Archives for June 29, 2011

‘Busting open Pegula’s piggy bank makes for an exciting opportunity but a daunting challenge just the same. For the first time in franchise history, anything and everything is possible if the Sabres are aggressive, creative and smart.’

‘”We did this deal with Curt Styres and Lewis Staats. I know they are big supporters of the Sabres, and I consider them my friends now. They were really great in getting this thing done, also. I hope that we’ll see each other a lot more in the future.”‘

‘”It makes you appreciate the opportunities that were lost and now are regained,” Regier said at the press conference on Wednesday morning that introduced new owner Terry Pegula to the Rochester media. “More than anything else, and I know this is what the people in Rochester wanted, is a commitment from us to have a very competitive hockey team in Rochester.”‘

‘"You have to give, in this case Terry, a tremendous amount of credit because he’s opened up the ability for us to focus on unrestricted free agents and given us the resources," Regier said. "It’s a small list this year, but knowing that we have the ability to compete for those players with the other teams is tremendous."’

‘The NHL executives are expected to explain just why they wanted the AHL franchise back, and how they plan to use the Amerks for both prospect development and Sabres brand enhancement.’

‘By last year, Vanek had become one of the most respected voices in the room, someone whose words reverberated and the media gravitated to. Vanek hates losing, and he’s not afraid to let everyone know it and shoulder the blame.’