NOTE: We are going to be narrowing down choices on who the next Sabres Writer will be over the next few days...If you are interested, email eklund @ hockeybuzz.com, and put Sabres Writer in the subject.. We have gotten MANY great submissions...We will be having the readers here decide next week with more blogs from the best of these initial applicants...submissions were made a week or so ago...so some info may be outdated.
A Decade in Reverse
Just over ten years ago, the Pegula family purchased the Buffalo Sabres. On February 22, 2011, Terry Pegula gave an introductory press conference. Let’s take a look at some of what was said then and how those statements have held up over time.
"From this point forward, the Buffalo Sabres' reason for existence will be to win the Stanley Cup." This is, perhaps, the most memorable quote from Terry that day. Ten years in, the Sabres still exist, despite not sniffing a Stanley Cup. The playoff drought is about to hit ten years and isn’t showing signs of slowing (Detroit is next at four going on five – after twenty-five straight appearances). One could easily argue that today’s Sabres are miles further away than that 2011 team. They way the past ten years have played out, who knows if the Sabres reason for existence under the Pegulas will ever be about the Stanley Cup.
"It's a three-year or less process." At this point, the Sabres look like they are three years away from being three years away.
"Starting today, there will be no financial mandates on the Buffalo Sabres hockey department," and “There is no salary cap in the National Hockey League on scouting budgets and player development budgets.… Pandemic finances have taken a hatchet to these statements. Apparently, it is not as easy as just drilling another well. The Pegulas did start off spending on the Sabres but have cut back significantly as of late. While spending lots of money poorly did not bring about results, the current state of the “hockey department… does not fit in with the idea of “no financial mandates.… Even when the Pegulas have spent money on the Sabres, they have done so poorly. The list of questionable contracts and hiring decisions have put a lot of money into the pockets of very unsuccessful players and coaches. Perhaps bringing in some more experienced hockey minds into the top levels of the organization could have avoided this waste.
"I've got too much going right here, right now to get this running the way we want, to inject the attitude we want into the organization to think or worry about football teams." As you all know, the Pegulas would go on to buy the Bills only a few years after this statement. The failure of the Sabres stands in sharp contrast to the success of the Bills. Although the Pegulas own both franchises, the teams are headed in opposite directions. One must question the level of involvement of the Pegula’s in the operations of each franchise. Why have the Bills found success under Kim and Terry, while the Sabres are on fire? From this writer’s perspective, one franchise has been led by competent management who have put their stamp on the organization. The other has seen a parade of questionable hiring decisions that has led to stop and start rebuilds, lopsided trades, and questionable contracts. The Sabres don’t have their Beane. They don’t have their McDermott. Instead, they have an Adams and until recently, a Krueger.
“I'm going to make decisions based on winning the Stanley Cup and what is right for the fan base and the team." This is perhaps the most frustrating quote from Terry Pegula’s February 22, 2011 press conference (in this writer’s opinion – feel free to choose from the list above or select your own). Recent history flies directly in the face of this declaration. From hiring unexperienced GMs and coaches, to cuts across the organization, to handing out ridiculous contracts, to awful trades, to keeping a coach through a 12-game losing streak. Fans are upset. If reports are true, the Sabres couldn’t even entice season ticket holders to purchase enough tickets to reach 10% capacity for the upcoming game against the Bruins. After not being able to purchase tickets for a year. To a fanbase that once had thousands of people crowded outside during playoff games. If that isn’t indicative of how fans feel about this organization, I don’t know what is.
News came today that the Sabres have finally fired Ralph Krueger. This move was long overdue. How he was given so much leash is a question that Kevyn Adams should have to answer. Now we turn to Krueger’s replacement. For now, former assistant Don Granato has been named interim coach. The Sabres have two options, look to hire a new coach right away, or wait until the offseason and see what is available. This decision will have ramifications for both the near- and long-term future. The Sabres will be be adding another pony to their coaching carousel. This consistent inconsistency has led to instability throughout the tenures of Eichel, Reinhardt, and the rest. Get this next coaching hire wrong, and the Sabres will maintain their position as league laughing stock. No pressure, Mr. Adams.