News Article: ‘The wrong colour blue’: Buffalo Sabres eyeing ticket restrictions to deter visiting Leafs fans

[HockeyVirus]

‘The wrong colour blue’: Buffalo Sabres eyeing ticket restrictions to deter visiting Leafs fans

It’s not just Leafs fans; the Sabres are looking to cut down on ticket sales to visiting fans — likely by zip code — hoping to cheer on their team at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.

www.thestar.com

“Obviously last year, there were a handful of games where we saw the wrong colour blue or the wrong colour red coming into the building, depending on the jersey we were wearing,” Frank Batres-Landaeta, the team’s vice president of sales and service, told The Buffalo News.

Last year, the Sabres had a decent road record — winning 25 of 41 — but were done in by a 17-20-4 home record. The low point, a 6-3 loss to the Leafs on Feb. 21 with the house leaning 80 per cent in favour of the Leafs.

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[The Hanging Jowl]

Weird position to take. Would they even sell out without Toronto fans? I have no idea how their attendance is in general.

Too bad too. I haven't been there for quite a few years but I'd rather drive from Burlington to Buffalo to see the Leafs than battle my way into Toronto. But if you're not welcome, you're not welcome I guess.

 

[ACC1224]

Weird position to take. Would they even sell out without Toronto fans? I have no idea how their attendance is in general.

Too bad too. I haven't been there for quite a few years but I'd rather drive from Burlington to Buffalo to see the Leafs than battle my way into Toronto. But if you're not welcome, you're not welcome I guess.

I'm from Burlington as well but don't find getting in or out too difficult.
QEW heading to Niagara is brutal these days, almost 2 hours to get to NOTL a few weeks ago.
Peace Bridge can also eat up a bunch of time.

I recommend for anyone looking for a Leaf road game to drive the 6 hours to Columbus.
We've done it a couple times, great place to catch a game.

 

[The Hanging Jowl]

I'm from Burlington as well but don't find getting in or out too difficult.
QEW heading to Niagara is brutal these days, almost 2 hours to get to NOTL a few weeks ago.
Peace Bridge can also eat up a bunch of time.

I recommend for anyone looking for a Leaf road game to drive the 6 hours to Columbus.
We've done it a couple times, great place to catch a game.

My kid had a tournament in Columbus a few years ago and yes, that was a great place to watch a game. Downtown core is like most other US cities though: concrete jungle and ghost town after hours. That is one of the nice things about Toronto - vibrant downtown (although they seem to be doing whatever they can to ruin that).

 

[Gallagbi]

I'm from Burlington as well but don't find getting in or out too difficult.
QEW heading to Niagara is brutal these days, almost 2 hours to get to NOTL a few weeks ago.
Peace Bridge can also eat up a bunch of time.

I recommend for anyone looking for a Leaf road game to drive the 6 hours to Columbus.
We've done it a couple times, great place to catch a game.

Detroit's not a bad drive either.

Toronto's an easy commute with the Go. If you're worried about crowds, grab a bite/beer/coffee after the game and enjoy the next, empty, train

 

[ACC1224]

Detroit's not a bad drive either.

Toronto's an easy commute with the Go. If you're worried about crowds, grab a bite/beer/coffee after the game and enjoy the next, empty, train

I like to drive, usually home by 10:30-10:45.
Yesterday was brutal after the Jays game though, never should have driven.

Not sure you want to stay over in Detroit though. Columbus has a bunch of bars and hotels a few minute walk from the rink.
We are disappointed we can't go back this year. It's become a tradition.

 

[BayStBullies]

Teams that block ticket purchases of any form should be required to opt out of revenue sharing benefits.

 

[ACC1224]

Teams that block ticket purchases of any form should be required to opt out of revenue sharing benefits.

Seems like a really weird thing to worry about.
Lots of Sabre fans in the Niagara area that will be shut out if the do it by address.
We had Sabre tickets when I was a kid, great times. They pretty much waived you over the border in those days. Wasn’t my first game but my earliest memory of going was the fog game against the Flyers, playoffs early 70s.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Why do teams try to do this? it NEVER works

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Weird position to take. Would they even sell out without Toronto fans? I have no idea how their attendance is in general.

Too bad too. I haven't been there for quite a few years but I'd rather drive from Burlington to Buffalo to see the Leafs than battle my way into Toronto. But if you're not welcome, you're not welcome I guess.

They can't stop you, if they could Ottawa would have succeeded when they tried, this isn't the first time Buffalo has tried either

 

[Its not your fault]

Proof the Away Fans are louder for the leafs then the home fans at the ACC. True fans rules.

 

[ACC1224]

Proof the Away Fans are louder for the leafs then the home fans at the ACC. True fans rules.

Yes people tend to let loose more when they travel then when they stay home. Never been on vacation?

 

[Squiffy]

Why do teams try to do this? it NEVER works

It’s true, always backfires. Now it’s a dare.

 

[pcruz]

Leafs fans always fall victim to this type of advertising.

It's been extremely effective at drumming up interest from otherwise disinterested fans of this team, that there is always a huge buzz made as a sort of retaliation when we hear these stories.

It's why we hear this same story 3-5 times every year.


Stop falling for this type of "reverse psychology advertising".

 

[Due North]

Weird position to take. Would they even sell out without Toronto fans? I have no idea how their attendance is in general.

Too bad too. I haven't been there for quite a few years but I'd rather drive from Burlington to Buffalo to see the Leafs than battle my way into Toronto. But if you're not welcome, you're not welcome I guess.

Half the fans you see there are from Southern Ontario. A few years ago when they started allowing
fans back because of Covid, the border either was still closed or Canadians didn't bother . I tuned in
a game to check the score between Buffalo and Montreal on TV and the place was half empty. Then
a few days later Toronto was in town. Here is the big indicator. Tuned in and to my surprise, again
the place was half empty. Where were all those Western New York Buffalo fans that complain about
seats being taken? If it wasn't for us Canadian's, they wouldn't even have a team there.

 

[tmlms13]

Can we block Upstate NY Yankee fans from the Rogers Center? I was a Jays season ticket holder back in those Halladay/Delgado years. When they were in town it got so bad concession stands accepted US dollars.

If the Sabers don't like Leaf fans there then do a better job marketing your team or tell your fans to buy the tickets early or not resell them. Maybe making the playoffs every once in a while would help too.

 

[WillyC]

now I have to go down there for a game

 

[Stephen]

Not to sound arrogant from a Leaf-centric point of view, but the Buffalo Sabres franchise was historically built on serving the hockey fan overflow from Southern Ontario.

1974-75: The team that Punch built | Buffalo Sabres

Remembering George "Punch" Imlach, who quickly built the Sabres into a contender

www.nhl.com

Sports Illustrated feature from November 1970 claimed that Imlach had his picture placed in large advertisements in the Toronto Telegram, seeking to lure fans from his former club down the QEW to root on the Sabres. (It's the sort of petty creativity one might expect from a man who, fed up with the lengthy nature of the NHL Amateur Draft, used his 11th-round pick on a fictional player named Taro Tsujimoto in 1974.)

Even their brand identity is quasi off brand Maple Leafs:

SABRES BLUE TURNS BLACK, RED, SILVER

Out with the old, in with the new. The Buffalo Sabres unveiled their new uniforms during an open practice in Memorial Auditorium this afternoon. The new gear will be used

buffalonews.com

Punch Imlach, the Sabres' first general manager, approved a uniform design that resembled the Toronto Maple Leafs' apparel from the 1960s.

 

[Its not your fault]

Yes people tend to let loose more when they travel then when they stay home. Never been on vacation?

Been on vacation more times then I have been to a Leaf gave however.

 

[ACC1224]

Been on vacation more times then I have been to a Leaf gave however.

Got it. It does seem that those who don’t attend seem to have the strongest opinions on the atmosphere.

 

[TorMapleJays]

Game 4 in Tampa going into Overtime, the concourse was screaming Go Leafs Go... It was very loud.... I wish I got it on tape.

Game 4 in Tampa going into Overtime, the concourse was screaming Go Leafs Go... It was very loud.... I wish I got it on tape.

I actually spoke to MLSE about the in game entertainment compared to the Sun Belt teams and how their in game was awesome compared to Toronto, basically saying they had to make a good fun show because they are competing with the Rays and Bucks. Toronto doesn't need to, but as a world class organization, they should want to.

 

[AllHeartNoSkill]

now I have to go down there for a game

I think this is exactly what these campaigns are meant to do. Creates a little spite in the fan bases.

 

[justashadowof]

When Yankees' and Red Sox' fans were flocking to Toronto boosting attendance for the Blue Jays' home dates in seasons with flagging attendance, I don't remember them being this self-destructively petty. If anything they lobbied for more games against those teams.

I get that it can be annoying to see Montreal fans cheering a goal at a rivalry game here in Toronto but it just adds to the atmosphere and fun of the rivalry game. You'd think these places would embrace the spectacle this creates.

 

[Nineteen67]

My kid had a tournament in Columbus a few years ago and yes, that was a great place to watch a game. Downtown core is like most other US cities though: concrete jungle and ghost town after hours. That is one of the nice things about Toronto - vibrant downtown (although they seem to be doing whatever they can to ruin that).

People and activity is what makes the Nashville and Vegas game day so appealing. They’re ruining It here, too.

 

[Nineteen67]

It’s in the Star, is there a shred of truth or a made up story with false attribution?