Terry Pegula named Sabres President; PSE separating Bills and Sabres

[Doohickie]

35 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Have you been out in the Texas sun today?

And vote of confidence, real or implied, you have for the Pegulas flummoxes me.

[Taro T]

14 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

This thread is interesting.   
 

Kim is not able to fulfill her role as President, that is what is causing the shake up.  How are these latest changes efficient, economic, and effective?  Are we still doing that?  

I am confused.  Ron Raccuia was let go from the Bills, and COO John Roth, who was running the Sabres business side was given responsibility for both teams.  Now, ONE Buffalo is gone, so is Roth is now running the football business and Terry the hockey side?   Are they each working both (efficient) - that sounds like ONE Buffalo.   

We read that Terry is breaking up the ONE Buffalo layer and running the teams as two separate organizations. Normally this means more jobs, yet in Pegula Land 9 people are laid off so far.  Either One Buffalo was an extra layer of fluff that Kim created, or the business side has to do more work with less people (economic).  

The one constant with Terry Pegula is an ever-changing and always confusing organizational structure.  From the time he took over over the Sabres right up to today, his organizational structure has taken big swings in direction, from bloated to a skeleton crew and now back to two organizations.  Terry business is often in a state of flux.  How can this help build the long term success that Adams talks about (effective)?  
 

I just hope he leaves Adams and Granato alone. I don’t trust him making decision on the sports side of either team. 

Well, it would seem to be at least 3 organizations (and possibly 5) not including any management aspect PSE had over the tennis pheonom's activities.  Presumably the Amerks & Jacksonville still fall under the Sabres direction and the Bandits (and Kin-ig-hit Hawks) do their own things as well.

It also SEEMS that Roth and Pegula are both still actively involved in the Bills.  So, the only things that changed from this vantage point are all the little sideline projects might be gone and maybe running Harbor Center is now its own thing as well.  Those that have speculated that this is pretty much a move used to bow to the reality that K. Pegula can no longer keep all her irons on the fire and T. Pegula doesn't want to champion all those side endeavors seem to be onto something.

[PASabreFan]

19 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

This thread is interesting.   
 

Kim is not able to fulfill her role as President, that is what is causing the shake up.  How are these latest changes efficient, economic, and effective?  Are we still doing that?  

I am confused.  Ron Raccuia was let go from the Bills, and COO John Roth, who was running the Sabres business side was given responsibility for both teams.  Now, ONE Buffalo is gone, so is Roth is now running the football business and Terry the hockey side?   Are they each working both (efficient) - that sounds like ONE Buffalo.   

We read that Terry is breaking up the ONE Buffalo layer and running the teams as two separate organizations. Normally this means more jobs, yet in Pegula Land 9 people are laid off so far.  Either One Buffalo was an extra layer of fluff that Kim created, or the business side has to do more work with less people (economic).  

The one constant with Terry Pegula is an ever-changing and always confusing organizational structure.  From the time he took over over the Sabres right up to today, his organizational structure has taken big swings in direction, from bloated to a skeleton crew and now back to two organizations.  Terry business is often in a state of flux.  How can this help build the long term success that Adams talks about (effective)?  
 

I just hope he leaves Adams and Granato alone. I don’t trust him making decision on the sports side of either team. 

This about says it all. Under normal circumstances, fans shouldn't worry or even know about this kind of stuff. We have to.

[Doohickie]

23 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I just hope he leaves Adams and Granato alone. I don’t trust him making decision on the sports side of either team. 

It appears to me that this is the fundamental difference between Kevyn and the previous GMs:  Terry trusts Kevyn and doesn't overrule him.  I think Kevyn followed  Pegula/Krueger's direction the first year he was here and when that failed he had the plan to recover and Terry told him to run with it.  I think he knows how to communicate with the Pegulas to get their concurrence and retain their support, a talent the previous GMs either didn't have or didn't bother to employ.

[Pimlach]

2 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

This about says it all. Under normal circumstances, fans shouldn't worry or even know about this kind of stuff. We have to.

Lots of people here comment on your evaluation of The Pegula's but I think you are mostly onto something.  They are good people and they have done a ton of good things for the city and they prevented the teams from leaving.  No doubt.    Even the One Buffalo thing could have been really good too.  

Unfortunately, the Sabres have suffered under his reign and there is no other way to see it.   Not that he tried to screw it up, but he did screw it up.  He got a big break with the Bills and McDermott/Beane, and hopefully now Adams/Granato will produce as well.  

Let just hope that Roth is the superstar that they think he is, and that Terry is the owner that empowers and enables others do their jobs.  After all these years it is still hard to tell that he is.  

[Taro T]

13 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Lots of people here comment on your evaluation of The Pegula's but I think you are mostly onto something.  They are good people and they have done a ton of good things for the city and they prevented the teams from leaving.  No doubt.    Even the One Buffalo thing could have been really good too.  

Unfortunately, the Sabres have suffered under his reign and there is no other way to see it.   Not that he tried to screw it up, but he did screw it up.  He got a big break with the Bills and McDermott/Beane, and hopefully now Adams/Granato will produce as well.  

Let just hope that Roth is the superstar that they think he is, and that Terry is the owner that empowers and enables others do their jobs.  After all these years it is still hard to tell that he is.  

Oh yeah, the Sabres (and their fans) have suffered immensely under the current ownership.  And the owners' non-energy related and non-sports entities have all seemed far less than ideal at best.  But the Sabres are the only one of the sports teams they've owned for any appreciable time that haven't been at the top of tier.  And, it seems (provided GT holds up) that the Sabres are poised to join those other squads.

Ownership in general does energy well and (w/ the notable exception for the Sabres) sports as well too.

[Pimlach]

7 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

It appears to me that this is the fundamental difference between Kevyn and the previous GMs:  Terry trusts Kevyn and doesn't overrule him.  I think Kevyn followed  Pegula/Krueger's direction the first year he was here and when that failed he had the plan to recover and Terry told him to run with it.  I think he knows how to communicate with the Pegulas to get their concurrence and retain their support, a talent the previous GMs either didn't have or didn't bother to employ.

Quite possible.  Many hockey GMs are crusty NHL vets that know the game by being in it forever and they want complete control of hockey operations.  Adams proved himself to Terry in his lower level positions on the business side.  He is smart and well spoken.  I suspect that he has picked Beane's brain about his job, about culture change in sports, and especially conversations about keeping their boss happy.  

[PASabreFan]

14 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Oh yeah, the Sabres (and their fans) have suffered immensely under the current ownership.  And the owners' non-energy related and non-sports entities have all seemed far less than ideal at best.  But the Sabres are the only one of the sports teams they've owned for any appreciable time that haven't been at the top of tier.  And, it seems (provided GT holds up) that the Sabres are poised to join those other squads.

Ownership in general does energy well and (w/ the notable exception for the Sabres) sports as well too.

I've thrown Terry a bone for the Bills. I think he is a football guy, maybe a very good one, and the Bills have benefited.

However in sports I think he's 1-1. Not 3-1 or 4-1 or whatever record you're suggesting. Has he really been involved in those minor franchises? If anything they're a testament to letting the pros do their job.

[Marvin]

4 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

I've thrown Terry a bone for the Bills. I think he is a football guy, maybe a very good one, and the Bills have benefited.

However in sports I think he's 1-1. Not 3-1 or 4-1 or whatever record you're suggesting. Has he really been involved in those minor franchises? If anything they're a testament to letting the pros do their job.

And I hope that he has learnt the lesson well.

[Porous Five Hole]

1 hour ago, nfreeman said:

 

Second, you are correct that the league would certainly prefer an expansion team to a relocated team.  It would take several years of terrible attendance and the franchise being an embarrassment to the NHL, combined with zero buyers interested in keeping the team in Buffalo and several buyers interested in moving it to a new city, for the NHL to approve a move. 

I’m not calling you out in any way, but I am quoting you because you’ve basically described the Coyotes franchise. It would take epic levels of failure from here for the Buffalo franchise to come close to the level of Arizona.  

[Eleven]

1 hour ago, PASabreFan said:

This about says it all. Under normal circumstances, fans shouldn't worry or even know about this kind of stuff. We have to.

But you don't have to.  You choose to.  Unless and until one of the teams is in danger of moving--and I don't see that here--you really don't have to worry about anything.

[LGR4GM]

10 minutes ago, Eleven said:

But you don't have to.  You choose to.  Unless and until one of the teams is in danger of moving--and I don't see that here--you really don't have to worry about anything.

The Buffalo Bills are a global brand and about to get a new stadium, the NFL isn't going to move them anytime soon and a new owner won't want. There's a brand there that not every NFL team has. 

The Sabres are the closest team to Toronto and as I have said before, media market size is going to become so much less important over the next 5-10 years as you'll be able to watch your team anywhere at anytime. It will be less about how many ppl in Buffalo watch the Sabres and become how many ppl watch the Sabres. 

[Marvin]

4 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

The Buffalo Bills are a global brand and about to get a new stadium, the NFL isn't going to move them anytime soon and a new owner won't want. There's a brand there that not every NFL team has. 

The Sabres are the closest team to Toronto and as I have said before, media market size is going to become so much less important over the next 5-10 years as you'll be able to watch your team anywhere at anytime. It will be less about how many ppl in Buffalo watch the Sabres and become how many ppl watch the Sabres. 

And, in the words of Mike Grier, "the Sabres 'travel well.'"  There is a reason even bad Sabres teams got a lot of national broadcasts: the US ratings are higher when they are on.  The Sabres are pretty safe by this metric.

[Porous Five Hole]

5 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

https://theathletic.com/4812994/2023/08/28/terry-pegula-dissolves-pse-sabres-bills/
 

The most telling quote from the story.

“An unspoken aspect of this series of business moves is how decisively Terry Pegula and Roth have come to the conclusion Kim Pegula’s biggest business ideas have proven unviable. Unable to work after a debilitating cardiac arrest last year, her creations and closest allies continue to vanish from the company.”

There are a couple different ways to communicate this and Graham chose violence. 

[That Aud Smell]

2 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

I guess my point was now he's added all the business side duties that Kim used to have. So he gets off the elevator and goes where? Unless the title is nominal, he has a lot more on his plate now. Stuff as you pointed out Terry didn't want to do at the beginning.

Oh, fo sho.

No choice, like I said.

[MattPie]

It's not unreasonable to think that KP was the driving force for the greater Pegula media/product empire, and if she's no longer capable of running it day to day it would be jettisoned. I can't see TP being the guy for the ancillary stuff (music, products, etc.) at his age. If the whole thing was going like gangbusters they'd find someone to continue it, but I don't get the feeling it's going anywhere.

Side note: If the Healthy Scratch restaurant served up fresh-made whole foods it's a fantastic name. And I can see why it failed in Buffalo, especially at a sports venue; Buffalo eats some *unhealthy* food.

Edited August 29, 2023 by MattPie

[Eleven]

23 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

There are a couple different ways to communicate this and Graham chose violence. 

You're right.  There were many more gentle options.

[Eleven]

14 minutes ago, MattPie said:

It's not unreasonable to think that KP was the driving force for the greater Pegula media/product empire, and if she's no longer capable of running it day to day it would be jettisoned. I can't see TP being the guy for the ancillary stuff (music, products, etc.) at his age. If the whole thing was going like gangbusters they'd find someone to continue it, but I don't get the feeling it's going anywhere.

Side note: If the Healthy Scratch restaurant served up fresh-made whole foods it's a fantastic name. And I can see why it failed in Buffalo, especially at a sports venue; Buffalo eats some *unhealthy* food.

1.  Yeah, that wasn't his passion, it was hers, and sadly, she's not able to carry it out right now.  So it's time to put it on the shelf.

2.  If they had put Healthy Scratch within walking distance of businesses other than HarborCenter and one law firm, it may have succeeded.  Sue's Juicery Elmwood does (did?  my experience was pre-COVID) an amazing business even though it's behind a federal security gate, because there are enough businesses within walking distance.  But trying to get hockey dads to eat their sprouts and drink kale smoothies at the rink on the weekend is doomed to fail.

Edited August 29, 2023 by Eleven

[...]

29 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

Oh, fo sho.

No choice, like I said.

But he doesn't have a lot more on his plate. They got rid of it all.

None of the Kim projects were panning out - including the Sabres.

She bit off more than she could chew - which I think she was criticized for here by some when it began. It's too bad it took her being stricken for them to finally admit defeat and change course.

[Eleven]

1 minute ago, ... said:

But he doesn't have a lot more on his plate. They got rid of it all.

None of the Kim projects were panning out - including the Sabres.

She bit off more than she could chew - which I think she was criticized for here by some when it began. It's too bad it took her being stricken for them to finally admit defeat and change course.

There's no shame in shooting for the stars and hitting the moon.

[That Aud Smell]

15 minutes ago, ... said:

But he doesn't have a lot more on his plate. They got rid of it all.

None of the Kim projects were panning out - including the Sabres.

She bit off more than she could chew - which I think she was criticized for here by some when it began. It's too bad it took her being stricken for them to finally admit defeat and change course.

I don’t follow about 75% of this.

[That Aud Smell]

1 hour ago, Porous Five Hole said:

There are a couple different ways to communicate this and Graham chose violence. 

41 minutes ago, Eleven said:

You're right.  There were many more gentle options.

I’m usually quick to join a dog pile on Timmay Graham, but, in this case, it seems like he gave a tough but fair assessment of the Pegulas’ affairs after Kim became disabled.

But … yeah. Maybe being “tough” here isn’t all that defensible. 🤷‍♂️ 

[That Aud Smell]

@Doohickie could you edit the topic to reflect that PSE didn’t so much separate the Bills and Sabres as it dissolved? E.g.,

PSE dissolved; Bills and Sabres are separated as businesses; Terry Pegula named Sabres President

[Doohickie]

4 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

@Doohickie could you edit the topic to reflect that PSE didn’t so much separate the Bills and Sabres as it dissolved? E.g.,

PSE dissolved; Bills and Sabres are separated as businesses; Terry Pegula named Sabres President

It's a summarized paraphrase of the original Sabres tweet so, no.

Tweet language:  The Buffalo Sabres have announced that Terry Pegula has been named Sabres president.

I wrote:  Terry Pegula named Sabres President

Tweet language:  Pegula Sports & Entertainment will be separating resources between the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres, allowing each respective organization to focus singularly on their efforts.

I wrote:  PSE separating Bills and Sabres

Edited August 29, 2023 by Doohickie

[Eleven]

24 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

I’m usually quick to join a dog pile on Timmay Graham, but, in this case, it seems like he gave a tough but fair assessment of the Pegulas’ affairs after Kim became disabled.

But … yeah. Maybe being “tough” here isn’t all that defensible. 🤷‍♂️ 

I don't subscribe, so all I saw was the quote.  Maybe, in context, it is a gentler expression.