BuffaloSoldier2010 Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 Couldn't find a thread i thought this would fit well in, so feel free to merge. The Buffalo Sabres are certainly going to be a much different team under the ownership of T-pegs, and the culture of the entire team in general is certainly going to change. My question for all of you, is at what point, do we become one of those "contenders" that can lure in the big name free agents for those cheap one year deals? We saw Marian Hossa take a 1 million dollar 1 year deal with Detroit in an effort to win the cup (yes i know it was Detroit), but then this year we also had Thomas Vokoun take a similar one year contract with the Washington Capitals. Washington was finishing near the bottom consistently not even 4 years ago, so at one point does Buffalo gain that kind of appeal? If ever? Is it really the consistent success of the team? or is it the single superstar effort that draws other players to a teams colors? Edit: Another circumstance to note would be that of Vancouver, where players gave a home team discount to stay together. Can Buffalo become so appealing that players do this for us? And should that be part of the goal of the new ownership? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RazielSabre Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 Successful season this season, maybe another conference final appearance and I think the Sabres become one of 'those teams'. I'm giving it a page before Drury/Briere is mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesportsbuff Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 I think we're getting there. Next off-season will be a big stepping stone towards that goal with almost $10 mil in UFA money opening up. I don't expect Ennis to get a huge raise unless he has a spectacular season this year, and Myers will probably eat around $6, but there will still be some money to be spent and some trades to be made to possibly clear up more money. What Buffalo needs is a superstar. Players want to play in Pittsburgh, Detroit and Washington because they have some of the biggest names in the hockey WORLD on their rosters. The Sabres have a great goalie in Miller and hopefully will lock up a stud star-to-be defenseman in Myers longterm... but they still don't have that superstar, household name forward. I think that's what they need before other offensive powerhouses start flocking to come here. So I really hope these contracts pan out, because it's gonna be a looong, rough wait if Ehrhoff and Leino contracts don't pan out (I think they will, though). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 Successful season this season, maybe another conference final appearance and I think the Sabres become one of 'those teams'. I'm giving it a page before Drury/Briere is mentioned. You just fulfilled your own prophesy. :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 Let's get one successful season under their belt before we start talking about legacy and reputation that attracts winners at lower salaries. They still have a road that needs traveling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R_Dudley Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 Let's get one successful season under their belt before we start talking about legacy and reputation that attracts winners at lower salaries. They still have a road that needs traveling. This. However I will say IMO it is a combination of successful history and marque players. If you look at the latest Washington example(Vokoun) they have 4 consectitive playoff seasons with 2 quartefinal and 2 alternating semifinal finishes(all losses). And you also really need to add the marque player dynamic; OV, Semin, Backstrom, Green, etc. Maybe this year is the year for them. Detroit I will not drill the details since I think their history and marque players are well known. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjag Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 I think it is as simple as treating players fairly, where it counts most, during contract negotiations. Once you overcome that rep, players will come. How long that takes is anyone's guess. My guess, three years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetweenThePipes00 Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 This. However I will say IMO it is a combination of successful history and marque players. If you look at the latest Washington example(Vokoun) they have 4 consectitive playoff seasons with 2 quartefinal and 2 alternating semifinal finishes(all losses). And you also really need to add the marque player dynamic; OV, Semin, Backstrom, Green, etc. Maybe this year is the year for them. Detroit I will not drill the details since I think their history and marque players are well known. I don't think Hossa and Vokoun did the same thing. Hossa did what you are talking about ... he had legit, multi-year offers from other good teams (including Pittsburgh) yet chose a one-year deal with Detroit and risked injury to play for that team. Vokoun chose Washington because they are good, yes, and OV happens to be there ... but he also had zero other options if he wanted to make the playoffs. The only teams mentioned for him as far as long-term deals all suck, and any other playoff team could not offer him the No.1 job. The reason I make the distinction is just that I believe the Hossa thing was like a once-in-a-generation decision and no matter how great things get in Hockey Heaven, we can never expect THAT. Even Pittsburgh, with Crosby and the Cups and the great new building, etc., hasn't gotten anything close to that (maybe you could say from guys at the very end of their careers looking for one more shot, like Guerin and Roberts, but they did not really take a discount, they were just picking their spot, that's not unusual). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 And it's funny how the Hossa thing worked out. Take the one year shot at the cup and lose, then turn around and cash out big time... AND walk away with the cup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SabresFan526 Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 I don't think Hossa and Vokoun did the same thing. Hossa did what you are talking about ... he had legit, multi-year offers from other good teams (including Pittsburgh) yet chose a one-year deal with Detroit and risked injury to play for that team. Vokoun chose Washington because they are good, yes, and OV happens to be there ... but he also had zero other options if he wanted to make the playoffs. The only teams mentioned for him as far as long-term deals all suck, and any other playoff team could not offer him the No.1 job. The reason I make the distinction is just that I believe the Hossa thing was like a once-in-a-generation decision and no matter how great things get in Hockey Heaven, we can never expect THAT. Even Pittsburgh, with Crosby and the Cups and the great new building, etc., hasn't gotten anything close to that (maybe you could say from guys at the very end of their careers looking for one more shot, like Guerin and Roberts, but they did not really take a discount, they were just picking their spot, that's not unusual). I agree with everything you say here. Let us also not pretend that Hossa took a discount. It was a 1 year deal for $7.45 million, not a 1 year deal for $1 million as the original post stated. He was the highest paid player on that Detroit team for that one year. He took less guaranteed money for a shot at the Cup which didn't work out in his favor, but he by no means took less money necessarily, just less term and less guaranteed money for that one year deal. The question brought up in the thread is certainly an interesting one. I think it has already happened. I think it will happen so long as the Sabres can consistently make it to the playoffs and be a contender. They've got two years in a row, and make it again this year and now this becomes a destination city. Also, I kind of get annoyed when people say Buffalo is a lousy, dingy, ugly town that no one wants to play in. First, that's not really true as we all have discussed on here since most retired players stay, live, and raise their families in Bufffalo. Second, I'd like to know what makes Detroit and Pittsburgh more "attractive" cities than Buffalo from a party atmosphere and robust economy perspective? Detroit's dead. It is constant raining in Pittsburgh and it is the gloomiest city this side of Seattle. People play for those teams not because of the party life but for the chance to compete and win championships, and I believe that with Pegula and Black, the Sabres will become one of those teams as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullwinkle Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 These things take time. Detroit has been good as far back as I go. However I remember the days when Pittsburgh stunk...Washington set a league record for ineptitude (even my mom told me how sorry she felt for them). Still, it's the culture of this area that needs overhauling. Buffalo is known as an outpost...a city smaller than those mentioned located in the middle of the snow belt. Worse than that, it has had a reputation of being a cheap franchise of also-ran losers, never winning the Big Prize. And having a disaster like the Bills here doesn't help. Certainly TP will change all that...at least the image of the team...but it will take more deep-run playoff seasons and maybe a finals appearance to change everyone's mind. I'd say we would need to have a playoff team for the next five years running and people will want to play here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetweenThePipes00 Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 Also, I kind of get annoyed when people say Buffalo is a lousy, dingy, ugly town that no one wants to play in. First, that's not really true as we all have discussed on here since most retired players stay, live, and raise their families in Bufffalo. Second, I'd like to know what makes Detroit and Pittsburgh more "attractive" cities than Buffalo from a party atmosphere and robust economy perspective? Detroit's dead. It is constant raining in Pittsburgh and it is the gloomiest city this side of Seattle. People play for those teams not because of the party life but for the chance to compete and win championships, and I believe that with Pegula and Black, the Sabres will become one of those teams as well. The only thing that is different is that Detroit is big enough that you can still be somewhat anonymous ... and in Pittsburgh this is also true although it is smaller, as long as you don't play for the Steelers.or are Sidney Crosby. I know it is a long-running debate whether Buffalo is a "Bills town" or a "Sabres town," but the Sabres are far closer to the Bills than the Pens and Pirates are combined to the Steelers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drnkirishone Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 I don't think you need the superstar to do this. All you need is word of mouth to spread that ownership and the front office will treat you fairly and some success regular season and post season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabre Dance Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 The culture has already begun to change - even though it took a little convincing, Regehr is here and we also got Erhoff. Those are two pretty big names. Miller is already well known through his Olympic performance, Myers is a Calder winner... All the team needs to do is make the playoffs (and not in the last week of the season - a nice fourth or fifth place would be good) and reach the second round at the least. We have an owner who is publicly committed to winning, coaches who have had some success and an enthusiastic and knowledgeable fan base. A couple of really good seasons and playoff runs and we should be able to attract more big-time talent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spndnchz Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 ....and we've got new Zamboni's! :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X. Benedict Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 ....and we've got new Zamboni's! :thumbsup: I wonder if that will help the second period soup on the Zamboni end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 ....and we've got new Zamboni's! :thumbsup: Are they actualy Zambonis or that other fake crappy company? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjag Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 I wonder if that will help the second period soup on the Zamboni end. Has there been any recent news on fixing the humidity in HSBC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
korab rules Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 Has there been any recent news on fixing the humidity in HSBC? News? Not that I have heard. Ice is down, so there is no rush. I am sure it is in their off season renovation plans. There is no salary cap on renovations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R_Dudley Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 I don't think Hossa and Vokoun did the same thing. Hossa did what you are talking about ... he had legit, multi-year offers from other good teams (including Pittsburgh) yet chose a one-year deal with Detroit and risked injury to play for that team. Vokoun chose Washington because they are good, yes, and OV happens to be there ... but he also had zero other options if he wanted to make the playoffs. The only teams mentioned for him as far as long-term deals all suck, and any other playoff team could not offer him the No.1 job. The reason I make the distinction is just that I believe the Hossa thing was like a once-in-a-generation decision and no matter how great things get in Hockey Heaven, we can never expect THAT. Even Pittsburgh, with Crosby and the Cups and the great new building, etc., hasn't gotten anything close to that (maybe you could say from guys at the very end of their careers looking for one more shot, like Guerin and Roberts, but they did not really take a discount, they were just picking their spot, that's not unusual). Yes I agree and stand corrected. I didn't really pay attention to the premise and details of the discount and the incorrect Hossa 1 million for 1 year. I focused in on and made my response to the culture change idea around "what it would take to change the perception the team so other marque players would want to come here". I guess there are no discounts in speed reading courses either. :bag: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spndnchz Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 Has there been any recent news on fixing the humidity in HSBC? A whole new system is being put in...millions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spndnchz Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 Are they actualy Zambonis or that other fake crappy company? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 Looks like a zamboni and not an Olympia. I don't know them well enough though, so I'd have to see the front bumper. But anyway, a class organization like they want to be just has to go zamboni. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
korab rules Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 Looks like a zamboni and not an Olympia. I don't know them well enough though, so I'd have to see the front bumper. But anyway, a class organization like they want to be just has to go zamboni. :thumbsup: It's whichever one that isn't owned by chevy. I believe one company is, and they come equipped with chevy wheels. Those don't look like chevy wheels, so I believe it's the other. Edit: Olympia, made the Resurfice Corporation, is not owned by chevy, but built on chevy frames with many GM parts. Interestingly, they are built in Elmira, Ontario. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.