I Welcome Al.
- Der Kaiser

To be honest, I really wasn't offended by it. It was eye-roll worthy, but nothing more than that. The people in this city, including myself, often just need to grow thicker skin and move on.
- buffalofan19

It was stupid. I think the more offensive thing about the intro to that game was the attendance. A Saturday evening game should have more than 2500 people at it.

What's up everyone? I miss anything good or just the usual?

I'm just lost on his thinking. When 13 of your own citizens die, some trapped in their cars for hours, I don't find that funny. And Pegula didn't either. Sometimes you have to stand up for your fellow citizens and say enough is enough. Classless and gutless. I don't care if people mock our weather but not this time.

It was stupid. I think the more offensive thing about the intro to that game was the attendance. A Saturday evening game should have more than 2500 people at it.
- SabresFaninIndiana

But I am told if they were better tney would have better attendance.

What's up everyone? I miss anything good or just the usual?
- Orphen22

FLETCHER: HASLETT IS CLUELESS

"He has no idea what he's doing. He's proven year in and year out that he's not a good defensive coordinator."

Former Redskins LB London Fletcher, speaking about defensive coordinator Jim Haslett on CBS' pregame show today.

Discussion I am having with MR 19 in Garth's thread

I understand the rebuilding part just fine. I'm not disputing any of what Tallon is doing, but the point is that they aren't winning right now. Whether "he's doing it right" or not, there's no reason for people to go see them right now. They will start going if this team ends up as good as we all think it will be. The fact remains, this team has sucked for the better part of two decades, and they still suck right now.

Put it this way: say the Florida Panthers had traded draft positions with the Pittsburgh Penguins from, say, 2004 until 2008, and they were the team that ended up with Crosby and Malkin, won a Cup, had a team near the top of the league, even considering all their playoff struggles, do you think that building would be as empty as it was last night? No, it absolutely would not. It would probably have been sold out. People go to games to see winners, especially in places where the tradition isn't that strong.

I'm not making excuses for anybody. I'm not even saying that they should or shouldn't be moved (I actually think they will be sooner rather than later), but I also think that putting a piss poor product in a brand new market for the better part of 20 years and then throwing your arms up and saying "see, it doesn't work in this market" shows an absolutely mind-boggling lack of business understanding. It's not that the market sucks. It's that the product does.
- buffalofan19


Why is it a team in Buffalo can be a loser and draw 18000 people every night and yet . A team that actually is in the playoff hunt that is young and exciting has about 2000 in the stands on a Saturday Night. The market is soft.
Please do not try and tell me I do not understand business . I have a Bachelor of Commerce degree as well as an MBA . My company I own is also very successful. Please get over yourself . You are not the only intelligent person in here. All it takes is the eyeball test to see the bums in the seats last night . And probably 40% of them were Sabre's fans.

But maybe it is a conspiracy . The game was broadcast over a green screen . The building was actually full and an empty arena was put in the background.

It is like the restaurant and bar business . Any idiot can be busy on Friday and Saturday night. The real smart Bar / restaurant owner finds ways to fill his seats on slower nights . Any owner can fill the seats when you are a cup contender . Strong franchises in good markets fill the seats when the team is weaker or rebuilding.

I am tired of someone trying to tell us we are so sensitive because everyone in Buffalo has a so called inferiority complex. Really ? The video was classless and tasteless especially considering the loss of life. I am really tired of posters trying to twist a topic so it suits a superiority complex . They actually have no right to have . Come back to me when you have 20 more years of real life experience . You will realize you were not as smart as you thought you were!

Discussion I am having with MR 19 in Garth's thread

I understand the rebuilding part just fine. I'm not disputing any of what Tallon is doing, but the point is that they aren't winning right now. Whether "he's doing it right" or not, there's no reason for people to go see them right now. They will start going if this team ends up as good as we all think it will be. The fact remains, this team has sucked for the better part of two decades, and they still suck right now.

Put it this way: say the Florida Panthers had traded draft positions with the Pittsburgh Penguins from, say, 2004 until 2008, and they were the team that ended up with Crosby and Malkin, won a Cup, had a team near the top of the league, even considering all their playoff struggles, do you think that building would be as empty as it was last night? No, it absolutely would not. It would probably have been sold out. People go to games to see winners, especially in places where the tradition isn't that strong.

I'm not making excuses for anybody. I'm not even saying that they should or shouldn't be moved (I actually think they will be sooner rather than later), but I also think that putting a piss poor product in a brand new market for the better part of 20 years and then throwing your arms up and saying "see, it doesn't work in this market" shows an absolutely mind-boggling lack of business understanding. It's not that the market sucks. It's that the product does.
- buffalofan19


Why is it a team in Buffalo can be a loser and draw 18000 people every night and yet . A team that actually is in the playoff hunt that is young and exciting has about 2000 in the stands on a Saturday Night. The market is soft.
Please do not try and tell me I do not understand business . I have a Bachelor of Commerce degree as well as an MBA . My company I own is also very successful. Please get over yourself . You are not the only intelligent person in here. All it takes is the eyeball test to see the bums in the seats last night . And probably 40% of them were Sabre's fans.

But maybe it is a conspiracy . The game was broadcast over a green screen . The building was actually full and an empty arena was put in the background.

It is like the restaurant and bar business . Any idiot can be busy on Friday and Saturday night. The real smart Bar / restaurant owner finds ways to fill his seats on slower nights . Any owner can fill the seats when you are a cup contender . Strong franchises in good markets fill the seats when the team is weaker or rebuilding.
- Maximum Signal

regarding the se teams and hockey

the product has to be descent or the fans do not come out, simple

the bolts struggle for years, the attendance sucks
they have a quality product now, and the arena is 90% full or more on most nights
the arena has had improvements over the years and I would put their core fans (10,000) against any other core fans of other teams


the flip side to that, is tampa can not support a baseball team despite winning

in miami, they need a quality product or they will fail at the gates, plan and simple
when the panthers made the finals, the place was rocking
if they have a product that is a fringe playoff team for 5 years in a row, they will become viable


in atlanta, the product sucked and they did not give them to reap the rewards
jr hockey was rising and if they had a descent product on the ice for a 5 year stretch, it would have worked

atlanta was so much more viable then miami, as a generation of hockey fans were about to hit the market 5 years from now, the kids playing hockey for the past 8 or so years


say your a 30 year old single male in miami, and it's saturday night
bad hockey team or the club life in miami, easy choice

Oh and by the way...

Also , for the people worrying about losing that very first pick (Generational type player).
Allow me to remind the posters here that we have three 1st round picks and two 2nd rounders .
That is a ton of ammo for Murray that if he wanted, he could package to get back to the top of the draft board next year.
A combination of those first 5 picks in the first 2 rounds and perhaps a goalie to a team (from our stable) may be very interesting to some teams.
A surplus of picks (building blocks for the future) may be what some teams would want in place of just ONE player.
If Murray really wants McDavid or Eichel it is not out of the realm of possibility that if we continue to win now and lose one of those first 2 picks that Murray can not put a package together to still get up there.
Having that many picks in the first 2 rounds can get anything done in my opinion.
The way the rest of this season plays out and the deals done at the deadline (giving away some of those picks or sitting on them) will tell me 100% what Murray may have up his sleeve when it comes to next years entry draft.
So just stop worrying about the winning and just enjoy your Buffalo Sabres.
- BuffaloHardHat

We would have a lot of ammo to try n get a deal done...
But I'd be SHOCKED if a team traded the 1st or 2nd pick
Every year u hear about how the team with the 1st pick will "listen to offers" yet no one ever offers enough to make it happen...

regarding the se teams and hockey

the product has to be descent or the fans do not come out, simple

the bolts struggle for years, the attendance sucks
they have a quality product now, and the arena is 90% full or more on most nights
the arena has had improvements over the years and I would put their core fans (10,000) against any other core fans of other teams


the flip side to that, is tampa can not support a baseball team despite winning

in miami, they need a quality product or they will fail at the gates, plan and simple
when the panthers made the finals, the place was rocking
if they have a product that is a fringe playoff team for 5 years in a row, they will become viable


in atlanta, the product sucked and they did not give them to reap the rewards
jr hockey was rising and if they had a descent product on the ice for a 5 year stretch, it would have worked

atlanta was so much more viable then miami, as a generation of hockey fans were about to hit the market 5 years from now, the kids playing hockey for the past 8 or so years


say your a 30 year old single male in miami, and it's saturday night
bad hockey team or the club life in miami, easy choice
- homiedclown

But the team is not so bad . They are young and exciting to watch as well . 2500 on a weekend night is inexcusable.

But the team is not so bad . They are young and exciting to watch as well . 2500 on a weekend night is inexcusable.
- Maximum Signal

did you read what I posted?

you need 5 plus years of quality play to get the fans interested, otherwise they will not show up til playoffs

it's totally different down here in the south

regarding the se teams and hockey

the product has to be descent or the fans do not come out, simple

the bolts struggle for years, the attendance sucks
they have a quality product now, and the arena is 90% full or more on most nights
the arena has had improvements over the years and I would put their core fans (10,000) against any other core fans of other teams


the flip side to that, is tampa can not support a baseball team despite winning

in miami, they need a quality product or they will fail at the gates, plan and simple
when the panthers made the finals, the place was rocking
if they have a product that is a fringe playoff team for 5 years in a row, they will become viable


in atlanta, the product sucked and they did not give them to reap the rewards
jr hockey was rising and if they had a descent product on the ice for a 5 year stretch, it would have worked

atlanta was so much more viable then miami, as a generation of hockey fans were about to hit the market 5 years from now, the kids playing hockey for the past 8 or so years


say your a 30 year old single male in miami, and it's saturday night
bad hockey team or the club life in miami, easy choice
- homiedclown

Now a days, u have to put a good product on the ice
Even here in Buffalo in the early 2000s attendance sucked
Its can happen anywhere
Its especially damaging in nontraditional hockey markets though
I don't blame the ppl of Atlanta,
I blame their poopty management for never putting together a team worth watching!

did you read what I posted?

you need 5 plus years of quality play to get the fans interested, otherwise they will not show up til playoffs

it's totally different down here in the south
- homiedclown

Miami does not deserve a team . I don't care how bad you are 2500 on a Saturday night is not acceptable.

We would have a lot of ammo to try n get a deal done...
But I'd be SHOCKED if a team traded the 1st or 2nd pick
Every year u hear about how the team with the 1st pick will "listen to offers" yet no one ever offers enough to make it happen...
- jdfitz77

Now this is the proper way to reply.
Thank you jd.
But hey, you never do know, right?
No one can say for certain unless you are buff19 of course.
Look at all that ammo in the first 2 rounds.
That one team may want 3-4 really good prospects instead of just one possible cornerstone player.

Miami does not deserve a team . I don't care how bad you are 2500 on a Saturday night is not acceptable.
- Maximum Signal

it's an afterthought down there, and for good reason

the team has sucked donkey balls for the last 18 years

Now a days, u have to put a good product on the ice
Even here in Buffalo in the early 2000s attendance sucked
Its can happen anywhere
Its especially damaging in nontraditional hockey markets though
I don't blame the ppl of Atlanta,
I blame their poopty management for never putting together a team worth watching!
- jdfitz77

Fine on a Saturday night if you cannot draw 7 - 10 thousand. You are a joke . 2500 is clinically dead . Unplug and move to Quebec where even if you suck there will be 15,000 on a Saturday night

Now a days, u have to put a good product on the ice
Even here in Buffalo in the early 2000s attendance sucked
Its can happen anywhere
Its especially damaging in nontraditional hockey markets though
I don't blame the ppl of Atlanta,
I blame their poopty management for never putting together a team worth watching!
- jdfitz77

I went to a few games right before the lockout during the bankrupt years in buffalo (trip back home)
the sens blew out the sabres, hossa went off and there was maybe 5,000 people in the arena

and I think I am being kind saying 5,000

I think it was the year we traded ray to the sens, the game was sometime between x mas and new years

it's an afterthought down there, and for good reason

the team has sucked donkey balls for the last 18 years
- homiedclown

They went to a cup final , won a division just a few years ago . Move that team for the good of the NHL . Tampa can be Florida's team it is not a long road trip from Miami to Tampa if you want to see an NHL game.

Fine on a Saturday night if you cannot draw 7 - 10 thousand. You are a joke . 2500 is clinically dead . Unplug and move to Quebec where even if you suck there will be 15,000 on a Saturday night
- Maximum Signal

I'd rather they move them to another american market, our country needs to keep as many people employed as they can

Now this is the proper way to reply.
Thank you jd.
But hey, you never do know, right?
No one can say for certain unless you are buff19 of course.
Look at all that ammo in the first 2 rounds.
That one team may want 3-4 really good prospects instead of just one possible cornerstone player.
- BuffaloHardHat

Any other draft i wouldn't rule it out but this one's just too "special" (i know that sounds like im calling them slow but im not ) to consider trading a top 2 pick.

If they can't get their hands on a top 2 pick id like them to make that kind of trade for nhl player(s). If you've got #3 for example maybe you work something with edmonton (or someone else who's equally desperate).

I'd rather they move them to another american market, our country needs to keep as many people employed as they can
- homiedclown

Then try Kansas City. They have an empty NHL acceptable arena begging for a team and move them to the Western Conference.

They went to a cup final , won a division just a few years ago . Move that team for the good of the NHL . Tampa can be Florida's team it is not a long road trip from Miami to Tampa if you want to see an NHL game.
- Maximum Signal

like I said, they need a descent product for 5 years to make it viable in miami

if that game was in feb,there would have been 5,000 sabre fans in the arena

next time the habs play down there, in the winter look at the box score, you might be shocked

I'd rather they move them to another american market, our country needs to keep as many people employed as they can
- homiedclown

Ours does as well, I'd like to see Quebec back.

And even though it's a pipe dream, I'd love to see them move a team to Saskatchewan.

The Try Kansas City. They have an empty NHL acceptable arena begging for a team and move them to the Western Conference.
- Maximum Signal

I'd be fine with that, or put them in seattle