2013-2014 Buffalo Sabres schedule

[PASabreFan]

Not sure if this deserves its own thread, but I saw the reports indicating that the Sabres had 97% renewal rates on season tickets and expanded the season ticket program by ~600 tickets so that it now encompasses ~16,000 seats.

 

My takeaway: The Chet-and-Muffification*** of the home rink continues.

 

Oh, one other thing: I tried to post this to the "in game experience at FNC" thread, but it was archived.

 

http://forums.sabres...page__hl__muffy

 

***With apologies to Taro, who, IIRC, has objected to this trope because there are no girls from WNY who are named Muffy.

.

 

Are there many Chets?

[darksabre]

 

 

Not only that...but there is no reason to worry about winning. The team has stunk, they can't make the playoffs while maxing out the salary cap, they have a fairly unpopular GM, they were told to suffer, yet 1,100 people moved off the waiting list into season tickets and the waiting list is also supposedly bigger?

 

I'll say it again. Larry Quinn = Genius

 

He had this market figured out big time. The Buffalonian in me hates it, but the Capitalist in me has to applaud.

 

All he had to do was look at the Bills marketing success to know that Buffalo sports fans are gullible as hell.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

 

 

All he had to do was look at the Bills marketing success to know that Buffalo sports fans are gullible as hell.

 

It's a huge difference. It costs over $1,000 just to get in the door for the Sabres. For the Bills it's $250, and 90% of the stadium is less than $1,000 for the year. It's a lot easier to eat a couple meaningless games in frigid weather than it is to pretty much watch 20 of them from January to April.

 

The Bills also have the advantage of an all-day event. At worst, most people had the day off anyway and get to eat and drink with their friends. At best you go on a 4 year SuperBowl run. To a lot of people, including myself, it's a can't-lose experience. When the Sabres are good, it's easy to look forward to, but for pretty much the past 6 years, you have to rush home from work and change and pick up people, or go straight to the arena or maybe a pop or 2, you can't tailgate for 50 cents a can of beer and 8 hotdogs for the price of 1 at the arena, and unless something amazing happens....the atmosphere just isn't what it used to be.

 

To each their own, but even if the Sabres WERE good and tickets were available, the price points now would make me balk most likely.

 

Seriously....the Sabres just said more than 1,100 people paid money to add their names to the Season Ticket waiting list after all that happened last year. I just don't understand. Hence, my admiration for Quinn at this point.

[That Aud Smell]

Are there many Chets?

 

right. can't have one without the other.

 

All he had to do was look at the Bills marketing success to know that Buffalo sports fans are gullible as hell.

 

there's no winning on this issue evidently.

 

if the arena or stadium is empty, we have fair weather bandwagoners who don't deserve the franchise.

 

if the arena or stadium is full, we're fulfillnig the prophesy of p.t. barnum.

 

given a choice, i like living in a region where the fans will remain loyal to the franchise throughout its ups and downs and buy season tickets without much regard for where the team is likely to finish in the standings.

[shrader]

.

 

Are there many Chets?

 

I can name two. Ok, one of them is dead, but that still counts, right?

[IKnowPhysics]

All he had to do was look at the Bills marketing success to know that Buffalo sports fans are gullible as hell.

 

"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies."

 

-Some ######in' movie most people like

[darksabre]

 

 

right. can't have one without the other.

 

 

 

there's no winning on this issue evidently.

 

if the arena or stadium is empty, we have fair weather bandwagoners who don't deserve the franchise.

 

if the arena or stadium is full, we're fulfillnig the prophesy of p.t. barnum.

 

given a choice, i like living in a region where the fans will remain loyal to the franchise throughout its ups and downs and buy season tickets without much regard for where the team is likely to finish in the standings.

 

I guess I should be thankful that people who aren't me are willing to shell out a ton of coin for a crap product.

[LGR4GM]

I think there is a flaw in the logic that if a team sucks and people still buy tickets and stuff the team will never bother to improve and keep the status quo. Toronto for example has sucked for years but they wanted desperately to improve and they fired gms and such even though every year Toronto sells out everything. I think with an owner committed to winning (look he said he was and he keeps making changes and spending cash so let it be) than why wouldn't they continue to worked towards winning?

[That Aud Smell]

I guess I should be thankful that people who aren't me are willing to shell out a ton of coin for a crap product.

 

fair enough.

 

i debate this issue with people with some frequency with respect to a number of sectors: "are you a consumer of that product or service, or are you something else and is the product or service something more than just a product or service?"

 

if you're strictly a consumer of something, then you stop buying it when it fails to meet expectations or otherwise fails to retain your goodwill.

 

but if you're more than a consumer of something -- if that something is tied up with your identity, for example -- then maybe you continue to support it even when it fails to meet your needs or expectations.

 

I think there is a flaw in the logic that if a team sucks and people still buy tickets and stuff the team will never bother to improve and keep the status quo. Toronto for example has sucked for years but they wanted desperately to improve and they fired gms and such even though every year Toronto sells out everything. I think with an owner committed to winning (look he said he was and he keeps making changes and spending cash so let it be) than why wouldn't they continue to worked towards winning?

 

agreed. the idea that fan support in spite of recent failures has ted black burning $100 bills to light a cigar as he laughs maniacally (or something along those lines) is one to which i do not subscribe. i think pegula and the team's FO desperately want to reward the fans' loyalty by building a winner.

 

i'm a little more on the fence as to whether strong fan support in the face of recent failures has any effect on the pace or nature of changes that an owner or team president are willing to make. i tend to think that the pace and nature of changes are far more a function of the owner's temperament/philosophy than they are dictated by the persistence of fan support during a period of poor performance on the ice.

[LGR4GM]

Right I think that if no one showed up because the team sucked they would probably be doing dumb things to get us back (horrible contracts to get stars (kovalchuk) or stupid promotions) versus now I think they actually feel guilty having a tenacious fan base that keeps getting let down. IDK I guess i think it is more grey than black and white when it comes to fan support.

[MattPie]

Are there many Chets?

I can name two. Ok, one of them is dead, but that still counts, right?

 

These two?

http://www.wgrz.com/video/2399869158001/0/Chets-Dog-House-Is-Set-To-Reopen

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/42/1556891/restaurant/Buffalo/Olde-Tyme-Chets-East-Aurora

[inkman]

"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies."

"So get busy living , or get busy buying Sabres tickets"

[IKnowPhysics]

"So get busy living , or get busy buying Sabres tickets"

 

Word.

 

"Drury was here."

 

"So was Vanek."

[That Aud Smell]

"So get busy living , or get busy buying Sabres tickets"

Word.

 

"Drury was here."

 

"So was Vanek."

 

:clapping:

[apuszczalowski]

i wouldn't be surprised if most of the "people" added tot he list were actually brokers or resellers, maybe even Toronto (or other teams) fans who want to see their team play and will sell off the rest. Ticket brokering and re-selling/scalping are becoming a big business these days, especially with the added availability to a larger market through the internet. You no longer have to stand outside near the venue hoping to find someone looking to buy on the street thats not a cop. You can be states away from the actual venue and re-sell digital/email copies of the tickets to anyone with a phone or computer.

 

As for the difference between football and hockey, football has a shorter season, with less tickets to purchase at a similar cost to what the hockey teams charge for a ticket. Then take into account that probably half of the stadium doesn't care about the actual game and only came to tailgate and drink heavily in public and you will find alot more people who can buy season tickets to the bills then the Sabres. When was the last time you went to a Sabres game and seen people passed out intoxicated and puking in their seat?

[tom webster]

To me, and I would imagine some others, it's about spreading around my entertainment dollar. I enjoy going to the games, going to the Philharmonic and taking in a play or two. I am nowhere near rich, not even sure im upper moddle class, but with four kids, a wife, a mother and in laws, 20 employees and thousands of customers who all think they are my best friend, I just need to escape occasionally and a might at the arena is one of my comfort zones. While I yearn for a Champion, the success or lack thereof of the Sabres or Bills is irrelevant to whether I will continue to buy tickets.

As things like the medical campus and other downtown development continue, it is only natural to assume that a certain percentage of those people will include a night out at a sporting event one of their entertainment choices.

And by the way, this is a good thing.

[spndnchz]

Who but the wealthy would even consider shelling out for season tickets with the way the product has been unless it's just throwaway money to them? Average Joe doesn't buy seasons anymore.

 

Put a few or four average Joe's together and seasons are more than reasonable.

 

i wouldn't be surprised if most of the "people" added tot he list were actually brokers or resellers, maybe even Toronto (or other teams) fans who want to see their team play and will sell off the rest. Ticket brokering and re-selling/scalping are becoming a big business these days, especially with the added availability to a larger market through the internet. You no longer have to stand outside near the venue hoping to find someone looking to buy on the street thats not a cop. You can be states away from the actual venue and re-sell digital/email copies of the tickets to anyone with a phone or computer.

 

As for the difference between football and hockey, football has a shorter season, with less tickets to purchase at a similar cost to what the hockey teams charge for a ticket. Then take into account that probably half of the stadium doesn't care about the actual game and only came to tailgate and drink heavily in public and you will find alot more people who can buy season tickets to the bills then the Sabres. When was the last time you went to a Sabres game and seen people passed out intoxicated and puking in their seat?

 

Actually the other way around. Whole rows/sections have opened up. That's brokers saying goodbye because they know they'll be a hard ticket to sell. They in turn put themselves back on the waiting list so they can buy back in 2-3 years from now.

[That Aud Smell]

Actually the other way around. Whole rows/sections have opened up. That's brokers saying goodbye because they know they'll be a hard ticket to sell. They in turn put themselves back on the waiting list so they can buy back in 2-3 years from now.

 

the announcement said 97% of STH's renewed their tix. are you saying that the 3% who didn't renew were mostly brokers and that their defection opened up entire rows (sections?!) of previously unavailable tickets?

 

:huh:

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

 

 

Put a few or four average Joe's together and seasons are more than reasonable.

 

 

 

Actually the other way around. Whole rows/sections have opened up. That's brokers saying goodbye because they know they'll be a hard ticket to sell. They in turn put themselves back on the waiting list so they can buy back in 2-3 years from now.

 

Good insight on both points.

 

The sharing thing is good to ease the pain. Many people I know do that at this point. I probably know folks who eat up 50 seats, but all are either shared or on a business account. The Bills on the other hand....same people week in and out mainly.

 

Maybe the Sabres games are like a timeshare? Overpay, but not on the hook for the actual property.

 

 

 

the announcement said 97% of STH's renewed their tix. are you saying that the 3% who didn't renew were mostly brokers and that their defection opened up entire rows (sections?!) of previously unavailable tickets?

 

:huh:

 

Now this actually makes me feel better and less confused. I have argued for years that there was an artificial demand for season tickets pent up for '05-'07 because people don't want to "miss out" on the next run.

 

After seeing Leafs tickets sell for $50 in the clubs on stubhub come gameday, Chz makes tons of sense.

 

Now....if the artificial demand was created by liquid brokers who can pony up, hoping to get even on 30 games but make a mint on the other 10....but they took a bath the past few years.......now you have "regular folk" taking those seats, and the brokers who could shell out $40,000 for an entire row...now passing and taking a $100 option out on future purchases, plus they get the discount and priority for being on the list.

 

Makes sense....and now I can go back to saying Larry Quinn is a dooty-head. ;)

[That Aud Smell]

Good insight on both points.

 

The sharing thing is good to ease the pain. Many people I know do that at this point. I probably know folks who eat up 50 seats, but all are either shared or on a business account. The Bills on the other hand....same people week in and out mainly.

 

Maybe the Sabres games are like a timeshare? Overpay, but not on the hook for the actual property.

 

 

 

Now this actually makes me feel better and less confused. I have argued for years that there was an artificial demand for season tickets pent up for '05-'07 because people don't want to "miss out" on the next run.

 

After seeing Leafs tickets sell for $50 in the clubs on stubhub come gameday, Chz makes tons of sense.

 

Now....if the artificial demand was created by liquid brokers who can pony up, hoping to get even on 30 games but make a mint on the other 10....but they took a bath the past few years.......now you have "regular folk" taking those seats, and the brokers who could shell out $40,000 for an entire row...now passing and taking a $100 option out on future purchases, plus they get the discount and priority for being on the list.

 

Makes sense....and now I can go back to saying Larry Quinn is a dooty-head. ;)

 

i'm still confused. i wasn't sure if chz was saying that there's been a gradual defection of the brokers in the STH ranks or whether the brokers comprised the 3% who didn't renew for this season.

 

also occurs to me to ask: is there a limit on the # of tix that a STH can purchase?

[spndnchz]

the announcement said 97% of STH's renewed their tix. are you saying that the 3% who didn't renew were mostly brokers and that their defection opened up entire rows (sections?!) of previously unavailable tickets?

 

:huh:

 

It really depends on how the present the numbers. Take this: Waiting list in summer of 2010 was 6,000, they increase the max amount of season ticket holders they want and that number drops. A lot. Also consider the fact they opened up or "now count" 380 additional seats in the F'NC and 500 season ticket holders drop their seats.

 

I know people on the list and they've been offered seats in the first three rows (the whole row) and seats in the 100's and corner 200's.

 

I don't know if the majority of non-renewals are brokers or not. I'm just saying when you see 50 seats all next to each open up that either a broker left or a big family was killed in a plane crash (no offense to those killed in plane crashes).

[shrader]

I also get the feeling that with how deeply in bed these brokers are with sports teams, they could get their hands on any number of season tickets they want whenever they want them. They don't need to bother with any waiting lists. It's the nature of the beast at this point.

[PASabreFan]

i'm a little more on the fence as to whether strong fan support in the face of recent failures has any effect on the pace or nature of changes that an owner or team president are willing to make. i tend to think that the pace and nature of changes are far more a function of the owner's temperament/philosophy than they are dictated by the persistence of fan support during a period of poor performance on the ice.

 

Re: pace of change. If the fans vote with their feet, can Darcy survive?

[That Aud Smell]

interesting stuff. thanks.

 

Re: pace of change. If the fans vote with their feet, can Darcy survive?

 

dunno, but that is an "if" that shows no signs of coming to pass.

[nobody]

70 MSG games and 12 NBCSN games.

 

http://sabres.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=680503

 

 

Oct. 2 at Detroit, 8:00 (NBCSN)

Oct. 8 vs. Tampa Bay, 7:30 (NBCSN)

Oct. 14 vs. Minnesota, 7:30 (NBCSN)

Oct. 23 vs. Boston, 8:00 (NBCSN)

Jan. 14 vs. Philadelphia, 7:30 (NBCSN)

Jan. 27 at Pittsburgh, 7:30 (NBCSN)

Jan. 28 vs. Washington, 7:30 (NBCSN)

Feb. 5 vs. Pittsburgh, 7:30 (NBCSN)

Feb. 26 vs. Boston, 7:30 (NBCSN)

March 3 at Dallas, 8:00 (NBCSN)

March 9 vs. Chicago, 7:30 (NBC/NBCSN flex)

April 6 at Philadelphia, 7:30 (NBC/NBCSN flex)