Report: some owners favor NHL shutdown if fans aren't allowed

[klos1963]

8 hours ago, JohnC said:

The Pegulas were hemorrhaging money on the Sabres before the virus started circulating. The prospects for profitability this season are miniscule to nil. Right now the strategy is to maintain solvency in order to survive for the long term with better prospects. The financial stress is real for the Sabres and the league in general. 

A few years back it was always mentioned/assumed that the sabres only made money if they were in the playoffs. At best , break even during the regular season and profit during the playoffs. No player salaries , but plenty of revenue in the post season. They really need to work on that playoff thing.

 

[nfreeman]

3 hours ago, Curt said:

Billionaires, especially those who attempt to acquire tax payer dollars for their projects, are not going to go out and publicly say that they are making tons of money.  They are going to point to all of their expenditures and paper losses, in order to justify the public funds they receive.

Its possible that the Pegulas really have lost money on the Sabres, but I can’t see why I should believe them when they say so.

Are you aware of them lying in the past?

[Curt]

11 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

Are you aware of them lying in the past?

Have they even publicly stated that they lost money?

[steveoath]

Interesting, if old, article

https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/nhl/cult-of-hockey/nhl-lockout-why-do-billionaires-keep-buying-teams-that-lose-money 

[JohnC]

14 hours ago, klos1963 said:

A few years back it was always mentioned/assumed that the sabres only made money if they were in the playoffs. At best , break even during the regular season and profit during the playoffs. No player salaries , but plenty of revenue in the post season. They really need to work on that playoff thing.

 

I don't know how this season is going to unfold because of all the uncertainties caused by the virus. What I can say is that the franchise made some roster moves, including the dramatic Hall acquisition, that should make this team more competitive and a more serious playoff contending team.  I am comfortable in saying that the owner and the organization did make moves to make this team a playoff team. Even with the reshaping of the roster there are not guarantees about the outcome.  

[IKnowPhysics]

@tom webster has their ***** together.

Participating in revenue sharing and meeting league-mandated revenue sharing requirements is not equivalent to losing money or operating at a loss or being on the verge of bankruptcy.  And even teams that claim to operate at a loss in HRR are increasing in value.

Decreased gameday revenue will impact all owners, but it is not the only revenue stream, and the talk of the team firing workers to maintain solvency is irresponsible and unfounded speculation.  It falls in the same category as the debunked myth of an internal salary cap.