Anyone Considered Cheering For a New Team?

[JohnRobertEichel]

I realize that everyone likes winners and shiny new toys, but will Las Vegas even have a pro hockey franchise 10-20 years from now? It's only the 29th largest US metro market and is filled with transients and Hispanics (not being racist here...just saying that non-whites tend to be much less into ice hockey, statistically speaking). Could the Vegas Golden Knights sustain several down years? Could their burgeoning fanbase handle - say - 7 straight years without the playoffs, 11 straight years without a playoff series victory, 47 straight seasons without a Stanley Cup victory?

 

Cheer for whomever you want for whatever reasons. I'm a Sabres fan because they represent the city of Buffalo. If they were to suddenly relocate to where I currently live, I wouldn't cheer for them anymore. But that's just me. I'll do me. You do you. 

Edited January 15, 2018 by FuhrUrsinne

[PASabreFan]

I only 30-40 years left, I'm not sure I'll see it.

I think that way sometimes. But... nah. Things change fast in sports. Or should, anyway. If Terry made a good hire in Botterill and Botterill made a good hire in Housley (or even if he nails his second coach), things could turn fast. I say that as someone who doesn't put all my eggs in the prospect basket. The professional pipeline has to be there as well, and you have to be good at developing all of your players.

 

In other words: we win two rounds in the spring of '19!

I appreciate the responses. I know I can’t switch because how could you not be happy if they ever won it all? Of course you would be happy.

 

But with the Canucks being awful too, I do find myself pulling for the Knights.

 

I couldn’t believe how many people had VK gear on the flight back to BC. A crazy amount.

 

We have a trip there in Feb and they do have a home game when we are there. Still haven’t decided if we are gonna go or not though.

 

But I’m still a Sabres fan even though they suck. Glad as I’ve gotten older that I don’t let sports ruin my day anymore.

I'm getting to the bolded pretty past. I was just thinking over the weekend that it's stupid of me to pin my happiness to a bunch of immature, degenerate 20-something males. What have I been thinking?! We care more than they do, that's just a fact. If they cared, they'd be home during the bye resting up and recharging instead of traveling and, uh, degenerating. I don't know that some didn't take the responsible route, and to those who did, thank you.

 

Honestly, these guys are like Kramer. What do they need a vacation from? Lives that are already vacations? Yeah go smoke another death stick, Bert.

[That Aud Smell]

Nothing much to add to what's been said upthread.

 

I believe it's metaphysically impossible to switch teams. I have a friend from my college days who grew up in Vancouver, and he was a rabid Canucks fan. He's a musician (one of my favourite songs of his even has a line about Vancouver beating Colorado (which was back when the Avalanche were great)), and now lives and makes a living with music in Nashville. He says he's now a Preds fan, full stop. Like, the Canucks were in town and he posted a picture to FB of him at the arena wearing a Preds shirt.

 

I call BS on that.

 

One of my very favorite touchstones from my days of learning is this quote from AE Housman: "The house of delusions is cheap to build, but drafty to live in, and ready at any instant to fall."

 

I'm so sorry to hear about the medical issues for your wife -- God bless.

[Marvelo]

If you are sane, you love winning and hate losing. The Sabres have been a big loser since the Pegula Era began. With the power structure at the top, I don't see much changing. Feel free to roam for sanity's sake or pick up another hobby that doesn't involve heavy drinking.

Edited January 15, 2018 by Marvelo

[sabills]

I got close with the Bills. I've followed them for long than I have the Sabres; that really started in earnest post lock-out for me. Bills have been my entire life. But 17 years of being terrible...I had reached the point where I could no longer enjoy the games, win or lose, because I honest to god hated them so much. I haven't reached that point with the Sabres, right now I'm still in good old apathy mode.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

PA is correct that the wording is very important.

 

There is a big difference between switching to and cheering for another team, but I think the OP was drifting towards switching to another team and not just cheering for another team.

 

My team is the Sabres.  Always has been and always will be.

 

That said, when we lived in Pittsburgh during their first two cups ('91 and '92) we really cheered for them.  Also, Montreal has a soft spot for both of us.  My wife is from there and we went to many a game at the old Forum ... nothing really like it.

[ddaryl]

I would never stop cheering for the Sabres. Might not watch them much when they suck but I'd stop watching hockey in general 1if the Sabres didn't exist

 

Same with the Bills.. Never once did I ever consider a new team.. Buffalo is in my blood and I would not an doculd not enjoy any other teams ever.

Edited January 15, 2018 by ddaryl

[rickshaw]

I’m glad this turned into a good discussion.

As I said in the middle of this thread, I know I can’t switch teams. I want a Sabres Cup but I’m on the wrong side of 50 now so I’m not optimistic.

 

I found it interesting that another poster said if Buffalo relocated he wouldn’t cheer for them any longer.

I am a LA Rams fan and hated when they moved but I stayed with them and was delighted when they won the Super Bowl in St Louis. They were still the Rams. But I would love it if they won in LA for sure. But that 99 win was awesome as those helmets were still the same.

 

I guess if I start rooting for Vegas would they be able to pass the Canucks in my pecking order? I will say this. I want Buffalo to win 82 games and the Canucks 80. Whenever I’ve gone to a game between the cousins I always get up in my Sabres swag and HATE the Canucks on the night.

 

Thanks for all the kind words regarding my wife.

Edited January 15, 2018 by rickshaw

[North Buffalo]

I’m glad this turned into a good discussion.

As I said in the middle of this thread, I know I can’t switch teams. I want a Sabres Cup but I’m on the wrong side of 50 now so I’m not optimistic.

I found it interesting that another poster said if Buffalo relocated he wouldn’t cheer for them any longer.

I am a LA Rams fan and hated when they moved but I stayed with them and was delighted when they won the Super Bowl in St Louis. They were still the Rams. But I would love it if they won in LA for sure. But that 99 win was awesome as those helmets were still the same.

I guess if I start rooting for Vegas would they be able to pass the Canucks in my pecking order? I will say this. I want Buffalo to win 82 games and the Canucks 80. Whenever I’ve gone to a game between the cousins I always get up in my Sabres swag and HATE the Canucks on the night.

Thanks for all the kind words regarding my wife.

I can see both both sides of that equation but will tell you my Dad quit being a baseball fan when the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to LA and though I would not forgoe hockey, I am not sure I could ever swith allegiences from the Buffalo Sabres.

[Doohickie]

My team is the Sabres.  Always has been and always will be.

 

That said, when we lived in Pittsburgh during their first two cups ('91 and '92) we really cheered for them.

Interestingly my experience is different.  Kind of.

 

I've gone over this before once or twice, but from 80-84 I went to college in the Albany, NY, area, then took a job in Los Angeles.  Although I was a pretty solid Bills/Sabres fan through high school, other matters garnered my attention once I started college.  After living in L.A. for 3 years, I took a job in Fort Worth.  At that time the Stars were still the North Stars.  I reconnected with the Bills but hockey had kind of fallen off my radar.

 

In 1991 I moved to Detroit.  I only got re-engaged in NHL hockey because of the Red Wings.  The Sabres seemed to be from some past life.  And during the 6 years I spent there, the Wings went from bubble team to their first Cup in 42 years.  So yeah, by 1997 I was a hardcore Detroit Red Wings fan and really didn't follow the Sabres much at all.

 

We moved back to Ft Worth just after that Wiings cup in '97.  By then the Stars had moved, and we were to the point that we could actually afford Center Ice.  At first we got it so we could watch all the Red Wing games, but I started watching the Sabres again too.  The Wings were still my #1 team, but obviously by 1999 that switched.  To be honest, the Sabres kind of came out of nowhere; I was still primarily following the Wings going into that season.

 

Things evolved pretty quickly after that and I reverted to my Sabres fandom.  For those lost years (basically 1980 to 1999), I paid almost no attention to the Sabres.

 

***

 

The one thing I take away from the period when I followed the Red Wings, is that setting a steady course and following it pays off in the end.  We hope for a Sabres Cup soon, but in the Red Wings' case they didn't win until the 14th season of the career of their franchise player (Steve Yzerman).  We're basically the 1985-6 Red Wings by that schedule.  If you talk to a Red Wings fan in 1986 they'd be just as frustrated as we are now.  If you talked to the same fan in 1997 he'd probably say the Red Wings built things just right.  In 2007 he'd still agree that things were done just right.

 

So when we talk about quick builds, slow builds, etc., bear in mind that even once a build bears fruit, it could still be many years until a Cup is won, and those years aren't necessarily lost years.  Early on TPegs cited Mike Ilitch's Red Wings ownership as a model he wanted to emulate.  Ilitch owned the Wings 15 years before they hoisted the Cup.  After that they were a perennial contender for another 10+ years.

 

We could be in for that kind of time scale, but if it works out like that, can we really complain?

Edited January 15, 2018 by Anordning

[josie]

It's a flame that flickers but doesn't entirely go out for me. Just like how I feel for Detroit. I've talked on here before about the difficulties of sort of having "two teams", especially in the same conference. I'm barely following either team right now, but I feel that little burst of warmth when there's a really good game or bit of news. The last few years of Detroit's playoff run, I happily cheered for them/wore Red Wings jerseys, and I would again. The real trouble for me would be if both Sabres and Red Wings make it in. And once the rest of my favorite players on Detroit retire/leave, I'm pretty sure it'll be an easy decision. 

 

I feel a bit like a sh!t fan for not watching much this season, but the reality is I'm very busy, and can't spend the time/money on something that doesn't feel rewarding and only winds me up/frustrates me. There's no joy going out of my way to try to tune in only to hear another pasting in progress. Whining/commiserating with other fans on twitter eventually feels toxic, too. 

 

Brand me a fair weather fan when they're good again and I'm at the games and making art and screaming rah rah's to the rafters, I guess. You're allowed to live outside your sports allegiance. 

 

 

The one thing I take away from the period when I followed the Red Wings, is that setting a steady course and following it pays off in the end.  We hope for a Sabres Cup soon, but in the Red Wings' case they didn't win until the 14th season of the career of their franchise player (Steve Yzerman).  We're basically the 1985-6 Red Wings by that schedule.  If you talk to a Red Wings fan in 1986 they'd be just as frustrated as we are now.  If you talked to the same fan in 1997 he'd probably say the Red Wings built things just right.  In 2007 he'd still say things were done just right.

 

 

Man, weren't they giving away cars and such just to get ticket sales going in the late 80s? That was a down and out franchise. With the added pain of having past success/original 6/all that tarnished and faded glory.

 

Anything can happen. I guess I'm never fully out of hope. 

[Doohickie]

The real trouble for me would be if both Sabres and Red Wings make it in. And once the rest of my favorite players on Detroit retire/leave, I'm pretty sure it'll be an easy decision.

 

I think I've gone through that twice with the Wings already:  The Yzerman/Lidstrom Wings, and the Datsyuk/Zeterberg Wings.  With each succeeding generation of players my connection to the team diminishes.  But I lived in Detroit for 6 years, it isn't like I grew up there or anything.

 

Man, weren't they giving away cars and such just to get ticket sales going in the late 80s? That was a down and out franchise.

They were a laughing stock in ways that we Sabres fans haven't even begun to feel.

[josie]

 

I think I've gone through that twice with the Wings already:  The Yzerman/Lidstrom Wings, and the Datsyuk/Zeterberg Wings.  With each succeeding generation of players my connection to the team diminishes.  But I lived in Detroit for 6 years, it isn't like I grew up there or anything.

 

They were a laughing stock in ways that we Sabres fans haven't even begun to feel.

Yep, that's where I'm at. I'm not a fan of the new lads. Abdelkader, Tatar, even Larkin. Even though we're having a horrid time, I'd rather root for some of the guys here in Buffalo. Once Z leaves, and Kronwall with him, I haven't got a player I like. They have no spark, no excitement, none of that magic. I believe some of our guys have more of that, once we get a handle on how to encourage/grow it. 

[Doohickie]

I kind of feel that Larkin is topped out.  What we saw his rookie year is all he'll ever be.  Athanasiou is interesting.  He could be a force going forward or he could be Afenigenov.  We'll see.  But you're right:  People on this board complain about the lack of heart on the Sabres roster, but really the Wings have nuthin.

[That Aud Smell]

will tell you my Dad quit being a baseball fan when the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to LA 

 

the day the music died. I think that warrants swearing off a team.

[French Collection]

I've been a Sabres fan since '75 so I'm not changing. If they win in my lifetime it will be that much sweeter. I'll welcome the bandwagon jumpers aboard but make them aware of their status.

 

I watch a lot of hockey and my son joins me for the occasional non-Sabres game. He always asks who I'm cheering for, so I end up picking some teams. I kind of have some secondary teams but they do not approach my affection for the Sabres.

 

I have purchased other teams swag over the years, because I have often had non Sabres players as my favourites. For example, Joe Sakic was my favourite player for the length of his career so I had a Nordiques jersey and some Avalanche stuff.

 

Most of my family are Habs fans and I do not regret "finding" my own team as a young man and sticking with them through thick and thin. I missed out on many Cups but feel a sense of independence.

[inkman]

I didn't bother to read any responses because I'm a lazy American but I didn't choose this life. It was bestowed upon me. I'd love to be one of these bandwagon mofos who choose their team like the color of their underwear. I'm going to die a sad lonely man with no championships for my hometown teams. Just a long life of misery and suffering.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Well, aren't we a cheery bunch in here.

[Doohickie]

Most of my family are Habs fans and I do not regret "finding" my own team as a young man and sticking with them through thick and thin.

 

A quick digression to the BIlls:  Anyone who follows the Bills has probably heard of of one of their most devoted fans who goes by "Pancho Billa"

 

Ezra was born in El Paso but at a young age picked the Bills as his favorite team and has been a fan ever since.  He lives in Dallas now and is president of the DFW Bills Backers.

 

He's also battling cancer and if you would like you can donate to his GoFundMe.

[inkman]

Well, aren't we a cheery bunch in here.

If I had a choice I'd root for the Pat's, Spurs, Yankees and penguins. I just don't have that choice. Everyday I wake up looking for Sabres, Bills and Red Sox news. It's who I am.

[Huckleberry]

Thought never crossed my mind, I'd rather sink with the ship each season.

[Weave]

I kind of feel that Larkin is topped out.  What we saw his rookie year is all he'll ever be.  Athanasiou is interesting.  He could be a force going forward or he could be Afenigenov.  We'll see.  But you're right:  People on this board complain about the lack of heart on the Sabres roster, but really the Wings have nuthin.

 

I'm genuinely curious how you can feel Larkin is topped out but Sam still has a development path.

[Doohickie]

Like so many of my views here:  Gut feel.  I make this up as I go along.