TBN: Sabres exec on Pegulas' engagement, jersey misspellings, fan concerns

[debaser66]

If I can make one presumption that if someone is giving executive roles to unqualified family members is that he/she is probably a control freak/ authoritarian type.. that might work in a business were you can bend the law with money once you re near the top of the food chain but not in a sport were every team has more or less the same amount of ressources.

 

[Bendium]

I have personally suffered thru watching a woman ten years my junior with one quarter my experience get advanced and groomed to eventually take my bosses job, simply because she was a connected rich girl and the company needed to get its female management numbers up. And yet, I have absolutely no problem with what Kim Pegula has done and achieved to this point? Why? I think Kim Pegula has put in the work, learned and grown as much as anyone could be expected too. She actually is a very impressive person that is earning her stripes and becoming very highly thought of in the ownership groups of both the NFL and NHL. As Terry ages out Kim will become more and more the face of Pegulaville, and we will be lucky to have her representing us here in Wester New York. Before you go one trashing her as an executive, maybe educate yourself a bit.

 

[Chainshot]

If Pegs had said the exact same words as Adams, I don't see what that would change in terms of where the team is. They'd still suck, but people would be OK with that because the owner 'cares?'

That, and $2.95, would buy me a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

Nah, it would appear like them pandering and not offering timelines on the action items like the arena study or fixing the issues with the rink is even less appealing coming from the top.

 

[valet]

I'm one to think that people freaking out about ownership is inappropriate and more a side effect of the whole 'no playoffs again' thing then many want to admit. The Pegula's do deserve some criticism, but not the total ragefest we've been seeing lately. On the whole, I think they've done a great job as owners of the team. And all the money they've sunk into the city is unreal, it goes far beyond just hockey.

I mean, what do people want here? Do they want Terry and Kim to stand in the middle of the arena and let people throw rocks at them? Anything they say would be turned against them by the irrational and vocal minority. It's honestly smart to say nothing and let their business plan moving forward do the talking.

 

[Buffaloed]

I mean, what do people want here? Do they want Terry and Kim to stand in the middle of the arena and let people throw rocks at them? Anything they say would be turned against them by the irrational and vocal minority. It's honestly smart to say nothing and let their business plan moving forward do the talking.

Someone could get hurt. I recommend they throw a party for season ticket holders and rent a dunk tank. Show some humility and have some fun.

 

[Chainshot]

I'm one to think that people freaking out about ownership is inappropriate and more a side effect of the whole 'no playoffs again' thing then many want to admit. The Pegula's do deserve some criticism, but not the total ragefest we've been seeing lately. On the whole, I think they've done a great job as owners of the team. And all the money they've sunk into the city is unreal, it goes far beyond just hockey.

I mean, what do people want here? Do they want Terry and Kim to stand in the middle of the arena and let people throw rocks at them? Anything they say would be turned against them by the irrational and vocal minority. It's honestly smart to say nothing and let their business plan moving forward do the talking.

I would hate to see what you would consider a poor job as owners. The on ice product has been terrible for almost a decade. How are people irrational for wanting bathrooms with functioning facilities or repaired cup holders or a lack of bird shit on their seats? Maybe the removal or replacement of old player photos who have not played in Buffalo for say five years? Man, those funny ducks and their paying for tickets, wanting what seems like the most basic of things, let alone value for their money.

 

[valet]

I would hate to see what you would consider a poor job as owners. The on ice product has been terrible for almost a decade. How are people irrational for wanting bathrooms with functioning facilities or repaired cup holders or a lack of bird **** on their seats? Maybe the removal or replacement of old player photos who have not played in Buffalo for say five years? Man, those funny ducks and their paying for tickets, wanting what seems like the most basic of things, let alone value for their money.

Really disapprove of your tone here. I don't come here to be mocked. I come here to have real discussions.

I'm not sure how many games you've been to in the last 10 years, but I've been to somewhere in the 40-50 range and have never had a problem with cupholders, bathrooms, or bird poop. And old player photos? Sure, take them down. But it's not the end of the world that they're still up. Seems like a reach to call them bad owners just because of some old player photos.

My only real complaint is concession prices. But that's a wash everywhere around the league.

 

[Chainshot]

Really disapprove of your tone here. I don't come here to be mocked. I come here to have real discussions.

I'm not sure how many games you've been to in the last 10 years, but I've been to somewhere in the 40-50 range and have never had a problem with cupholders, bathrooms, or bird poop. And old player photos? Sure, take them down. But it's not the end of the world that they're still up. Seems like a reach to call them bad owners just because of some old player photos.

My only real complaint is concession prices. But that's a wash everywhere around the league.

Typed words are hard to inflect tone. I wasn’t trying to mock you, I was questioning the idea that maybe absolving them of product display and customer experience beyond just the shoddy nature of the product presented is unwarranted.

Since leaving the area for good in 2013, I’ve been to half a dozen games in Buffalo. I have experienced the broken cupholders personally. I have friends and colleagues who are still season-ticket holder‘s (some of whom I previously split seasons with) who have experienced all of the other items that I laid out.

Even though the Adams interview provided very little in terms of actual answers, if that had been the response to the Duane fervor rather than someone within PSE demanding it be removed and people involved be reprimanded or punished, this wouldn’t have resulted in a sport-wide level of mockery for the issues needing to be addressed.

 

[WeDislikeEich]

Aw, did you find something to be offended by?

Take a few breaths, you'll feel better. Breath in, breath out... There you go!

If Terry wore the pants he'd be more bullish about results, and bring in the right people to help him achieve his stated goal.

Simple enough.

Now go find something else to get offended by, but remember to breath and relax.....

I’m not offended. You seem to be the one who’s upset and making this personal. I was just responding to your ridiculous argument. But to be clear, what you said was offensive to women.

Personally though, I just thought it was a really stupid argument (and still do. Your explanation didn’t help.)

You seem to think that there is no chance Kim could ever bring in the right people. That only Terry could. And only if he becomes more of a manly man and takes power away from Kim. It sounds like a view that belongs in the 1950’s.

And what exactly makes Terry more qualified in the hockey world than Kim? Neither seem very qualified to me.

Isn’t Terry the one who hired Pat Lafontaine on a total whim? He was talking to him and totally out of the blue, and without interviewing anyone else, asked Pat to run the team? Even though Pat had no experience.

As I said before, I don’t think it matters if the owner is male or female or type A. I think the most successful owners hire the best people and get out of their way.

 

[sabremike]

Really disapprove of your tone here. I don't come here to be mocked. I come here to have real discussions.

I'm not sure how many games you've been to in the last 10 years, but I've been to somewhere in the 40-50 range and have never had a problem with cupholders, bathrooms, or bird poop. And old player photos? Sure, take them down. But it's not the end of the world that they're still up. Seems like a reach to call them bad owners just because of some old player photos.

My only real complaint is concession prices. But that's a wash everywhere around the league.

I go to games all over the place and can tell you for a fact that the KBA gameday experience compared to any of them is an utter embarrassment. The place is a run down dump. And if the Pegulas actually cared about the off ice experience they'd put DJ Milk into a canon and fire him straight into the sun.

 

[valet]

Typed words are hard to inflect tone. I wasn’t trying to mock you, I was questioning the idea that maybe absolving them of product display and customer experience beyond just the shoddy nature of the product presented is unwarranted.

Since leaving the area for good in 2013, I’ve been to half a dozen games in Buffalo. I have experienced the broken cupholders personally. I have friends and colleagues who are still season-ticket holder‘s (some of whom I previously split seasons with) who have experienced all of the other items that I laid out.

Even though the Adams interview provided very little in terms of actual answers, if that had been the response to the Duane fervor rather than someone within PSE demanding it be removed and people involved be reprimanded or punished, this wouldn’t have resulted in a sport-wide level of mockery for the issues needing to be addressed.

I didn't need to inflect tone. You provided it after your first sentence with the crying laughing emoji. Come on. I'm not dumb. Don't try to use the 'I didn't realize that the text I wrote could be interpreted as an insult of another person's intelligence' excuse. It's pretty obvious what you were trying to do. Pick a better way to communicate next time.

 

[slip]

I'm one to think that people freaking out about ownership is inappropriate and more a side effect of the whole 'no playoffs again' thing then many want to admit

I will happily admit the “no playoffs again thing” is precisely why I think the Pegulas suck as owners. What other standard really matters for judging the owners of a sports franchise?

 

[Howie Hodge]

I’m not offended. You seem to be the one who’s upset and making this personal. I was just responding to your ridiculous argument. But to be clear, what you said was offensive to women.

Personally though, I just thought it was a really stupid argument (and still do. Your explanation didn’t help.)

You seem to think that there is no chance Kim could ever bring in the right people. That only Terry could. And only if he becomes more of a manly man and takes power away from Kim. It sounds like a view that belongs in the 1950’s.

And what exactly makes Terry more qualified in the hockey world than Kim? Neither seem very qualified to me.

Isn’t Terry the one who hired Pat Lafontaine on a total whim? He was talking to him and totally out of the blue, and without interviewing anyone else, asked Pat to run the team? Even though Pat had no experience.

As I said before, I don’t think it matters if the owner is male or female or type A. I think the most successful owners hire the best people and get out of their way.

Neither very qualified. We do have common ground. Cool.

 

[Royisgone]

Adams was also on with Howard and Jeremy on GR-550 the other day. Sabres clearly in damage control mode now, at least a week too late.

Always a day late and a dollar short!

 

[Chainshot]

I didn't need to inflect tone. You provided it after your first sentence with the crying laughing emoji. Come on. I'm not dumb. Don't try to use the 'I didn't realize that the text I wrote could be interpreted as an insult of another person's intelligence' excuse. It's pretty obvious what you were trying to do. Pick a better way to communicate next time.

On the whole, I think they've done a great job as owners of the team. And all the money they've sunk into the city is unreal, it goes far beyond just hockey.

You don’t see where that particular line would not make someone laugh? Great owners? It’s wonderful that they’ve spent a bunch of money of their own. As developers they’ve done a great deal. As philanthropists they’ve helped people in many ways. But that does not make them great NHL owners. The Sabres are not Harbor Center or PSU’s rink or anything else around downtown. They are the team and the experience of how it is presented. That part remains underperforming and unprofessionally presented. You don’t think that someone could take using the comment “great” as funny? In light of how they have fallen on such hard times competitively seemingly at their own hands? Wow… okay. I still think it is funny. And given your post, I know also think it is sad.

 

[Member 308457]

The road to He - double hockey sticks is paved with good intentions.

The Pegulas have made a sad mess out of this once-proud and winning organization. Despite their best intentions and willingness to spend ungodly amounts of money, all they've done has been to put incredible amounts of pressure and ruin on these players who have to live up to these astronomical contracts that most have never deserved. The psychological pressure must be enormous, especially when you have fans booing the team off the ice year after year and failure after failure.

I'm a big fan of the Robert Irvine show "Restaurant Impossible" where he comes in and takes 48 hours to rebuild and rethink a failing restaurant and re-figures roles for the leadership of the place. One of the least fake reality shows demonstrates that anything is possible with a little seasoned direction from outside and good internal leadership. But the Pegulas are too stubborn and set in their ways and have really bad ideas. They keep denying or hiding the obvious problems because they don't want egg on their face. But they have tons of egg on their face and they just continue to hide. The organization is stuck in the mud with this mentality and keeps making the same mistakes over and over...a revolving door of simpering yes men to perpetuate their awful ideas and policies.

They need a Robert Irvine to come in, assess the damage and figure out a way forward, a new structure and proper roles for the owners. Hockey Team Impossible!

 

[jd1970]

I’m not offended. You seem to be the one who’s upset and making this personal. I was just responding to your ridiculous argument. But to be clear, what you said was offensive to women.

Personally though, I just thought it was a really stupid argument (and still do. Your explanation didn’t help.)

You seem to think that there is no chance Kim could ever bring in the right people. That only Terry could. And only if he becomes more of a manly man and takes power away from Kim. It sounds like a view that belongs in the 1950’s.

And what exactly makes Terry more qualified in the hockey world than Kim? Neither seem very qualified to me.

Isn’t Terry the one who hired Pat Lafontaine on a total whim? He was talking to him and totally out of the blue, and without interviewing anyone else, asked Pat to run the team? Even though Pat had no experience.

As I said before, I don’t think it matters if the owner is male or female or type A. I think the most successful owners hire the best people and get out of their way.

Well you must admit, Terry built a multi billion dollar empire and Kim was a waitress.
But hey, she could get it done some day.
If I'm still alive that would be nice.

 

[Chainshot]

 

[Tatanka]

This is infuriating! Remember palying against them 40 years ago. Cool unis. f*** the Sabres for this shit.

 

[Chainshot]

This is infuriating! Remember palying against them 40 years ago. Cool unis. f*** the Sabres for this shit.

PSE can't get out of their own way. Just optically terrible over and over again.

 

[Tatanka]

PSE can't get out of their own way. Just optically terrible over and over again.

We should get a go fund me going to hire a hack attorney to file an adverse possession action. A first year law student should be able to handle ot.

 

[Myllz]

When does Adams make a statement about how this is because they're designing new uniforms for the team and they just wanted to clear the path for something really neato?

 

[Buffaloed]

They did a good job with the Beauts but couldn't finish the job.
PS&E "Destroying One Fanbase At A Time"

 

[Baccus]

My feelings about the Pegula's is basically the same as with Golisano.

If you can't/won't spend the money/effort/time to produce a winning and/or competitive team, sell it and/or let them move out of town. And frankly Golisano only looks good/better because the team/management got lucky on a bet coming out of the lockout. At least you knew or quickly learned he was going to be cheap, with the Pegula's it's been almost a decade and....they just seem incompetent.

I know I'm in the minority in that opinion and most would probably lose their shit over them leaving, but I have very limited interest with the current status quo of them being unable to get out of their own way. Sure, during the Knox/Golisano years, you could cry poor and point to spurts of success, Rigas you could laugh at Buffaluck...but what the hell have the Pegula's achieved with the Sabres? Wasted years, wasted money and now the spectre of continued failures while having the money & resources to do so much more.

The arena is modern day dump, without any of the charms of the Aud. I'd frankly rather still be going to the Aud to see games over the keybank/hsbc/harbour/shitshow place. That's not on the Pegula's but they are clearly winding their way to some sort of Sabres/Bills arena & stadium demand situation since they've taken on the stance of doing nothing while 'gathering data' and 'doing studies' or whatever. A recent article in the Athletic about Vinik and the Lightning highlight the difference in somebody committing to making something work and somebody buying a team and expecting it to just work. He spent the time and effort chasing both business and hockey management people, Pegula tried to hire somebody he met at dinner. Vinik spent 80 million on stadium improvements, the Sabres got new dressing rooms, when if they were on a budget, it should have been spend on finding proper management.

What is to explain the complete lack of forethought they've displayed specifically in this 50th anniversary season? I have no idea, but the past years give them no leeway for excuses and the lack of acumen gives them no benefit of the doubt towards the future.

The worst part is I suspect that between the value of an NHL team, and their investments in the surrounding area, they will be making money on whatever happens out of this venture. In the end money makes money, it would be nice if some of us got to enjoy the side benefit of a winning sports franchise...

Thank you for attending my TED talk. Now to commence with continued Gin & Tonics...

 

[flashsabre]

Wasn’t the talk that massive upgrades were going into the arena this offseason?

Maybe they needed more time to complete the construction so they told Botts to tank the season and not make the playoffs so the arena upgrades schedule would work out.