Jim Kelley on a potential buyer

[BetweenThePipes00]

Jim Kelley has mentioned the Sabres being quietly for sale so many times he may be the boy that cried "Stop the headshots!" (Oh wait, he IS that boy) ... but today he gives some details at least .... here is the link but it is a note at the bottom so I will paste it here ... http://sportsillustr...otes/index.html

 

Sabres for sale?

 

The Buffalo Sabres picked up the club option on head coach Lindy Ruff last week, putting him on the same page with GM Darcy Regier regarding length of term. Both men now have one year remaining on their contracts, but managing partner Larry Quinn said he would sit down with the duo sometime in the future, presumably to talk about extensions.

 

Ruff and Regier came under some fire from fans in the community for the team's first-round loss to the Bruins, but neither seems to be in serious trouble. It remains to be seen, however, what the future truly holds. There have long been rumors, never completely denied by the club, that the franchise is for sale, and during the course of the recently completed season there were more about a group out of Chicago coming to a verbal agreement to purchase the club from owner Tom Golisano. However, Golisano was said to have backed away near the end of the calendar year.

 

Having the longest-serving coach and GM tandem in the league under contract for a decent term (say three years) would seem to make sense regarding added value to the franchise, but the Chicago people reportedly have hockey roots and their own people in mind should they gain control of a team in Buffalo or elsewhere.

 

It's a situation that bears watching.

 

 

So ... I am sure many would love the idea of owners with "hockey roots" going with new blood, but then again Ralph Wilson thinks he has "football roots" and makes horrible decisions as a result so ... that can cut both ways.

 

The idea they are from Chicago and not some market looking to steal a team would be a plus ...

 

And yes, it could all be B.S. floated to make it look like there is interest and help keep the value high ... but no matter how much of a hack you think Kelley is, I don't think he would go so far as to report a verbal agreement if there wasn't SOMETHING going on at some point.

[deluca67]

Dickie Dunn wrote this. It's gotta be true.

[PASabreFan]

Now I'm going to dream of a dude from Chicago with a really thick wallet -- and not Jay-lo. Thanks Kelley.

 

It is an interesting idea that not rocking the boat too much with player, coaching and management changes could indicate a pending sale in the near future. Hey, the arena has been full, and support for and interest in the team remains high. Why risk that now if OSP wants out?

 

They'll be changing my rubber sheets in the AM.

[Bmwolf21]

Dickie Dunn wrote this. It's gotta be true.

He tried to capture the spirit of the thing.

[shrader]

So what exactly has happened with Kelley that people now consider him to be a hack?

[PASabreFan]

It's not "Jay-lo," is it?

 

Kelley's very good with the dark, conspiratorial language that says nothing but ignites your imagination.

 

I re-read his blurb on Ruff the other day and realize I totally got duped -- or duped myself. He wrote, "Interesting scenario in Buffalo where head coach Lindy Ruff is believed to be playing out the last year of his contract." Note the term "playing out." Does it mean what I thought it meant? Probably not. Kelley is merely stating a fact, that Ruff was in the last year of his contract. I wanted it to mean he was playing out the string. Running for the bus. The phrase "believed to be" also added intrigue, but actually this does show a hack-ish side. Kelley was too lazy to find out, apparently, Ruff's exact contract status.

 

And, man, does he make a lot of typos.

[tom webster]

So what exactly has happened with Kelley that people now consider him to be a hack?

 

 

Is there a writer that this board doesn't think is a hack? I for one have a lot of respect for Kelley.

 

As for PA's comments on the Ruff story, he may have been playing out the string but management decided to excercise their option and Ruff had no choice, who knows?

[shrader]

Is there a writer that this board doesn't think is a hack? I for one have a lot of respect for Kelley.

 

As for PA's comments on the Ruff story, he may have been playing out the string but management decided to excercise their option and Ruff had no choice, who knows?

 

I hadn't seen any comments about him until just the last month or so and it caught me off guard. I really haven't read his stuff too much since he left the Buffalo News, but that was an obvious major loss for the paper. Bucky has gotten a lot better in the last couple years, but he's still a major step down from Kelley.

[nobody]

Group out of Chicago? Is that the group that was going to buy the Coyotes?

[tom webster]

Group out of Chicago? Is that the group that was going to buy the Coyotes?

 

 

I was wondering that as well. Reinsdorf can be a bit eccentric but his teams have won championships.

[PromoTheRobot]

I was wondering that as well. Reinsdorf can be a bit eccentric but his teams have won championships.

Reinsdorf is not someone who I consider a hockey guy or even an owner committed to excellence. Also who's to say whoever is looking at the Sabres isn't thinking Chicago could use a second NHL team? Or Milwaukee? Just saying. I do believe that Bettman wouldn't allow the Sabres to leave, not with the level of support they get. That and the fact that Buffalo is vital to the NHL's TV ratings.

 

PTR

[matter2003]

Now I'm going to dream of a dude from Chicago with a really thick wallet -- and not Jay-lo. Thanks Kelley.

 

Hard to get someone with a thicker wallet than the current owner, who is worth 2 billion dollars...let's be realistic here...

[gregkash]

Golisano is a great owner. The sabres spend to the cap for like the last 3 or 4 seasons. It's Larry Quinn that needs to go. He's a land developer meddling with hockey affairs. I would love one time in a press conference for Lindy Ruff and Darcy Regier to just have enough of him answering hockey questions and go, "You know what Larry? You're wrong. You don't know what you're talking about, if we could do this our way without you meddling in this then maybe we'd be in a different spot, so sit down, shut up, and rebuild the waterfront"

[carpandean]

The sabres spend to the cap for like the last 3 or 4 seasons.

Not true. They had $5-6 million in cap space in each of the two seasons prior to this one. However, they were very close this year and in 2006-07. I do partially (along with a huge laundry list of other reasons) blame spending for not making it to the playoffs the past two years. There were holes that needed to be and could have been addressed, in particular down the middle, with just a fraction of that remaining space. It does seem that the purse strings have loosened and we'll see if that continues.

[biodork]

It's Larry Quinn that needs to go. He's a land developer meddling with hockey affairs. I would love one time in a press conference for Lindy Ruff and Darcy Regier to just have enough of him answering hockey questions and go, "You know what Larry? You're wrong. You don't know what you're talking about, if we could do this our way without you meddling in this then maybe we'd be in a different spot, so sit down, shut up, and rebuild the waterfront"

 

:worthy:

[Billfold100]

Golisano is a great owner. The sabres spend to the cap for like the last 3 or 4 seasons. It's Larry Quinn that needs to go. He's a land developer meddling with hockey affairs. I would love one time in a press conference for Lindy Ruff and Darcy Regier to just have enough of him answering hockey questions and go, "You know what Larry? You're wrong. You don't know what you're talking about, if we could do this our way without you meddling in this then maybe we'd be in a different spot, so sit down, shut up, and rebuild the waterfront"

 

What specifically has Quinn done wrong?

[wonderbread]

What specifically has Quinn done wrong?

 

 

The Slug for a start.

 

This board also feels strongly that he has interjected himself in to making managerial decsions for the team in regard to Hockey moves i.e. changing roster, signing players. etc.

[shrader]

The Slug for a start.

 

This board also feels strongly that he has interjected himself in to making managerial decsions for the team in regard to Hockey moves i.e. changing roster, signing players. etc.

 

The big question is how much did he factor into those decisions vs. anyone else in the front office. Ultimately, the fault there lies with Golisano as he is the one who setup the structure of power.

[Billfold100]

The Slug for a start.

 

This board also feels strongly that he has interjected himself in to making managerial decsions for the team in regard to Hockey moves i.e. changing roster, signing players. etc.

 

I could take him or leave him but I'm just amazed how much people hate the guy. Maybe that goes back to firing Ted Nolan or his pompous style. But if you look at it objectively, he has done some good things. He is responsible for bringing Golisano to the plate. He also was the driving force behind the Winter Classic, the retro jerseys, multi-tiered ticket pricing and the upcoming World Juniors. Reebok and the NHL were as responsible for the development of slug logo as the Sabres were. Everyone who can't stand him assumes he plays a role in hockey decisions but there is no proof or history to validate that argument.

[carpandean]

The Slug for a start.

[PASabreFan]

 

When will the official time of death be? Because it's still creeping along, leaving a slimy trail on the web site.

[carpandean]

When will the official time of death be? Because it's still creeping along, leaving a slimy trail on the web site.

I'm guessing that it will be sometime in September or October when they reveal the new away and third (40th) jersey (current third becoming the primary home jersey.) It will probably still show up from time to time, but as long as they don't try to use it as a secondary logo on a jersey, I'll be OK.

[Sabre Dance]

Golisano is a great owner. The sabres spend to the cap for like the last 3 or 4 seasons. It's Larry Quinn that needs to go. He's a land developer meddling with hockey affairs. I would love one time in a press conference for Lindy Ruff and Darcy Regier to just have enough of him answering hockey questions and go, "You know what Larry? You're wrong. You don't know what you're talking about, if we could do this our way without you meddling in this then maybe we'd be in a different spot, so sit down, shut up, and rebuild the waterfront"

 

...and we all see the incredibly speedy progress that project has made. Supposedly, since the BassPro store was announced here for the waterfront, BassPro has opened 20-some new stores around the country. I guess that means if Brian Burke or Ray Shero can build a Cup winner in 5 years that it will take Quinn....over 100 years?!?!?

I'm going to have to go lie down for a while :o

[EdwardSauve]

I could take him or leave him but I'm just amazed how much people hate the guy. Maybe that goes back to firing Ted Nolan or his pompous style. But if you look at it objectively, he has done some good things. He is responsible for bringing Golisano to the plate. He also was the driving force behind the Winter Classic, the retro jerseys, multi-tiered ticket pricing and the upcoming World Juniors. Reebok and the NHL were as responsible for the development of slug logo as the Sabres were. Everyone who can't stand him assumes he plays a role in hockey decisions but there is no proof or history to validate that argument.

I firmly believe that LQ peruses this board and responds to threads.