My Lowest Point of Sabres Fandom

[That Aud Smell]

9 hours ago, Thorny said:

But it’s not honestly not something that I need to belabour - like I said I’ve never seen a fan I’d call more passionate/have more of an undying and unwavering loyalty than those still posting here in the midst of this drought and I’m pretty sure these people refer to themselves as fans. 

As long as these people call themselves “Sabres fans” I’m comfortable saying the term “fan” can be just as indicative of whatever other standing being claimed “supporter” has. Being upset at results doesn’t indicate a lack of unwavering support 

both are equally illogical imo cause following one professional team you aren’t really a part of always is imo. The conflict of interest with ownership management and players is often striking never mind the poor odds of success in general 

You don’t need to belabour it but you will. Shoutout.

In my view, there are real distinctions and this is a fascinating object of discussion/debate.

I think about how towns/cities/counties can turn out full force to support some third tier semipro club. What’s going on there? Those people are something other than folks who pore over advanced analytics and wear a vintage Mike Peca jersey (or whatever).

Neither one is better than the other, per se, although one’s allowed to have preferences.

And as always, there’s a continuum too.

Okay, I need the STFU.

[French Collection]

I like both terms but currently do not want to be called a supporter because it sounds like I am contributing to Terry’s yacht maintenance program.

[That Aud Smell]

56 minutes ago, French Collection said:

I like both terms but currently do not want to be called a supporter because it sounds like I am contributing to Terry’s yacht maintenance program.

That's fair. 

It gets me to thinking that having a billionaire owner - especially one who once signed off on a slide deck with a slide that had the word "Lifestyle" in its title and contained a picture of his yacht under construction - is a huge obstacle to being a supporter of a pro sports team.

[steveoath]

See if the sabres stumble arse backwards into a playoff spot. Does TP think that he is a hockey guru and thus gives coaches/GM etc new contracts? 

[French Collection]

Just now, steveoath said:

See if the sabres stumble arse backwards into a playoff spot. Does TP think that he is a hockey guru and thus gives coaches/GM etc new contracts? 

Personally, I hope there is a stumble in mid season which leads to a bloodletting. The new regime gets everyone fired up and 5hey finish strong.

[LGR4GM]

25 minutes ago, steveoath said:

See if the sabres stumble arse backwards into a playoff spot. Does TP think that he is a hockey guru and thus gives coaches/GM etc new contracts? 

Yup. It's a Kobayashi Maru. If Buffalo sucks it's 15yrs no playoffs, if they sneak in and lose in 5 games in the first round, Pegula will keep everyone and we'll have a summer of Adams stupidly talking about how we took that next step and got that experience cliché cliché cliché. 

[DarthEbriate]

35 minutes ago, steveoath said:

See if the sabres stumble arse backwards into a playoff spot. Does TP think that he is a hockey guru and thus gives coaches/GM etc new contracts? 

Adams and Appert yes. Wilford, definitely. Ellis is assigned back to the staff. Ruff retires but gets an over-top-celebration and a banner next season.

Jarmo takes a job elsewhere in the next offseason.

[Thorny]

4 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Yup. It's a Kobayashi Maru. If Buffalo sucks it's 15yrs no playoffs, if they sneak in and lose in 5 games in the first round, Pegula will keep everyone and we'll have a summer of Adams stupidly talking about how we took that next step and got that experience cliché cliché cliché. 

This. The looming “Adams’ plan was right all along!!” posts, should we eventually make it after years of failure under his watch, are an inevitable and necessary evil 

[Taro T]

2 hours ago, Thorny said:

This. The looming “Adams’ plan was right all along!!” posts, should we eventually make it after years of failure under his watch, are an inevitable and necessary evil 

The ONLY way the plan will have been right at this point is if they end up perrenial contenders for at least as long as they've been an afterhought in the Adams era.  And even then a case could be made that when you factor in the extra value the present has over the future for those of us that happen to be mortal, no the plan never was right.

[Thorny]

19 minutes ago, Taro T said:

The ONLY way the plan will have been right at this point is if they end up perrenial contenders for at least as long as they've been an afterhought in the Adams era.  And even then a case could be made that when you factor in the extra value the present has over the future for those of us that happen to be mortal, no the plan never was right.

It’s the latter 

[Andrew Amerk]

After some self-reflection and introspection into this topic, I came to a realization. 

For the past few years, I’ve blamed my declining interest in the Sabres on their continued poor play for so many consecutive seasons. 

I realized today, that the timeline of my declining support/fandom coincides with RJ. 

As a kid, I watched the start of most games on TV with my parents, and fell asleep to his voice on the radio at bedtime. As a teen, I began making a point to watch every single game, even if it was a recording, around 1997. In 2005, I started driving from Rochester to Buffalo for about 20 games a year, and stopped doing that in 2019 when I didn’t see an end in the ineptitude - I felt invested in the team, but didn’t feel it was being reciprocated. 

During the 22-23 season, after RJ retired, I missed some games for the first time. Then RJ died. In 23-24, I watched maybe half the games. Last season, I only saw a handful of games, and a lot of times I didn’t even know when they were playing. It’s sad. 

It’s almost a crime to me that RJ never got to hoist the Cup, and that the Sabres had to play such terrible, directionless, passionless hockey in front of him for the final 14 years of his life.   

Edited 22 hours ago by Andrew Amerk

[PASabreFan]

15 hours ago, Andrew Amerk said:

After some self-reflection and introspection into this topic, I came to a realization. 

For the past few years, I’ve blamed my declining interest in the Sabres on their continued poor play for so many consecutive seasons. 

I realized today, that the timeline of my declining support/fandom coincides with RJ. 

As a kid, I watched the start of most games on TV with my parents, and fell asleep to his voice on the radio at bedtime. As a teen, I began making a point to watch every single game, even if it was a recording, around 1997. In 2005, I started driving from Rochester to Buffalo for about 20 games a year, and stopped doing that in 2019 when I didn’t see an end in the ineptitude - I felt invested in the team, but didn’t feel it was being reciprocated. 

During the 22-23 season, after RJ retired, I missed some games for the first time. Then RJ died. In 23-24, I watched maybe half the games. Last season, I only saw a handful of games, and a lot of times I didn’t even know when they were playing. It’s sad. 

It’s almost a crime to me that RJ never got to hoist the Cup, and that the Sabres had to play such terrible, directionless, passionless hockey in front of him for the final 14 years of his life.   

I've been sitting on a "Four Strikes and I'm Out?" post, and one of the strikes obviously is Rick. I almost certainly was a bigger fan of Rick than the Sabres (if the two can even be considered distinct). I was by leaps and bounds a bigger fan of Rick than of the NHL. I wouldn't walk across my street to see an NHL game not involving the Sabres.

They did play one awesome and direction-filled and passion-filled game in front of him. On his banner night. Of course he didn't get to call it. Until the Sabres win a Cup, that win is as close to a championship moment as we'll ever get.

[Thorny]

2 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

I've been sitting on a "Four Strikes and I'm Out?" post, and one of the strikes obviously is Rick. I almost certainly was a bigger fan of Rick than the Sabres (if the two can even be considered distinct). I was by leaps and bounds a bigger fan of Rick than of the NHL. I wouldn't walk across my street to see an NHL game not involving the Sabres.

They did play one awesome and direction-filled and passion-filled game in front of him. On his banner night. Of course he didn't get to call it. Until the Sabres win a Cup, that win is as close to a championship moment as we'll ever get.

Oodles of moments in the 2006 run were better and closer. 

[PASabreFan]

33 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Oodles of moments in the 2006 run were better and closer. 

Disagree. None of those moments felt like a championship moment bc they were moments on the way to what we were convinced was a championship. RJ Night was different. I was there. You could convince yourself this is what it's going to feel like. Not so for those playoff moments in 06, or dozens of others down through time. Of course, that's just me.

[Thorny]

How is that an X. A random regular season hockey game won by a fraud unit wasn’t the closest to a championship we got 

i guess the argument is it “felt” like it? I get that but to me it felt like what it was, a fraud core getting themselves up for an “event” game cause they couldn’t find a way to care as much when it wasn’t. It was nice for RJ but in his heart of hearts I bet you he said “where the hell was this the other nights”  

Would never feel like the real thing to me because the night was only significant for one team. I don’t think our opponent put as much stock in the RJ bowl 

4 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Not so for those playoff moments in 06, or dozens of others down through time. Of course, that's just me.

Fair enough 

Edited 6 hours ago by Thorny

[PASabreFan]

1 hour ago, Thorny said:

How is that an X. A random regular season hockey game won by a fraud unit wasn’t the closest to a championship we got 

i guess the argument is it “felt” like it? I get that but to me it felt like what it was, a fraud core getting themselves up for an “event” game cause they couldn’t find a way to care as much when it wasn’t. It was nice for RJ but in his heart of hearts I bet you he said “where the hell was this the other nights”  

Would never feel like the real thing to me because the night was only significant for one team. I don’t think our opponent put as much stock in the RJ bowl 

Fair enough 

And I thought you were a romantic.

I wrote "championship moment," not championship.

[Pimlach]

On 8/27/2025 at 7:55 PM, Taro T said:

Screw that ####.  We're makin' it to at LEAST January before we become irrelevant THIS time.  😀 

Maybe even February.   

[JohnC]

2 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Maybe even February.   

The Sabres will squeak into a playoff spot. I will still remain a critic of the regime. I’m a minimal drinker and don’t do drugs for those who believe that I’m not presently sober. 🫠

[DarthEbriate]

13 minutes ago, JohnC said:

The Sabres will squeak into a playoff spot. I will still remain a critic of the regime. I’m a minimal drinker and don’t do drugs for those who believe that I’m not presently sober. 🫠

If they make the playoffs, it’s in spite of the GM, owner, and the bulk of the coaching staff. This franchise should be 5 years advanced of where it is currently — consistently a threat for the top 3 in the division. 

[spndnchz]

Ok. Off title 

[spndnchz]

Mine would be a game when I was younger with my Father. We lost. I was like “wait? We don’t play anymore?”