Hockey Heaven? what the Sabres are competing with

[mjd1001]

Maybe this was discussed already, the video is a year old, but I just saw it and found it interesting.

Make the jokes about Palm trees, but when you consider Buffalo is Buffalo, the Sabres need to do BETTER than other teams to get players to want to come here/stay here.

After watching this video...how much more do the Sabres have to pay someone vs a team like Florida (or the other teams that are doing stuff like this) just to be on even gound?

 

[mjd1001]

Apparently a lot of other teams are building new practice facilities that not only have the training facilities but places to relax, places even for their families, and fans...that look to blow away what is offered in those areas at the harborcentre:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3018496/2022/01/06/the-nhls-building-battle-how-pricey-practice-pads-and-locker-rooms-are-reshaping-the-fight-for-free-agents/

A long article, but some key points:

-The race to build the best facilities for players and staff has evolved from a competition among the richest teams to a necessity for all — a battle to boast the most comfortable lounges, the most convenient locations and the highest tech in sports and medical science.

-Players, agents and opposing teams have noticed the league-wide efforts, particularly in newer buildings.

-For any NHL team, the art of the wooing of an unrestricted free agent often includes a visit to the practice facility. While money and term are likely to be the most important factor for a player, multiple NHL agents said the quality of facilities can go a long way in giving that player a snapshot of how they’ll be treated if they sign with a team.

-“For me after the financials, and the city fit, the reputation of an owner is one of the most important things I tell my players to consider, and what that owner’s reputation is for creating first-class services,” an agent said. “You ask what players who have played for them in the past say, but you also look for proof in the facilities.”

-Another agent said the practice facility is an “immediate reflection of how much ownership actually cares about the players.”

-The facility, in Robitaille’s mind, is never finished. He’s always looking for the next project or improvement, typically handled in the offseason. As he gave a tour of the facility in November, he stopped at one point to examine the players’ lounge and wondered aloud whether it could use some bigger windows and if the one wall could be moved to include a patio.

“Embrace that L.A. lifestyle a bit more,” Robitaille said. “That’s something we should talk about doing in this space.”

The Kings have also created synergy between their NHL and AHL teams under one roof. While the AHL Reign play games a 70-minute drive away in Ontario, the minor-league club practices and trains next to the NHL team.

It’s a setup where players never have to worry about moving residences when getting called up, and the equipment staff only has to move equipment through a door connecting the Reign locker room to the Kings’ digs.

The only thing that really changes for a call-up is he gets to park in the reserved VIP lot, as opposed to the public spaces.

 

 

 

[Night Train]

Damn palm trees ! 

[PerreaultForever]

Wasn't that the initial Pegula logic though? Didn't they give them the best locker room in the league (at the time)? Created the country club. 

There's no reason aside from being a loser team for Buffalo to be on the outs. Ontario is right there for all those Canadian players. Living in St. Catherines or Niagara Falls used to be a thing for Sabres players. It should be that way again but players will only want to come is they see that the team is serious about winning. We simply do not look like a team that is trying to win. 

[7+6=13]

20 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Wasn't that the initial Pegula logic though? Didn't they give them the best locker room in the league (at the time)? Created the country club. 

There's no reason aside from being a loser team for Buffalo to be on the outs. Ontario is right there for all those Canadian players. Living in St. Catherines or Niagara Falls used to be a thing for Sabres players. It should be that way again but players will only want to come is they see that the team is serious about winning. We simply do not look like a team that is trying to win. 

Why would Pegula need to give them the country club, when we were already a place players wanted to come?

[PerreaultForever]

1 hour ago, 7+6=13 said:

Why would Pegula need to give them the country club, when we were already a place players wanted to come?

I know you're being funny but at the time he thought he could make it a top destination. I wouldn't be surprised if for years he's thought "why don't they want to come here I don't understand?"

[7+6=13]

13 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

I know you're being funny but at the time he thought he could make it a top destination. I wouldn't be surprised if for years he's thought "why don't they want to come here I don't understand?"

Players have largely never wanted to come.  He tried, it didn't work. Hint, it wasn't the losing.