed.”

Now we know who to blame.

 

[ValJamesDuex]

Pegula with a appearance at the Bill's Stadium ceremony yesterday. Sure would be nice if he did that for the Sabres and not hide behind Guelli, Adams, and Ruff. Might help with renewals.

 

[hizzoner]

Fifty years ago, a deejay and a Sabres novelty song inspired Terry Pegula’s Buffalo sports empire

Late in the 1974-75 NHL season, Pegula relocated to rural Western New York and started hearing new voices that transformed him.

www.nytimes.com

Now we know who to blame.

I loved that song and sang it many times at the Aud!

 

[Chainshot]

Pegula with a appearance at the Bill's Stadium ceremony yesterday. Sure would be nice if he did that for the Sabres and not hide behind Guelli, Adams, and Ruff. Might help with renewals.

Do you get to punch him in the nuts if he shows up as part of the renewal? Because that might get a few people to come out.

 

[debaser66]

Caligula put his horse in the senate, Pegula made Kevyn Adams GM of the Sabres.

The similarities are striking.

He is more like Pegulas Donkey

 

[sabremike]

I have reached a level of cynicism with Pegula to believe if Dahlin demanded out it wouldn't bother him one bit and he'd actually be happy to rid himself of an $11 million expense.

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

No progress on this front yet. Right??

 

[Zman5778]

No progress on this front yet. Right??

Why would there be? There is zero reason for him to sell other than a (significantly sized) portion of the fan base is pissed at him

 

[Taro Tsujimoto]

You know you're a laughingstock when a bowling alley rips you:

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

Why would there be? There is zero reason for him to sell other than a (significantly sized) portion of the fan base is pissed at him

I'm a drowning man off Sodus Point with only one straw left to breath through.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

I have reached a level of cynicism with Pegula to believe if Dahlin demanded out it wouldn't bother him one bit and he'd actually be happy to rid himself of an $11 million expense.

Maybe

 

[Gabrielor]

I want what happened last night to never happen again.

 

[Jim Bob]

No progress on this front yet. Right??

It does not sound like they are looking to sell the team at this point in time.

 

[oldgoalie]

It does not sound like they are looking to sell the team at this point in time.

But hopefully Terry is.

 

[ckg927]

You say it.

Done.

It's likely that GMKA isn't going anywhere. So it's time for the fans to start voting with their wallets and not renewing their season tickets. To stop coming to games. To stop paying for food and drink. If that means somewhere down the road the Sabres move somewhere else, so be it. I am TIRED of throwing my support to a team owned by someone who doesn't give a damn, a GM that is CLEARLY overmatched, and players who'd have trouble making an AHL roster never mind an NHL one.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

I miss the Rigas years

 

[Cirris]

The hidden fear I have is that if Terry does eventually sell the team, It won't be to a local buyer. And the risk of the team just moving out seems very real to me. Especially with key bank arena lease looming.

This town doesn't have a lot of big name money people. And the NHL as a whole is far less lucrative for small market teams compared to the NFL.

 

[Ace]

The hidden fear I have is that if Terry does eventually sell the team, It won't be to a local buyer. And the risk of the team just moving out seems very real to me. Especially with key bank arena lease looming.

This town doesn't have a lot of big name money people. And the NHL as a whole is far less lucrative for small market teams compared to the NFL.

If I was going to leave a market I’d do exactly everything Terry Pegula has done for the last five years and counting.

Destroy it so people don’t put up much of a fight. Get your giant bag from someone who will move it to a major market.

If he didn’t own the Bills I’d be certain it was the purpose behind his choices.

But he does own the Bills. And he will be tied to this town for the rest of his life. Which means he really is just this incompetent

 

[VaporTrail]

Pegula is Kevin Bacon trying to assure the fans

 

[SharkInABoloTie]

Saying what others have been thinking

 

[May Day 10]

How about at least hiring a Sabres team president, and not a Bills guy moonlighting as the head of the Sabres filling in gaps in his schedule? Can we at least have that?

 

[CaliSabresfan24]

Hope Terry and Kevyn see this quote from Zucker

 

[Selanne00008]

I don't think he is selling, BUT, if he were, i do not think the team leaves Buffalo. I don't think the NHL would actually allow it, nor think it's in the best interest of the NHL to have one of the top two NHL viewer markets NOT have a home town team.

What are the Sabres worth? And does Josh Allen have enough liquidity to buy them?

 

[DapperCam]

Just a reminder that the Sabres made the playoffs 75% of the time before Terry bought the team. I'm really wondering how he even became a billionaire in the first place. Is it possible in the fracking business that you can just make bad decision after bad decision and still print money?