Archives for January 18, 2003

2002 could not have been a worse year for the Buffalo Sabres. The team got off to a horrendous start this season, sinking to the very bottom of the league. This new year of 2003 has been a blessing for the Sabres on the ice.

'What happened Sept. 5? No one truly knows except Afinogenov.'

'Alexander Mogilny's agent, J.P. Barry, said the $442,000 the Sabres owe the Vancouver Canucks is owed to Mogilny, not the Canucks. The Canucks seem to agree. Barry said the money is related to marketing rights fees, which grant the use of a player's image and likeness to promote the team. Marketing rights fees became a common way to compensate players in the early to mid-1990s.'

'"The reality is once we sign that asset purchase agreement, the most important thing remaining to make this transaction happen is the government piece," Hamister said. "The asset purchase agreement binds us more tightly to buying the Sabres. It doesn't make us owners of the Sabres."'

'"And what's made us a household name, realistically, is the Sabres."'

'As prospective team owner Mark Hamister tries to complete a deal to purchase the Sabres, small companies owed money by the bankrupt hockey club are wondering how much they'll be paid, if anything.'

'The Sabres are far more likely to unload a few fat contracts before this season ends. Considering the fiscal circumstances, who could blame them?'

Crozier, still a recognizable face in the Sabres organization as a special consultant, has become the fans sounding board.

Hamister, in an interview with Business First, said talks are continuing on a number of levels between himself, Berman and various public sector groups along with the NHL.