LabattBlue Posted June 20, 2020 Report Share Posted June 20, 2020 (edited) After another dismal season, followed by this weeks bloodbath, my hope tank is at empty. ? Edited June 20, 2020 by LabattBlue 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabres Fan in NS Posted June 20, 2020 Report Share Posted June 20, 2020 I voted yes. Without hope all is lost. I am never without hope. The Pegula's will be fine. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubkev Posted June 20, 2020 Report Share Posted June 20, 2020 26 minutes ago, LabattBlue said: After another dismal season, followed by this weeks bloodbath, my hope tank is at empty. ? My hope tank was full leading up to the lottery in 2015. Then we lost and I lost half a tank. I've been on E since 2016. The car is up on blocks and it's been fire bombed. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatorman0519 Posted June 20, 2020 Report Share Posted June 20, 2020 Tough question. Bills seem to be on the right road. He's a good guy and very generous but at the same time the Sabres are extremely, very extremely, dysfunctional. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKnowPhysics Posted June 20, 2020 Report Share Posted June 20, 2020 The Pegulas financially secured the team's existence, secured the franchise in Buffalo, and made them economically competitive. Locked in the no-brainer regionalization with the Amerks purchase. They spend the cash, push the front office to compete, and hold them accountable when they don't. We likely wouldn't have the luxury of being mad at hockey decisions if they didn't do these things. They're not criminals, scum bags, or absentee. They care about the city and show it by being actively involved. They care about the sport and show it by being charitable and leading new initiatives. FWIW, they care about the league by being active in their initiatives as well. They put the team on a sound bedrock. The rest is year-to-year front office, team, and player performance, which, because it's highly visible and frustrating, overshadows the good they've done in some fans' and season ticket holders' minds. Friedman is right. Like it or not, we're now in an era where owners can't and don't make the astronomical level of investment required to own a professional team and then be completely hands off on their investment. And this will frustrate fans if they're in on hockey decisions, because the owners will never fire themselves. I don't know if Kevyn Adams will create a winning team. But I do know that Jason Botterill didn't and the owners are taking action. The Pegulas will be fine. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kruppstahl Posted June 20, 2020 Report Share Posted June 20, 2020 37 minutes ago, New Scotland (NS) said: I voted yes. Without hope all is lost. I am never without hope. The Pegula's will be fine. This made me laugh out loud. They are not fine, have never been fine, and are not going to be fine. That's just you talking as a fan, wishing for the best. This comment reminded of a guy over at another Sabres forum. This was when Ron Rolston was the coach of this team and he was taking a ton of (justified) criticism from most of the users over there. Someone who was always blindly optimistic to the point of coming across like a plant from the Sabres PR department said something just like your comment. I.E., it takes time, Rolston has made progress, he will make more. He's going to work out just fine. What made it worse was the snark with which the guy made the post and he was openly scoffing at other posters who suggested Rolston was in completely over his head and needed to be terminated immediately. There's always that guy with the "Calm down everyone, I know what's best, this is all going to work out just fine. You just need to be more patient" approach. It's very easy to say something like that. Doesn't make it accurate though. New Scotland, I'm not suggesting your post is snarky in any way or that you are like this guy I'm mentioning. Just the comment reminded of that situation. Sometimes in life it is a case of the coach being in way over his head, he does need to get fired, and it's not going to get better until that happens. With the passage of time, I think we can all agree Rolston was a colossal mistake and it was not a matter of time before it all got sorted. It was such a mistake, it cost Darcy Regier his job, after so many years of dodging the bullet. The very foundation that this organization is based on right now is unsound. They are exclusively trying to save money, and the Pegulas are shrinking into a tight circle of their own trusted corporate lackeys. Further, Kim Pegula has a great deal of authority and she hasn't a clue as to what she is doing. I don't see anything positive stemming from this, unless it happens by dumb luck--which is possible. It's not likely though, that's the problem. It's hard enough to win in pro sports when everything is firing on all cylinders. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kruppstahl Posted June 20, 2020 Report Share Posted June 20, 2020 (edited) 12 minutes ago, IKnowPhysics said: The Pegulas financially secured the team's existence, secured the franchise in Buffalo, and made them economically competitive. Locked in the no-brainer regionalization with the Amerks purchase. They spend the cash, push the front office to compete, and hold them accountable when they don't. We likely wouldn't have the luxury of being mad at hockey decisions if they didn't do these things. They're not criminals, scum bags, or absentee. They care about the city and show it by being actively involved. They care about the sport and show it by being charitable and leading new initiatives. FWIW, they care about the league by being active in their initiatives as well. They put the team on a sound bedrock. The rest is year-to-year front office, team, and player performance, which, because it's highly visible and frustrating, overshadows the good they've done in some fans' and season ticket holders' minds. Friedman is right. Like it or not, we're now in an era where owners can't and don't make the astronomical level of investment required to own a professional team and then be completely hands off on their investment. And this will frustrate fans if they're in on hockey decisions, because the owners will never fire themselves. I don't know if Kevyn Adams will create a winning team. But I do know that Jason Botterill didn't and the owners are taking action. The Pegulas will be fine. The point about the team being locked into WNY is often brought up by Pegula apologists. I don't think it's a valid point. I refuse to be held hostage by that type of thinking. If economics and market forces are such that it is virtually impossible for the team to remain in a tiny market like Buffalo, let it go. Making an infinite amount of concessions simply in the name of the team staying put is not justified IMO. If the Pegulas are going to destroy the franchise to the level they have, please sell it. If that somehow means the team ends up somewhere else, such is life. We'll all find a way to survive, I assure you. Edited June 20, 2020 by Kruppstahl 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Amerk Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 (edited) How many of the notable firings the Pegulas have made have found new NHL gigs since? I know Ruff has. What about Darcy, TM, Rolston, Nolan, Byls, Wowie, etc? Edited June 21, 2020 by Andrew Amerk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radar Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 5 hours ago, New Scotland (NS) said: I voted yes. Without hope all is lost. I am never without hope. The Pegula's will be fine. I voted yes with fear and trepidation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 Sorry. He gets a lifetime pass from me for the Bills. That team is still here because of him. It was a dead franchise walking over the Peace Bridge to Toronto. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted June 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 29 minutes ago, Theana74 said: Glad to see reasonable folk here. They do so much for the city that hardly ever gets mentioned. Don't judge a book by its cover 10 years of the Sabres SUCKING outweighs any community endeavors. Sorry. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Amerk Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 (edited) 34 minutes ago, Theana74 said: Glad to see reasonable folk here. They do so much for the city that hardly ever gets mentioned. Don't judge a book by its cover The question in this post isn’t whether or not they’ve done good things for the city of Buffalo or the Bills. The question is whether or not they should still own the Sabres. Based on the unbelievable levels of ineptitude, the answer is NO (unless they actually want to hire a qualified Prez and step out of the way finally). I used to wish to see the Sabres win a Cup before I died. Now I’m relegated to praying to attend another playoff game before I die. Edited June 21, 2020 by Andrew Amerk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zamboni Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 I still want them as owners However, I want them to write the checks only. Hire damn good management from top to bottom to run the franchise in its entirety. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted June 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 17 minutes ago, Zamboni said: However, I want them to write the checks only. Not going to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zamboni Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 58 minutes ago, LabattBlue said: Not going to happen. Well I know that… lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MakeSabresGrr8Again Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 2 hours ago, Andrew Amerk said: How many of the notable firings the Pegulas have made have found new NHL gigs since? I know Ruff has. What about Darcy, TM, Rolston, Nolan, Byls, Wowie, etc? Darcy...was Sr VP of Coyotes Disco Dan...Asst. Coach Detroit Wowie...Asst. Coach Arizona Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerreaultForever Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 12 hours ago, Kruppstahl said: Further, Kim Pegula has a great deal of authority and she hasn't a clue as to what she is doing. This. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 14 hours ago, New Scotland (NS) said: I voted yes. Without hope all is lost. I am never without hope. The Pegula's will be fine. but will the Sabres? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabres Fan in NS Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 2 hours ago, nucci said: but will the Sabres? Yes!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Amerk Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 11 hours ago, MakeSabresGrr8Again said: Darcy...was Sr VP of Coyotes Disco Dan...Asst. Coach Detroit Wowie...Asst. Coach Arizona Thanks. Didn’t know this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 28 minutes ago, Andrew Amerk said: Thanks. Didn’t know this. And Tim Murray has been under contract with Buffalo all this time still. I believe that his contract is up at the end of this month. I don’t think that would prevent him from taking a scout or AGM job, but he would probably be taking a pay cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irregularly irregular Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 I voted yes, but have concerns. Many of the above mentioned subjects, on both sides of the aisle, are valid. I believe it is about finding the right fit at GM and coach. The Pegula's seem to have found that with the McBean combination for the Bills and it is showing rewards. They have struggled to find that connection with the Sabres. My suspicion is that Ralph caught their attention as someone they trust and believe in, much like Sean did with the Bills. We will see if the Ralph/Kevyn fit is as good as what we are getting with McBean. I also believe they are in deep water with their many entities. Concentrating on one energy company and building it into a multi-billion dollar behemoth took knowledge and focus. They have taken those hard won riches and entered into a unique landscape where only the super rich can tread. Their focus is now scattered and the personalities are totally different in this new land. The learning curve has been long and steep with the Sabres. Let's all hope they have finally figured it out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Amerk Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 6 hours ago, irregularly irregular said: I voted yes, but have concerns. Many of the above mentioned subjects, on both sides of the aisle, are valid. I believe it is about finding the right fit at GM and coach. The Pegula's seem to have found that with the McBean combination for the Bills and it is showing rewards. They have struggled to find that connection with the Sabres. My suspicion is that Ralph caught their attention as someone they trust and believe in, much like Sean did with the Bills. We will see if the Ralph/Kevyn fit is as good as what we are getting with McBean. I also believe they are in deep water with their many entities. Concentrating on one energy company and building it into a multi-billion dollar behemoth took knowledge and focus. They have taken those hard won riches and entered into a unique landscape where only the super rich can tread. Their focus is now scattered and the personalities are totally different in this new land. The learning curve has been long and steep with the Sabres. Let's all hope they have finally figured it out. So, are calling this combo Ralvyn or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irregularly irregular Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 13 minutes ago, Andrew Amerk said: So, are calling this combo Ralvyn or what? Just doesn't have a good ring to it. Brighter minds then mine will find the appropriate handle for this leadership. I will await the answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted June 22, 2020 Report Share Posted June 22, 2020 The crap storm on the horizon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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