I thought Larry Quinn was the worst thing to happen to Sabres Hockey. I was wrong.

[Sabre Dance]

Pegulas basically manage 3 top level sports franchises. Bills, Sabres, and their daughter. The Bills and Jessie Pegula are performing well. I think it's only a matter of time before the Sabres catch up. I know we're all angry it hasn't happened yet. They'll get it right at some point.

We all have to agree that they put everything they can into being a successful NHL franchise.

 

[SackTastic]

Pegulas basically manage 3 top level sports franchises. Bills, Sabres, and their daughter. The Bills and Jessie Pegula are performing well. I think it's only a matter of time before the Sabres catch up. I know we're all angry it hasn't happened yet. They'll get it right at some point.

We all have to agree that they put everything they can into being a successful NHL franchise.

Bills : They hired people to run the team. When they didn't succeed they looked for other people to run the team and got it right.
Jessie : They hired people to coach and train her.
Sabres : They try to run everything themselves.

See a pattern?

 

[Hitemwith4]

Owners are only good as the people they hire (Some bad owners are cheap some hire unqualified people )

Once Buffalo hires a competent GM and president it will start to turn around. Tearing down a team is easy, trade away any good players who are too old for the rebuild for picks and prospects but a rebuild is hard once you have a team believing its okay to lose.

Hopefully for Buffalo fans they get some good people in management for the next part of the rebuild ( cuz technically they haven't stopped)

 

[Sabre Dance]

Bills : They hired people to run the team. When they didn't succeed they looked for other people to run the team and got it right.
Jessie : They hired people to coach and train her.
Sabres : They try to run everything themselves.

See a pattern?

I think it's pretty simple. The coaches haven't been good enough to overcome a lack of leadership on the roster.

 

[Chainshot]

I think it's pretty simple. The coaches haven't been good enough to overcome a lack of leadership on the roster.

And the people responsible for hiring the coaches? Or the series of inexperienced GMs? Or strip leadership out of the team over finances?

The Pegulas.

 

[Sabre Dance]

And the people responsible for hiring the coaches? Or the series of inexperienced GMs? Or strip leadership out of the team over finances?

The Pegulas.

They made poor decisions. I don't understand why they won't hire experienced people to run the hockey department.

They put a lot of money into the organization. It means a lot to them. They're probably more embarrassed than we are. They will get it right. They will succeed.

 

[SackTastic]

I think it's pretty simple. The coaches haven't been good enough to overcome a lack of leadership on the roster.

Do you blame coaching for signing Taylor Hall, when the team already had a glut of left wingers, and other holes to fill?

 

[SackTastic]

They made poor decisions. I don't understand why they won't hire experienced people to run the hockey department.

They put a lot of money into the organization. It means a lot to them. They're probably more embarrassed than we are. They will get it right. They will succeed.

Doubtful. Remember, they know more than us. Kim told us so. They've always made the right choices, other people just let them down.

 

[Sabre Dance]

Do you blame coaching for signing Taylor Hall, when the team already had a glut of left wingers, and other holes to fill?

A glut? To me it was more likely that Hall chose us, similar to Skinner. I don't think it was case where the Sabres had choices to improve the roster.

 

[Sabre Dance]

Doubtful. Remember, they know more than us. Kim told us so. They've always made the right choices, other people just let them down.

Kim said that?

 

[explore]

Kim said that?

Probably based on this: Kim Pegula to AP: Botterill returning as Sabres' GM (yahoo.com)

“I realize, maybe it’s not popular with the fans, but we have to do the things that we feel are right,” she said. “We have a little bit more information than maybe a fan does, some inner workings that we see some positives in.”

It's an exaggeration of her statement, but the statement doesn't really lend them any credibility since the Pegulas fired Botterill a few days after making the statement

 

[Sabre Dance]

Probably based on this: Kim Pegula to AP: Botterill returning as Sabres' GM (yahoo.com)

“I realize, maybe it’s not popular with the fans, but we have to do the things that we feel are right,” she said. “We have a little bit more information than maybe a fan does, some inner workings that we see some positives in.”

It's an exaggeration of her statement, but the statement doesn't really lend them any credibility since the Pegulas fired Botterill a few days after making the statement

The Pegulas haven't looked good in a Sabres press conference since they were introduced.

There's many instances of them looking and sounding like they don't have a clue what to do when hiring and firing people.

I fully believe that they put everything they can into winning. I don't think there's any other agenda then winning. I couldn't say that for more successful owners like Golisano.

 

[explore]

The Pegulas haven't looked good in a Sabres press conference since they were introduced.

There's many instances of them looking and sounding like they don't have a clue what to do when hiring and firing people.

I fully believe that they put everything they can into winning. I don't think there's any other agenda then winning. I couldn't say that for more successful owners like Golisano.

The big difference is Golisano knew he had no idea how to run a hockey club and apart from setting (major) financial constraints, he otherwise left the day-to-day operation of the team alone

The Pegulas are actively playing the role of team president and GM, making hiring and roster decisions, but when it blows up in their faces, they blame it on the inexperienced people they hired and influenced into making those dumb decisions and act like they were bamboozled

 

[Sabre Dance]

The big difference is Golisano knew he had no idea how to run a hockey club and apart from setting (major) financial constraints, he otherwise left the day-to-day operation of the team alone

The Pegulas are actively playing the role of team president and GM, making hiring and roster decisions, but when it blows up in their faces, they blame it on the inexperienced people they hired and influenced into making those dumb decisions and act like they were bamboozled

That's any business. We also speculate how involved they are in roster decisions. Financial decisions like contract value yeah, but I don't think they're telling GM's who to sign and trade. I'm sure they make suggestions.

Golisano ran the Sabres how he ran his company. The Pegulas run their sports teams like a hobby. Maybe that changed some with the O'Reilly trade, the return would've been better if they ate the bonus.

 

[ckg927]

For all the hell the Pegulas have put the Sabres faithful through for the past 10 years, I say...we return the favor. And THEN some.

Don't go to the games. Don't buy or wear the merch. Don't watch the games. I want us, the fans, to make their wallets a LOT less stuffed with OUR money. You have the power of the purse. Learn to use it for a change. Put them through financial hell.

 

[ckg927]

I think the best thing the Pegulas can do at this point is publicly say something to the effect of, "we tried, we're sorry" and sell the team.

Be honest. Do you REALLY think they're going to do that?

 

[explore]

That's any business. We also speculate how involved they are in roster decisions. Financial decisions like contract value yeah, but I don't think they're telling GM's who to sign and trade. I'm sure they make suggestions.

Golisano ran the Sabres how he ran his company. The Pegulas run their sports teams like a hobby. Maybe that changed some with the O'Reilly trade, the return would've been better if they ate the bonus.

They "suggested" Botterill fire the entire front office and when he refused, they fired him

They "suggested" Murray fire Bylsma and when he refused, they fired him

They most likely pushed to sign Skinner to that stupid contract, and played a big role in that ROR trade

Their suggestions aren't suggestions at all, they're directives

They need to dispense with the pretense of "wanting to be involved" and just come out and say they're running the show

 

[Sabre Dance]

They "suggested" Botterill fire the entire front office and when he refused, they fired him

They "suggested" Murray fire Bylsma and when he refused, they fired him

They most likely pushed to sign Skinner to that stupid contract, and played a big role in that ROR trade

Their suggestions aren't suggestions at all, they're directives

That's gone on everywhere in pro sports. They own the team. Who else would fire the GM? That's the discussion though, people want an experienced President of Hockey Ops. They still would have to answer to the owners.

As for roster decisions I don't think they are making those decisions.

 

[explore]

That's gone on everywhere in pro sports. They own the team. Who else would fire the GM? That's the discussion though, people want an experienced President of Hockey Ops. They still would have to answer to the owners.

As for roster decisions I don't think they are making those decisions.

There's literally a video of Terry sitting in on the decision to go after Taylor Hall and talking about how signing him makes them "cup contenders"

 

[Sabre Dance]

There's literally a video of Terry sitting in on the decision to go after Taylor Hall and talking about how signing him makes them "cup contenders"

Im not sure what your point is? You think Terry Pegula is the real GM and Murray, Botts, and Adams were only hired to be fall guys if he fails?

 

[Man of Principles]

Be honest. Do you REALLY think they're going to do that?

Depends if they feel like they've been embarrassed enough. I would be if I were them.

 

[explore]

Im not sure what your point is? You think Terry Pegula is the real GM and Murray, Botts, and Adams were only hired to be fall guys if he fails?

Murray? No. I think Murray would be too socially incompetent to pick up on any subtle ques about Terry wanting to make decisions, and even if he did he probably would've told him "No". I think when it comes to Murray, it was limited to not wanting to fire Bylsma

Botterill and Adams though? I can absolutely see Terry Pegula pushing for making certain decisions and them (especially Botterill) going with it

I see Terry Pegula's role like this: "When I want to play GM, you work with me to do what I want. All the other times, you do the job"

I don't think all owners are like this. Maybe in mom & pop shops, but the corporate owners of teams like Montreal, Philly, and Toronto hand the teams off to the people they hire and don't interfere

 

[SackTastic]

A glut? To me it was more likely that Hall chose us, similar to Skinner. I don't think it was case where the Sabres had choices to improve the roster.

Before Hall, your scoring line LWs were Olofsson and Skinner. They had bodies for the 3rd and 4th lines. Then they signed Hall, which directly lead to the Skinner problems later , because now someone had to play with pylons and wouldn't produce.

They did not NEED Hall on this team when they signed him. An experienced GM gets that put in front of him, and either sees that there is no fit and doesn't pursue it, or makes other moves to shape the overall roster so it does fit.

Terry Pegula sat in that room and said 'If we get this guy we're chasing a Stanley Cup', which was CLEARLY batshit absurd to say for a team that hadn't even sniffed the playoffs in 9 years at that point. It's a clear example of how his meddling directly hurts the team.

 

[SackTastic]

Kim said that?

“I realize, maybe it’s not popular with the fans, but we have to do the things that we feel are right,” she said. “We have a little bit more information than maybe a fan does, some inner workings that we see some positives in.”

 

[Sabre Dance]

Before Hall, your scoring line LWs were Olofsson and Skinner. They had bodies for the 3rd and 4th lines. Then they signed Hall, which directly lead to the Skinner problems later , because now someone had to play with pylons and wouldn't produce.

They did not NEED Hall on this team when they signed him. An experienced GM gets that put in front of him, and either sees that there is no fit and doesn't pursue it, or makes other moves to shape the overall roster so it does fit.

Terry Pegula sat in that room and said 'If we get this guy we're chasing a Stanley Cup', which was CLEARLY batshit absurd to say for a team that hadn't even sniffed the playoffs in 9 years at that point. It's a clear example of how his meddling directly hurts the team.

Skinner wasn't exactly the head coach's favorite player. Hall was.

Pegula from what I see and hear of him seems like a homer fan. We all know those fans. I think he loves to be involved but I still don't believe he's making roster decisions. He does the same thing with the Bills. I think Doug Whaley recently said Pegula really wanted Mahomes.