Brian Gionta says...... [Archive] - BillsZone.com

Michael82

07-15-2009, 10:39 AM

I've been chatting with one of my co-workers who is friends with the Gionta family. Actually, one of Brian's cousins used to work in Personnel at the store. He was telling me that the Sabres did call and request a visit with Gionta and said that they were interested, but took their time. Apparently, Gionta was already working on a contract with Montreal and the Sabres didn't try too hard or even get as far as offering a contract. But they did talk to Brian and his agent and let them know of their interested in him.

Anyways...Brian said to my co-worker that the Sabres aren't serious about winning and quite a few others feel that way right now throughout the league. Apparently many of the players in the league feel that the Sabres aren't trying to get better and feel comfortable with what they have, because it's the cheaper and easier way and it's not coming from Darcy. It's coming all the way from the top. It sounds like it's a bunch of Bean counters running the team. :sigh:

My co-worker and I are both big Sabres fans and pretty depressed with what Gionta was saying and how it's pretty much said throughout the league that the team doesn't care about winning, as long as they keep selling tickets and the fans buy merchandise. :ill:

Dude

07-15-2009, 10:43 AM

If this is really true, then it's an insult to the fans who have continued to support the team over the years.

THATHURMANATOR

07-15-2009, 10:51 AM

Eh what can you do. It is a game. Don't watch if you don't want to. We all have choices.

rbochan

07-15-2009, 11:00 AM

:ill:

Mr. Pink

07-15-2009, 11:22 AM

Does this really surprise you out of the Buffalo sports franchises?

For most of each teams history, they've put substandard products on the field/ice/arena...and people buy up the tickets.

Each team has stumbled into some success along the way but why build or try to achieve that success when the seats get sold regardless?

After all, at the end of the day, sports is business now.

Patrick76777

07-15-2009, 11:25 AM

Throwing boatloads of money at FA's hardly ever works.

Plus the Sabres do spend a lot of money, they're just doing it on the wrong guys.

07-15-2009, 11:47 AM

Welp, that just ruined my day.

trapezeus

07-15-2009, 11:51 AM

the reasons the seats keep selling out is because we are kept fed this BS about how the teams have to move to stay profitable if they can't fill the seats. For hockey, i'd love to see the sabres try and move. with no TV contract, and fledging interest in hockey on a large scope, the NHL has a lot to lose with the sabres.

Nighthawk

07-15-2009, 12:09 PM

This is not a shock to me...I've been saying this for years. They're not cheap, they're just stupid.

Philagape

07-15-2009, 12:32 PM

they were interested, but took their time.

the Sabres didn't try too hard

Bingo.

This is what falls on Darcy. He is timid and weak. This FO half-asses almost everything. This kind of talk is entirely consistent with their history, and it's led to disastrous consequences that have been discussed here ad nauseum.
If they're interested, then they should be serious and aggressive about it. If they're just going to pussyfoot around, then they shouldn't even bother. Sticking their toe in the water and then pulling back does nothing but create the kind of reputation that's reported here. This is why we're always hearing "he didn't want to play here!"
If it's their philosophy not to build through FA (although that means you need near-perfect drafting), fine, but don't make the franchise look bad with phony, vapid "interest." It's embarrassing.

bigbub2352

07-15-2009, 02:01 PM

I believe you Mikey82 all day, this is exactly what any educated fan has been saying for years here, i cant stand golisano or Quinn and pussy Darcy who is probably handcuffed but still sucks we just stay average that is the status quo in the Bills and Sabres nothing ever ever ever changes here
this roster is a joke

Michael82

07-15-2009, 03:09 PM

I actually believed Larry Quinn and Darcy after the season when they said that they were going to make some changes to improve the team and be active in FA. after hearing this and basically seeing what the Sabres are doing...sitting on their hands. I'm depressed! :ill:

07-15-2009, 07:00 PM

Email the thread link to Bucky

Michael82

07-15-2009, 07:05 PM

Email the thread link to Bucky
Why? I'm betting that he's heard the same thing around the NHL circles....

SabreEleven

07-15-2009, 07:26 PM

You just have to be a casual NHL fan to know this about the Buffalo Sabres really.

don137

07-16-2009, 10:06 AM

I think it is pretty transparent that they are not making a serious attempt to get better...The problem is by being so cheap they are going to hurt themselves with lagging ticket sales. At least show the fans they care and the fans will show up

trapezeus

07-16-2009, 10:42 AM

07-16-2009, 06:35 PM

It's one thing to THINK this organization is ****ed up.. but to KNOW that their goal is not the cup, its a bit depressing

Philagape

07-16-2009, 07:10 PM

i think when the bills were good in the 90's there was a vested interest to try and keep up. we made big trades for lafontaine and hawerchuk, svoboda. Those were all inspired decisions at the time. now, we just sit here and see which team does worse and attend both sets of games. how annoying.

maybe if TO brings some wins with him and the bills become relevant, the sabres cheapness and lack of desire to win will end up with emptier HSBC arena games. then they'll need the playoffs to turn a profit

The trend with the Sabres is that almost every star that's come through here has either been drafted or traded for ... in other words, the player had no choice. It's like there's a big banner over HSBC Arena saying "MOVE ON, NOTHING TO SEE HERE"

At least the Bills somehow lured TO.

SabreEleven

07-16-2009, 07:15 PM

It's one thing to THINK this organization is ****ed up.. but to KNOW that their goal is not the cup, its a bit depressing

and the #1 problem is that the don't know that they are ****ed up...

BillsSabresB.C.T. Fan

07-16-2009, 10:08 PM

this is why the Sabres won't ever :loser: fans and this is why they won't spend money on signing UFA's

As a result of the over-whelming excitement and demand for Buffalo Sabres season tickets, the Buffalo Sabres Blue & Gold Club has been established to provide added value to our fans. The purpose of the Blue & Gold Club is to accommodate the continuing interest fans have in obtaining Buffalo Sabres season tickets by creating a priority “waiting list” for perspective buyers.

As a Buffalo Sabres Blue & Gold Club Member, fans now have the opportunity to reserve priority-seating status and receive exclusive membership benefits as they wait for suitable seating to become available. A $100 per seat non-refundable deposit will be required per member, which will be applied to the purchase price of full Season Ticket plans whenever seats become available. The $100 per seat deposit will be required to maintain your priority status, with all funds being applied to your season ticket purchase once a suitable seat location has been agreed upon. New season ticket orders will be filled based on availability at the discretion of the Buffalo Sabres
http://sabres.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NHLPage&id=17579

clumping platelets

07-16-2009, 10:15 PM

well, we don't need another small forward anyhoo

Jan Reimers

07-17-2009, 12:19 PM

Golisano is much more interested in New York politics than he is in the Sabres. He got the franchise at a fire sale price, and continues to treat the team and its fans as a bargain basement operation.

I can't stand the phony SOB.

Typ0

07-17-2009, 12:37 PM

Again, we see evidence of the negative attitude the player culture has towards the Sabres. I've been talking about this for years now and it continues to surface and indicates why making an investment in this team is unwarranted. I think that Griers comments basically meant that they were assembling a real team and all the players knew they would be mismanaged there and would leave in the near future.

Typ0

07-17-2009, 12:39 PM

If this is really true, then it's an insult to the fans who have continued to support the team over the years.

the fans have been continually insulted over the years too. They failed to put the talent around Hasek so they could win instead they used him as a money tool...and look what happened.

trapezeus

07-17-2009, 12:40 PM

jan nailed it. Golisano's investment is so miniscule in his personal aspirations and for his personal investments.
The sabres are like his checking account. You don't look at the statements all the time. you are more concerned with your other investments because they can return a lot more and are of moreinterest to you.

i wonder why he doesn't IPO 49% of the sabres to the public. This way he can raise money, we can try and get a cup with a board of interested shareholders, and then when we win the cup, sell the shares to that douche at blackberry and let him no as he pleases.

SabreEleven

07-17-2009, 01:46 PM

If Galisano put some effort into making the Sabres a winner and they become pretty successful, he would have all of WNY vote for whatever office he want to run for. If he ran back in 2006-2007, he would have carried WNY.

BillsSabresB.C.T. Fan

07-17-2009, 03:03 PM

this guy hits the nail right on the head,

I was just reading an excerpt from Ross Brewitt's book, "Sabres, 26 Seasons in Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium" last night and I came across this quote, talking about the 1979-1980 team, how it was two games away from a Cup berth, and what happened subsequently:

"Scotty Bowman inherited an excellent group of players in 1979. Wearing hats of both general manager and coach, as Imlach had done before, he almost got them to the finals in the spring of 1980. . . For the Sabres it was business as usual. Players came and players went, and the draft choices earned or gained continued to impress. Ramsey, Ruff, Andreychuk, Houseley, Creighton, and Barrasso were blue-chip prospects.
"The finger pointing centered around player moves that sapped the team's signature toughness, leadership, and that much sought after intangible called heart. Some say that the trade that sent away Danny Gare and Jim Schoenfeld was the start of the problem that lasted into the eighties. Gone too were Rick Martin, Lee Fogolin, Jerry Korab, Terry Martin and Rick Dudley. . ."

Does anyone see any parallels between the two?
http://sabresfans70.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=sabres&action=display&thread=6182&page=2

SabreEleven

07-17-2009, 07:55 PM

this guy hits the nail right on the head,

http://sabresfans70.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=sabres&action=display&thread=6182&page=2

You posted this correctly :bf1:

tampabay25690

07-18-2009, 06:13 AM

Michael82

07-18-2009, 07:39 AM

I don't believe it at all. Sorry Mikey I dont think it;s you making it up but why in the hell would Gionta say 1 thing about the organization. I have been around boat loads of NHL, NFL, players and if you know any of them they really don't talk about any other organizations or the business part of it. I know many Sabre players the left and luved the orgnaization. Remember something the team and the orgnaization always has to watch what they spend in salaries. They have to pick and choose what they will do with the $$....
It's called shooting the ****. Gionta is from Rochester and has quite a few friends and family here, many of which are Sabres fans... I'm pretty sure that it went...so, what do you think about joining the Sabres? Any interest there? Then he replied. It's not like he said the comments to the media. It was basically just some friends.

I believe my co-worker and think that the main person at fault is Tom Golisano, who is too busy screwing up the state government even more, than taking care of his investment, the Buffalo Sabres and helping them win a cup.

tampabay25690

07-18-2009, 03:19 PM

It's called shooting the ****. Gionta is from Rochester and has quite a few friends and family here, many of which are Sabres fans... I'm pretty sure that it went...so, what do you think about joining the Sabres? Any interest there? Then he replied. It's not like he said the comments to the media. It was basically just some friends.

I believe my co-worker and think that the main person at fault is Tom Golisano, who is too busy screwing up the state government even more, than taking care of his investment, the Buffalo Sabres and helping them win a cup.

State of NY is in a mess anyway unless you are the NY Yankees..

Novacane

07-18-2009, 05:51 PM

I don't believe it at all. Sorry Mikey I dont think it;s you making it up but why in the hell would Gionta say 1 thing about the organization. I have been around boat loads of NHL, NFL, players and if you know any of them they really don't talk about any other organizations or the business part of it. I know many Sabre players the left and luved the orgnaization. Remember something the team and the orgnaization always has to watch what they spend in salaries. They have to pick and choose what they will do with the $$....

I believe it. What we are seeing matches up with what he said. The Sabres are not serious about winning.
Mike said he made the comments to a family member. You don't think he would tell a cousin that his local team is a joke? Sounds reasonable to me.