Nicklas Backstrom interview on DC radio station

[zow2]

The interviewers on a local "shock jock" station were asking him all kinds of non-hockey questions. Of course his english is poor and his answers were very measured and non-inflammatory. Seems like a nice young guy.

Anyway, they asked him which city in the NHL is the most boring to visit for a road game? his answer: BUFFALO.... As in when you get there, there's nothing to do or see other than play the game. His response was predictable of course but i had to laugh because all his other answers took him several seconds to think about and respond. For this question, he blurted out Buffalo in a millisecond. They interviewers were even trying afterwards to goad him into saying Calgary (because it must be a Canadian wasteland and the Caps just played there)...and he was like nope, Buffalo gets the nod.

[darksabre]

It really is true. Everyone I know from Buffalo who has never lived in a comparable or better city always insist that Buffalo is awesome and you just have to find the good things. But the truth is that all cities are like that, they're all just better at it than Buffalo. Good luck on convincing an unlearned native otherwise though. Buffalonians are in denial because they all think they know something out of towners don't.

[SabresGameNight]

I from Buffalo and moved away 6 yrs ago after college and now live near NYC. If Buffalo had some good jobs, I would be back in a millisecond. The Buffalo area offers a greater variety of things to do AND they are affordable!!! I come back about once a year and every time I wish I it were possible to move back. I wouldn't take a millionaire athlete's comments seriously at all. In my opinion NYC is one of the dirtiest, overpriced and ridiculous places to live and DC is probably the same.

[zow2]

He was asked a simple question and he answered it from his single male and $65million point of view....but he wasn't being mean or disrespectful.

 

I love Buffalo too, but i have lived in other big cities and metro areas and i can see where he's coming from. WNY is awesome if you are from there and still have family there.. If you want to go back and have a really nice affordable house, in a safe suburban neighborhood and have your kids attend good public schools with kids from other families, just like yours. I think Buffalonians have a little treasure in "our" metro area that others will never understand.

 

But go live in some large metro areas in big cities and there's just more things to do and places to go for the younger, single folks...let alone better jobs.

[MattPie]

I from Buffalo and moved away 6 yrs ago after college and now live near NYC. If Buffalo had some good jobs, I would be back in a millisecond. The Buffalo area offers a greater variety of things to do AND they are affordable!!! I come back about once a year and every time I wish I it were possible to move back. I wouldn't take a millionaire athlete's comments seriously at all. In my opinion NYC is one of the dirtiest, overpriced and ridiculous places to live and DC is probably the same.

 

DC isn't as dirty, but just as expensive and only a small portion of the city is reasonably safe to walk around in. Philly is similar, Center City, Old City, and the east part of South St are about the only places I'd walk around at night in the city proper. NYC is pretty good. It's reasonably safe to walk many places in Manhattan and some of Brooklyn.

 

Basically, Buffalo has 1 or 2 of nearly everything a big city has 10-100 of. Perhaps not from a young single person perspective (I'm a 30-something recently single); I wouldn't know about that. But if there's a couple beer bars in Buffalo (Pearl St, Alternative Brews, the place near Spot on Elmwood, etc.) there's 50 in NYC and 25 in Philly.

[Marvelo]

I from Buffalo and moved away 6 yrs ago after college and now live near NYC. If Buffalo had some good jobs, I would be back in a millisecond. The Buffalo area offers a greater variety of things to do AND they are affordable!!! I come back about once a year and every time I wish I it were possible to move back. I wouldn't take a millionaire athlete's comments seriously at all. In my opinion NYC is one of the dirtiest, overpriced and ridiculous places to live and DC is probably the same.

 

what college? :doh:

[Weave]

A great nightlife for a middle class male and a multi-millionaire athlete are going to be completely different in most cases. Buffalo has a great nightlife if you are a middle class male. Plenty of places to listen to local bands and get cheap eats and drinks. But a young multi-millionaire is going to be looking for a completely different scene. And there isn't much of that scene in Buffalo.

 

The whole city lampooned Willis McGahee when he made his offseason comments about Buffalo being boring, but I'm sure he was constantly being told stories by players in other cities of the nightlife and escapades in places like NY, Miami, Philly, San Fran, etc etc etc and he wanted in. Why wouldn't he? He's a young single male with more money than anyone ought to have. I disliked Magahee saying what he said, but the more I thought about it, most of us would want the same thing if we were in his shoes too.

[deluca67]

A great nightlife for a middle class male and a multi-millionaire athlete are going to be completely different in most cases. Buffalo has a great nightlife if you are a middle class male. Plenty of places to listen to local bands and get cheap eats and drinks. But a young multi-millionaire is going to be looking for a completely different scene. And there isn't much of that scene in Buffalo.

 

The whole city lampooned Willis McGahee when he made his offseason comments about Buffalo being boring, but I'm sure he was constantly being told stories by players in other cities of the nightlife and escapades in places like NY, Miami, Philly, San Fran, etc etc etc and he wanted in. Why wouldn't he? He's a young single male with more money than anyone ought to have. I disliked Magahee saying what he said, but the more I thought about it, most of us would want the same thing if we were in his shoes too.

I'm glad Buffalo is a City that a Willis McGahee finds boring. I disagree with him and Lebron James' idea that hookers and cocaine make a city interesting. We may not have the number of women with fake breasts and low self esteem a city like Miami has. I consider that a good thing.

 

I love Mike Schopp's take on this, WNY is a great place if you are intelligent. If you want to go out with friend shave a great time there are many things to do. If you are trolling for hookers, Not so much(my take not his). I believe he also said that Buffalo is a great place to live but not to visit. This is not a City of flash and dash. It's a city built on roots, history and a sense of community. I understand why many young pro-athletes don't find that attractive. It is also why so many are going to be flat broke by the time they are 35.

[Weave]

I'm glad Buffalo is a City that a Willis McGahee finds boring. I disagree with him and Lebron James' idea that hookers and cocaine make a city interesting. We may not have the number of women with fake breasts and low self esteem a city like Miami has. I consider that a good thing.

 

I love Mike Schopp's take on this, WNY is a great place if you are intelligent. If you want to go out with friend shave a great time there are many things to do. If you are trolling for hookers, Not so much(my take not his). I believe he also said that Buffalo is a great place to live but not to visit. This is not a City of flash and dash. It's a city built on roots, history and a sense of community. I understand why many young pro-athletes don't find that attractive. It is also why so many are going to be flat broke by the time they are 35.

 

Agreed. Although I think the "intelligent" comment is more about preserving self esteem and searching for justification for why your city is adequate than anything else. There is plenty of culture and arts and history in those big flashy cities too. Much more than Buffalo has.

 

This city has middle class vibe and values. It is going to seem like a better place to spend time if you share that vibe and values. If you are young and sickeningly rich, chances are you are looking for a differnet set of vibes and values.

 

I bet Backstrom has a different view of this city when he is 35 nad has kids to raise. He'll be looking for our vibe and values then. Until then, who really cares what he thinks about Buffalo?

[deluca67]

Agreed. Although I think the "intelligent" comment is more about preserving self esteem and searching for justification for why your city is adequate than anything else. There is plenty of culture and arts and history in those big flashy cities too. Much more than Buffalo has.

 

This city has middle class vibe and values. It is going to seem like a better place to spend time if you share that vibe and values. If you are young and sickeningly rich, chances are you are looking for a differnet set of vibes and values.

 

I bet Backstrom has a different view of this city when he is 35 nad has kids to raise. He'll be looking for our vibe and values then. Until then, who really cares what he thinks about Buffalo?

I think you missed the point. Willis McGahee is not going to find the "culture" in any city. The point was is that you can the great qualities this city has to offer if you are smart enough to seek them out. Didn't Wee-Willie mention that Buffalo only has a Applebees? Just gos to show his mind set. I believe Chad OchoCinco tweeted about his pregame breakfast he was looking forward to before the preseason game in Buffalo. This city is full of amazing places to eat and hang out. Places that give that homelike feeling you can't get in a big city for the most part.

[Weave]

I think you missed the point. Willis McGahee is not going to find the "culture" in any city. The point was is that you can the great qualities this city has to offer if you are smart enough to seek them out. Didn't Wee-Willie mention that Buffalo only has a Applebees? Just gos to show his mind set. I believe Chad OchoCinco tweeted about his pregame breakfast he was looking forward to before the preseason game in Buffalo. This city is full of amazing places to eat and hang out. Places that give that homelike feeling you can't get in a big city for the most part.

 

 

No, I didn't miss your point. I just don't think it is about intelligence. It is about the lifestyle you are looking for. Guys like Magahee, Kozlov, Backstrom, etc are looking for a different lifestyle than the one that makes up the bulk of Buffalo. That doesn't make them less intelligent. You could make an argument that they are smart enough to know that Buffalo doesn't have many choices in the lifestyle that they prefer and understood that they needed to look elsewhere to find more variety in the lifestyle they choose to live.

[Marvelo]

No, I didn't miss your point. I just don't think it is about intelligence. It is about the lifestyle you are looking for. Guys like Magahee, Kozlov, Backstrom, etc are looking for a different lifestyle than the one that makes up the bulk of Buffalo. That doesn't make them less intelligent. You could make an argument that they are smart enough to know that Buffalo doesn't have many choices in the lifestyle that they prefer and understood that they needed to look elsewhere to find more variety in the lifestyle they choose to live.

 

yeah, the gay caballero lifestyle. :wub:

[Eleven]

It really is true. Everyone I know from Buffalo who has never lived in a comparable or better city always insist that Buffalo is awesome and you just have to find the good things. But the truth is that all cities are like that, they're all just better at it than Buffalo. Good luck on convincing an unlearned native otherwise though. Buffalonians are in denial because they all think they know something out of towners don't.

 

I'm not unlearned--I lived in Backstrom's city for seven years. DC does have more to do than Buffalo does. It's awesome, and I mean it.* Prettiest city I've ever SEEN, much less have had the privilege to live in. It's not where I would have settled down, though (and I didn't).

 

Oh, and five years ago, Backstrom would have been playing in front of 7000 home fans.

 

*as long as you don't love great local dining. That's just not DC's thing.

[Sterling Archer]

Maybe if McGahee was paying child support, he wouldn't have so much money to blow.

[Calvin]

I bet Backstrom has a different view of this city when he is 35 and has kids to raise. He'll be looking for our vibe and values then.

Spot on. It's one of the things we hear the most from the veterans who either move to or from Buffalo.

[inkman]

I personally don't want d-bags like McGahee or Bakstrom on my sports teams. Their priority is partying. Same might be true about some of the current Sabres or Bills and I dont want those schmucks on my team either. Dont get me wrong, their have been players who were big partiers and great performers, LT comes to mind. That was a different era and those players ability was so much better than everyone else, their off field transgressions were moot. Guys like LaFontaine, Drury and Briere lived ate and breathed hockey. I want guys like that on my team. Not some kid preoccupied by the girl with the big hooters sitting behind the bench.

[CallawaySabres]

The interviewers on a local "shock jock" station were asking him all kinds of non-hockey questions. Of course his english is poor and his answers were very measured and non-inflammatory. Seems like a nice young guy.

Anyway, they asked him which city in the NHL is the most boring to visit for a road game? his answer: BUFFALO.... As in when you get there, there's nothing to do or see other than play the game. His response was predictable of course but i had to laugh because all his other answers took him several seconds to think about and respond. For this question, he blurted out Buffalo in a millisecond. They interviewers were even trying afterwards to goad him into saying Calgary (because it must be a Canadian wasteland and the Caps just played there)...and he was like nope, Buffalo gets the nod.

 

I moved out of Buffalo after high school and lived 2 years in Colorado and New Mexico before moving to Chicago for 10 years. I can do my sports marketing job anywhere on the planet and Buffalo is where I chose. I actually met my wife in Chicago and SHE fell in love with the people and atmosphere so much that SHE wanted to move here.

 

What else would you expect these athletes to say when all they do is drive from the airport to the hotel and go out for a dinner.....it's so predictable every time I hear it

[SwampD]

I personally don't want d-bags like McGahee or Bakstrom on my sports teams. Their priority is partying. Same might be true about some of the current Sabres or Bills and I dont want those schmucks on my team either. Dont get me wrong, their have been players who were big partiers and great performers, LT comes to mind. That was a different era and those players ability was so much better than everyone else, their off field transgressions were moot. Guys like LaFontaine, Drury and Briere lived ate and breathed hockey. I want guys like that on my team. Not some kid preoccupied by the girl with the big hooters sitting behind the bench.

Not to nit-pick, but what have those three guys won? There are many ways to win. I just want winners on my team on the ice and I don't care what they do off it.

[SabresGameNight]

what college? :doh:

 

I went to UB for Engineering.

 

Buffalo is a great place but it really needs to get some larger corporations in town. I work for a well known company that makes mainframes and thinking about the advantages of having a lab in Buffalo over where we are now are huge. If the city could offer a deal on power that would be worth it alone. I really hope someday soon we get some politicians that can lure these companies in so people like myself can come back.

[Eleven]

I went to UB for Engineering.

 

Buffalo is a great place and it really needs to get some larger corporations in town. I work for a well known company that makes mainframes and thinking about the advantages of having a lab in Buffalo over where we are now are huge. If the city could offer a deal on power that would be worth it alone. I really hope someday soon we get some politicians that can lure these companies in so people like myself can come back.

 

Yahoo! recently built (or is building) a server farm here because of the cold weather (think about it) and inexpensive real estate.

[SabresGameNight]

Yahoo! recently built (or is building) a server farm here because of the cold weather (think about it) and inexpensive real estate.

 

Yes, they are constructing a data center in Lockport. That's a step in the right direction which is fantastic for the area and we need to see more of it. Those jobs are going to be of the technician variety (maintaining equipment and diagnosing problems). For me personally, I work in engineering/development and I want to see development labs open up in the area.

[inkman]

Not to nit-pick, but what have those three guys won? There are many ways to win. I just want winners on my team on the ice and I don't care what they do off it.

I have to believe someone with the same talent as others who is more dedicated, will have a better chance to succeed.

[Skibum]

Buffalo and Rochester are really fun cities, but only if you know your way around and have lots of friends. It also helps if you are the humble working-joe type who can appreciate the charm of a more intimate setting, or if you are raising a family and don't care about going out on the town. The same could be said of any rust-belt city. But to the youthful outsider, these places are armpits. Most other NHL cities have a lot more to offer someone who just jumped off a plane and has no idea where to go. It doesn't make these guys D-bags; that's just what young people like to do.

 

Just imagine you are a rich hockey star with a night off and no place in particular to go. Would you honestly choose Buffalo over any other city in the league? (note- I've never been to Edmonton but it has to be a contender). The important thing is that your more grown-up pro athletes learn to love the place and the proof is in how may of them stay there after retirement.