Cliff Benson also a "senior advisor"?

[PASabreFan]

Terry said he met Benson on the day Benson retired from an accounting job. Benson retired in 2010.

 

Now Benson is a Pegula senior advisor at the Sabres?

 

Talk about fast friends.

 

How is Benson qualified for this position?

 

Pegula, Black (hired by Sawyer at the Pens), Sawyer, Benson and DiPofi. An oil and gas man, a lawyer, a former financial officer with the league and Penguins, an accountant and OSP's money man.

 

There's a huge hole in the management structure at the Sabres -- someone who wouldn't confuse a puck for a charcoal briquet.

 

So flail away, believers. I'm not saying anything you won't be saying in a year or two if this team isn't any closer to that Cup than it was when a paycheck processor, real estate developer and bean-counter were running the show.

[Bmwolf21]

So flail away, believers. I'm not saying anything you won't be saying in a year or two if this team isn't any closer to that Cup than it was when a paycheck processor, real estate developer and bean-counter were running the show.

What happened to "enjoy the honeymoon, sip some champagne and put on the fancy robe?"

[bunomatic]

Terry said he met Benson on the day Benson retired from an accounting job. Benson retired in 2010.

 

Now Benson is a Pegula senior advisor at the Sabres?

 

Talk about fast friends.

 

How is Benson qualified for this position?

 

Pegula, Black (hired by Sawyer at the Pens), Sawyer, Benson and DiPofi. An oil and gas man, a lawyer, a former financial officer with the league and Penguins, an accountant and OSP's money man.

 

There's a huge hole in the management structure at the Sabres -- someone who wouldn't confuse a puck for a charcoal briquet.

 

So flail away, believers. I'm not saying anything you won't be saying in a year or two if this team isn't any closer to that Cup than it was when a paycheck processor, real estate developer and bean-counter were running the show.

Not to rain on the parade of the Pegula ownership but I have to agree with you on this one. I would like to see more 'hockey' people in advisory roles rather than oil and gas guys and the like. If we want to be led to the promised land I would feel more confident with hockey people showing the way.

[That Aud Smell]

Terry said he met Benson on the day Benson retired from an accounting job. Benson retired in 2010.

 

 

Now Benson is a Pegula senior advisor at the Sabres?

 

Talk about fast friends.

link? i've heard pegula relate that story twice -- my sense was that benson had been a long-time confidante, counselor, golfing buddy, etc., and that pegula had lunch with him on the day of benson's retirement from deloitte -- i.e., he "met" (had a meeting) with benson on the day benson retired. i think the two of them go way back; i don't think this is a fast-friends sort of thing.

 

How is Benson qualified for this position?

wait. how is pegula's most trusted confidante qualified to serve as pegula's most trusted confidante?

 

that's a tricky one.

 

 

Pegula, Black (hired by Sawyer at the Pens), Sawyer, Benson and DiPofi. An oil and gas man, a lawyer, a former financial officer with the league and Penguins, an accountant and OSP's money man.

 

There's a huge hole in the management structure at the Sabres -- someone who wouldn't confuse a puck for a charcoal briquet.

i guess the predicate here is that you need to have a "hockey guy" installed above your g.m. to serve as a cross-check on boneheaded scouting determinations. i don't think that's the case. setting aside whether darcy and our scouting/personnel department is a top-10 unit in the league, i think it's fine to have your president be a non-hockey guy (in the pure, strict sense). i'm sure there are teams around the league that have "hockey guys" in both the president's spot and the g.m.'s spots, but i don't think it's essential.

 

and, for what it's worth, you'd be hard-pressed not to get a great vibe off of black. i sure did when i met him for 2-3 minutes before the ottawa game. hockey heaven, baby!

[PASabreFan]

What happened to "enjoy the honeymoon, sip some champagne and put on the fancy robe?"

 

Let's just say the honeymoon ended last night. Blame it on chz.

[PASabreFan]

link? i've heard pegula relate that story twice -- my sense was that benson had been a long-time confidante, counselor, golfing buddy, etc., and that pegula had lunch with him on the day of benson's retirement from deloitte -- i.e., he "met" (had a meeting) with benson on the day benson retired. i think the two of them go way back; i don't think this is a fast-friends sort of thing.

You're right. It's not central to my argument though. I don't care if the two are boyhood pals. Didn't Ralph hire a friend one time who was an insurance agent to be GM of the Bills?

 

If the Sabres start 3-9-2 under Lindy next fall again, I want to know what hockey sense Cliff Benson brings to the meeting about whether it's time to pull the plug. To me, "senior advisor" of an NHL team is not equivalent to "confidante." Kim is also a confidante.

 

and, for what it's worth, you'd be hard-pressed not to get a great vibe off of black. i sure did when i met him for 2-3 minutes before the ottawa game. hockey heaven, baby!

 

Great guy, sure. I didn't say I wouldn't go fishing with the man. But I wanted a hockey man over Darcy.

 

Back on November 30, I think this management setup would have been ripped to shreds by the fans. A turnaround by the team since then and some brilliant PR moves (most brilliant among them crying over Perreault), and the fans (and media) are absolutely, uh, paralyzed. There's been virtually no scrutiny of Pegula's management team. In fact, had it even been reported that Benson is a senior advisor? I happened to see that this morning the game day program PDF.

[nobody]

Maybe the top management is actually going to let the hockey minds make some decisions now.

[That Aud Smell]

I want to know what hockey sense Cliff Benson brings to the meeting about whether it's time to pull the plug. To me, "senior advisor" of an NHL team is not equivalent to "confidante." Kim is also a confidante.

probably very little. his role is probably on the business side of things and as a sounding board to the guy who writes the checks.

 

i don't think the beef here is with benson -- it's ostensibly with the sawyer/black tandem (more on that below).

 

as for benson being lumped in with mrs. pegula (btw, please try to reserve any such lumping-in for me), that's off the mark by a wide margin. it appears that benson was a long-time accountant at a mega-accounting firm -- he presumably brings something to the table by virtue of that pedigree. not hockey-related, though, as you point out.

 

Great guy, sure. I didn't say I wouldn't go fishing with the man. But I wanted a hockey man over Darcy.

this is the real issue, for you (and for others). darcy remains the top hockey guy of the organ-eye-zation. i am pretty sure that ken holland (sic?) is the g.m. and top hockey guy with the red wings (the guy above him is, i think, very much in the mold of ted black). of course, that means detroit has ken holland as their top hockey guy.

 

point being, the problem isn't having your president be a non-hockey-guy and your g.m. as your highest-ranking hockey guy -- the problem is that you don't like our g.m. which is fine and fair -- but it doesn't suggest a flaw in how pegula set up his front office.

 

There's been virtually no scrutiny of Pegula's management team. In fact, had it even been reported that Benson is a senior advisor? I happened to see that this morning the game day program PDF.

this is a more than fair point.

[PASabreFan]

 

this is the real issue, for you (and for others). darcy remains the top hockey guy of the organ-eye-zation. i am pretty sure that ken holland (sic?) is the g.m. and top hockey guy with the red wings (the guy above him is, i think, very much in the mold of ted black). of course, that means detroit has ken holland as their top hockey guy.

 

 

Holland has quintessential hockey man Jimmy Devellano right there with him. Holland is GM and executive VP. Devellano, former longtime GM, is senior VP. Holland also has two assistant GMs, Jim Nill, who is also a VP, and some wunderkind who is the cap/contract guru. Add to this layer of hockey men Mike Ilitch at the top.

 

This is solid. Remember that Pegula said he admired Mike Ilitch. Apparently not enough to construct his organization in a similar way.

 

Honestly, Aud, if you and not that punk had founded Facebook, and you decided to cash in on the order of many many billions of dollars so you could buy your beloved Sabres, would your management team look anything like Pegula's? Mine wouldn't. I'd go out and search the world for the best hockey man or woman I could find to rebuild my franchise. I don't think I would want a lawyer, accountant or financial expert, nor any friend.

 

I just think about the inevitable tough times that will come around, times where you're pretty sure you need to can Darcy and Lindy both. When I think about the guys who will be in that room, I swallow hard. Then harder when I wonder who's going to hire the next GM -- Jessie?

 

An inexperienced owner and a very questionable GM argue, or should have argued, for another level of hockey management above Niles.

[That Aud Smell]

An inexperienced owner and a very questionable GM argue, or should have argued, for another level of hockey management above Niles.

i can't disagree with this in any meaningful way. fair deuce.

 

for the time being, though, i'm content to drink some kool-aid and look forward to beholding ted black's hockey heaven.

 

if and when the wheels come off, i can give you a tip of the hat as this board debates (1) who should be installed as the new g.m. and (2) who should be appointed to help out black as an executive v.p. with hockey chops.

 

it's a weekend, but i would invite other regulars to chime in on how other FO's are constituted.

[Taro T]

Holland has quintessential hockey man Jimmy Devellano right there with him. Holland is GM and executive VP. Devellano, former longtime GM, is senior VP. Holland also has two assistant GMs, Jim Nill, who is also a VP, and some wunderkind who is the cap/contract guru. Add to this layer of hockey men Mike Ilitch at the top.

 

This is solid. Remember that Pegula said he admired Mike Ilitch. Apparently not enough to construct his organization in a similar way.

 

Honestly, Aud, if you and not that punk had founded Facebook, and you decided to cash in on the order of many many billions of dollars so you could buy your beloved Sabres, would your management team look anything like Pegula's? Mine wouldn't. I'd go out and search the world for the best hockey man or woman I could find to rebuild my franchise. I don't think I would want a lawyer, accountant or financial expert, nor any friend.

 

I just think about the inevitable tough times that will come around, times where you're pretty sure you need to can Darcy and Lindy both. When I think about the guys who will be in that room, I swallow hard. Then harder when I wonder who's going to hire the next GM -- Jessie?

 

An inexperienced owner and a very questionable GM argue, or should have argued, for another level of hockey management above Niles.

I would have preferred to see more of a 'hockey man' in the 'inner circle' but Ken Sawyer has an impressive pedigree w/in the league. He is the one in the management team that appears to be in the Devellano role (though his background is MUCH different).

 

Of course, Sox fans probably would have preferred a different GM in '02 than a 28 year old kid that didn't even play high school baseball. I think that one worked out OK for them.

 

I do not know that TP has brought the right people in with him. You points are well heeded. But, TP (and Ted Black) have shown a level of 'getting it' that earns a bit of a honeymoon and the benefit of the doubt that goes with it. I am quite certain there will be missteps. Keeping Darcy may turn out to be one, but I think that he's shown enough flashes that I'd like to see what he can do when not under the constraints that the criminals and TG/LQ put on him. I don't think keeping Darcy is a misstep at this time.

 

I don't believe that Craig Patrick would have wanted to be the Sabres VP (whether or not TP'd've offered it). Other than him, what top executive that TP would have a comfort level with, was available to take on the position?

 

When the time comes to sever ties w/ Darcy &/or Lindy, I expect that the names in Sawyer's Crackberry will be heavily solicited, both for advice and for actual replacements.

 

Maybe I am drinking the kool-aid, but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for now.

[That Aud Smell]

TP'd've

oh, for the love of the sweet baby jesus. :wub:

 

;)

[tom webster]

oh, for the love of the sweet baby jesus. :wub:

 

;)

[tom webster]

Is there any reason to believe that more hockey people won't be added in the of season?

[Stormin Norman]

To those already wringing your hands... chill. Pegula said there is no salary cap with respect to scouting, front office, etc. He's right, so he can add as many people to the organization as he wants. To take this move as something that will come at the expense of the pure hockey operation is knee-jerk, at best. We finally have ownership that doesn't see everything as a financial trade-off, an "either-or," if you will. We now can have BOTH.

[SabresFan526]

Just a quick bit of background on Cliff Benson. He was a Senior Partner with Deloitte and Touche Accounting and he basically had all of the major clients in the Pittsburgh area. His clients included Heinz, U.S. Steel, presumably East Resources, and the Pittsburgh Penguins among other major corporations in the Pittsburgh area.

 

Here's the Link

 

Here's the actual quote from Pegula: "We brought the project forward in 2010 this year. I met a fellow — my friend Cliff Benson — on the day he retired from Deloitte Touche in Pittsburg. I asked if he had anything to do in his retuirnement. He said I've got to be kidding me. He was aware of what we were doing with hockey. I live in Florida, we have an office in Denver, an office in Pennsylvania, an office in West Virginia, and I spend half of my time chaging my 16-year old daughter around the country with her tennis tournaments. I told (Benson) I need help or this won't get done. Cliff took the project under his wing and we stand here today with ink on paper." My interpretation of "met" being not for the first time, but met him for lunch on his retirement day. Not the first time.

 

My sense is Benson is here to help out along with Ken Sawyer and provide accounting and financial advice to Dipofi. Remember, at the end of the day, the Sabres are still a business. I think it's good to have some business advisors as part of the team. I fully anticipate that more hockey people will be added this off-season. Ultimately, you don't want to bring too many new hockey faces and mess with the personnel in the middle of the season, especially during a playoff run. I anticipate much of those changes will take place in the offseason, and I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on that.

[bob_sauve28]

Darcy, the guy who drafted Ennis, Gerbe, Enroth, Sekera, Myers, Weber, Kassian, Foligino and Adam, is in charge of the hockey department, and that's all I care about :thumbsup:

[Weave]

Darcy, the guy who drafted Ennis, Gerbe, Enroth, Sekera, Myers, Weber, Kassian, Foligino and Adam, is in charge of the hockey department, and that's all I care about :thumbsup:

 

LOL

As long as you are also willing to accept that he is the guy who drafted Barret Heisten, Artem Kryukov, Jiri Novotny and Daniel Paille too. Negativity aside, I am very looking ofrward to see which Darcy Regier is evident now that the shackles are off.

 

 

Back on topic, SabresFan that is a great find. Gives some real insight into Benson's role. Is anyone else thinking that a top flight accounting guy will go a long way towards finding all the money seams and loopholes that might keep this team following the letter of the rules while maybe skirting the spirit of the rules a little bit? Not that there is anything wrong with that when it comes to sports IMO.

[frisky]

Geez...give them a chance. Its already better than it was. Too much cloudy weather makes you dour like eeyore.

[nobody]

Just a quick bit of background on Cliff Benson. He was a Senior Partner with Deloitte and Touche Accounting and he basically had all of the major clients in the Pittsburgh area. His clients included Heinz, U.S. Steel, presumably East Resources, and the Pittsburgh Penguins among other major corporations in the Pittsburgh area.

 

 

 

i like seeing the connection with Benson and his Pittsburgh ICE and what Dom has done in Buffalo with his Hasek's Heroes. It shows a commitment to the local areas on a hockey front.

[will]

i want to know exactly what qualifies as "a hockey guy" for these positions of power. set some parameters for the argument that sawyer, black, etc. aren't as capable as their more preferable replacements.

 

does said "guy" have to have won a cup? been a player?

[Eleven]

LOL

As long as you are also willing to accept that he is the guy who drafted Barret Heisten, Artem Kryukov, Jiri Novotny and Daniel Paille too. Negativity aside, I am very looking ofrward to see which Darcy Regier is evident now that the shackles are off.

 

 

Back on topic, SabresFan that is a great find. Gives some real insight into Benson's role. Is anyone else thinking that a top flight accounting guy will go a long way towards finding all the money seams and loopholes that might keep this team following the letter of the rules while maybe skirting the spirit of the rules a little bit? Not that there is anything wrong with that when it comes to sports IMO.

 

1. I've noted Regier's ability to make great trades in the absence of Quinn enough times; I will say that he's never appeared to be particularly strong or weak in the drafting department. You can pick any team and see first round successes and failures. I think historically, Regier is a little below average in the top rounds of the draft.

 

2. Agree w/ this and with Frisky's comment above. There's no reason to get all pissy just because the team has an accountant on board. Plus, DiPofi is only supposed to be here for a transition period, right?

[PASabreFan]

1. I've noted Regier's ability to make great trades in the absence of Quinn enough times; I will say that he's never appeared to be particularly strong or weak in the drafting department. You can pick any team and see first round successes and failures. I think historically, Regier is a little below average in the top rounds of the draft.

 

2. Agree w/ this and with Frisky's comment above. There's no reason to get all pissy just because the team has an accountant on board. Plus, DiPofi is only supposed to be here for a transition period, right?

 

2. I'm semi-pissy because none of these moves mesh with the idea of caring only about winning a Cup. Everything should go through that filter -- even the idea of putting the 7s on the ice. Maybe the players would prefer it not be there. I can easily see it being a problem for the goalie and D. Were the players/coaches asked?

 

The current structure is exactly what I would expect OSP and LQ to install if they weren't too cheap to expand the front office.

[Bmwolf21]

2. I'm semi-pissy because none of these moves mesh with the idea of caring only about winning a Cup. Everything should go through that filter -- even the idea of putting the 7s on the ice. Maybe the players would prefer it not be there. I can easily see it being a problem for the goalie and D. Were the players/coaches asked?

 

The current structure is exactly what I would expect OSP and LQ to install if they weren't too cheap to expand the front office.

While I can agree to a point (that maybe some stuff will make it hard to pick up the puck or become a safety issue) you can't run everything past the players and coaches. At some point the players have to expect that stuff like the "7"'s painted on the ice is what classy organizations do.

 

The stuff they are doing now is goodwill stuff to recapture the energy and enthusiasm of the fanbase. Pegula seems to be building a front office of strong business types who can keep the Sabres on solid financial footing on the business side, and then he can turn his attention to the hockey department in the offseason. Never hurts to surround yourself with smart people.

[PASabreFan]

While I can agree to a point (that maybe some stuff will make it hard to pick up the puck or become a safety issue) you can't run everything past the players and coaches. At some point the players have to expect that stuff like the "7"'s painted on the ice is what classy organizations do.

 

The stuff they are doing now is goodwill stuff to recapture the energy and enthusiasm of the fanbase. Pegula seems to be building a front office of strong business types who can keep the Sabres on solid financial footing on the business side, and then he can turn his attention to the hockey department in the offseason. Never hurts to surround yourself with smart people.

 

All I'm saying is that there's a reason the blue line isn't dark blue.