Terry Pegula at HSBC arena right now

[Coach Sal]

BUFFALO, NY - Two on Your Side has confirmed that Terry Pegula, potential buyer of the Buffalo Sabres is now at HSBC Arena.

Pegula will not talk to the media about his visit and the Sabres have no plans on speaking about the issue.

It is not clear if Pegula has met with players or memebers of the Sabres organization.

Two On Your Side reported a few weeks ago that Pegula had reached a deal with Sabres owner Tom Golisano to purchase the team.

Two On Your Side has multiple crews at HSBC arena and will provide updates on wgrz.com and tonight on Channel 2 News First at Five.

WGRZ

http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=104295&catid=37

[RockStar36]

I just fell out of my seat.

[CuseJetsFan83]

SabresDotCom (http://twitter.com/#%21/SabresDotCom) Buffalo Sabres



As reported in various media outlets, Terry Pegula visited the Buffalo Sabres offices today for informal discussions.

from team twitter bout 90 seconds ago

[Dr. Lecter]

informal discussions. lol!

[CuseJetsFan83]

LQ: we were just talking, nothing serious... team will not be sold you have my word.

[THATHURMANATOR]

I just fell out of my seat.
Dev we know the guy is buying the team. Take it easy.

[trapezeus]

Terry: how's the family
Larry: good
Terry: i want the team.
larry: oh, actually we are waiting out to see if Bass pro will buy the team. they are the cornerstone to downtown revitalization as well as stanley cup dreams.
Terry: (to himself) I wonder if i could frak Larry

[THATHURMANATOR]

LQ: we were just talking, nothing serious... team will not be sold you have my word.
Quinn has pretty much said the team will be sold.

[CuseJetsFan83]

Quinn has pretty much said the team will be sold.

he's had a lot of doublespeak... but everyone knows what he says they do the opposite...

[RockStar36]

Dev we know the guy is buying the team. Take it easy.

I want it to happen NOW. I WILL NOT TAKE IT EASY.

[Ebenezer]

Terry: how's the family
Larry: good
Terry: i want the team.
larry: oh, actually we are waiting out to see if Bass pro will buy the team. they are the cornerstone to downtown revitalization as well as stanley cup dreams.
Terry: (to himself) I wonder if i could frak Larry
I hope it went more like this:

TP: Hi Larry. Here's $175 mil in unmarked bills...leave the key.

[THATHURMANATOR]

I want it to happen NOW. I WILL NOT TAKE IT EASY.
Ok I am just looking out for you!

[SabreEleven]

Terry: how's the family
Larry: good
Terry: i want the team.
larry: oh, actually we are waiting out to see if Bass pro will buy the team. they are the cornerstone to downtown revitalization as well as stanley cup dreams.
Terry: (to himself) I wonder if i could frak Larry

Terry: It's going to take me a little while to un**** everything you did.

[rbochan]

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh19/rbochan/image-full.jpg

[ddaryl]

happy happy joy joy

[Michael82]

:dance3:

[YardRat]

"Informal discussions" = 'Hey Larry, how soon can you get your **** outta here so I can move my stuff in?"

[Nighthawk]

Excuse me, I need to go change my pants...

[JD]

http://www.gifbin.com/bin/g600616996.gif

[trapezeus]

Pegula even interested after that game?

[G Wolly]

Pegula even interested after that game?

Of course.

He got to see first hand who to get rid of first and how much money he has to shell out to make us a cup contender.

[Michael82]

Pegula even interested after that game?
:rofl: Good point. You gotta love a performance like that when your future owner is in the building...lol

[SabreEleven]

This was a good article by Bucky even though LW won't agree

Even Briere seems excited about Pegula

Here's hoping billionaire Terry Pegula stuck around to watch the Sabres-Flyers game after meeting with team officials as part of due diligence Tuesday. A purchase agreement is expected soon, perhaps even today. NHL sources said he's on track to assume ownership later this month or around the All-Star Game.

Pegula has a reputation for being a man of the people, so excuse me for not finding him among the 18,000-plus Average Joes in HSBC Arena. He spent years as a nameless, faceless fan sitting with the die-hards in the stands, so maybe he was more comfortable remaining under the radar and listening to the folks around him.

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/columns/bucky-gleason/article309729.ece

[trapezeus]

i thought it was a solid article. briere was pretty classy.

I wonder if pegula can get the current ownership to buy out pominville's contract before closing.

[RockStar36]

i thought it was a solid article. briere was pretty classy.

I wonder if pegula can get the current ownership to buy out pominville's contract before closing.

I've resigned myself to the fact that Pominville will be here for the duration of his contract. However, I do think if they could get a top line center and winger and move Roy down to the 2nd, maybe Pominville can get going. I don't know. I'm grasping at straws at this point.

[Dr. Lecter]

i thought it was a solid article. briere was pretty classy.

I wonder if pegula can get the current ownership to buy out pominville's contract before closing.
They can't afford to buy out his deal.

[Ebenezer]

I've resigned myself to the fact that Pominville will be here for the duration of his contract. However, I do think if they could get a top line center and winger and move Roy down to the 2nd, maybe Pominville can get going. I don't know. I'm grasping at straws at this point.
Much like a WR is only as good as his QB often wingers are only as good as the centers. Who does Pommenville (or for that matter Vanek) have setting them up? Mike Bossy could score by the bucketload but he had Bryan Trottier as his center. Bossy with most of the Sabres centers would have been a 15 - 20 goal a year winger.

[RockStar36]

Much like a WR is only as good as his QB often wingers are only as good as the centers. Who does Pommenville (or for that matter Vanek) have setting them up? Mike Bossy could score by the bucketload but he had Bryan Trottier as his center. Bossy with most of the Sabres centers would have been a 15 - 20 goal a year winger.

Vanek would be a sure 40 goal scorer with a true #1 center on his line. I like Derek Roy a lot, but he is a #2 in reality.

[Ebenezer]

Vanek would be a sure 40 goal scorer with a true #1 center on his line. I like Derek Roy a lot, but he is a #2 in reality.
I've said that for a long time...I like Roy. If he were the #2 on this team with a real #1 more people would like him. This team, like the Bills, has a nasty habit of trying to elevate people past their potential.

[Cleve]

IF Pegula buys the team, I think Lindy Ruff should get at least another season as coach to turn the team around with an infusion of money and talent. Even Vanek and Miller may play better next year if they see there's a purpose to busting their humps. It has to be discouraging for guys of their quality to be on this team.

[trapezeus]

i'm just saying, golisano is sitting on a slightly illiquid investment. just like your house.

you might like the house, but if all the windows are ****, you should ask for the current owner to discount the price of what it costs you to replace all the windows or do it himself. either way, you aren't buying that house at the value the current owner thinks its worth.

Further to the point, the Tommy G is handing over a team that needs a lot of new pieces. Not just the players, but management,scouts. there is a lot of expenses ontop of his ownership fee.

[Ebenezer]

i'm just saying, golisano is sitting on a slightly illiquid investment. just like your house.

you might like the house, but if all the windows are ****, you should ask for the current owner to discount the price of what it costs you to replace all the windows or do it himself. either way, you aren't buying that house at the value the current owner thinks its worth.

Further to the point, the Tommy G is handing over a team that needs a lot of new pieces. Not just the players, but management,scouts. there is a lot of expenses ontop of his ownership fee.
i get your point but that's not completely true. marketing is fine - the team sells tix and merchandise. LR is fine. I would think about replacing the assistants but even if they did that doesn't cost money. DR is fine at GM and his contract is up at the end of the year. No additional cost just to hire a new GM. Other teams are going to the video method also. The team's problem really hasn't been drafting but picking up established talent in free agency or trades. That has probably been limited by current ownership. Would TG have to pay for more/better players, yes. But I don't see a lot of other expenses involved.

[chernobylwraiths]

i get your point but that's not completely true. marketing is fine - the team sells tix and merchandise. LR is fine. I would think about replacing the assistants but even if they did that doesn't cost money. DR is fine at GM and his contract is up at the end of the year. No additional cost just to hire a new GM. Other teams are going to the video method also. The team's problem really hasn't been drafting but picking up established talent in free agency or trades. That has probably been limited by current ownership. Would TG have to pay for more/better players, yes. But I don't see a lot of other expenses involved.

I don't understand how people say this team's problem isn't drafting.

[RockStar36]

I don't understand how people say this team's problem isn't drafting.

Because it is far too difficult to judge drafting unless the team is consistently drafting in the top five like Pittsburgh did for a number of years.

[Ebenezer]

I don't understand how people say this team's problem isn't drafting.
the hockey draft is a crap shoot. this team has done pretty well with their own. the real problem is using some of that talent to get other players. no team in the NHL builds completely through the draft. I think because of economics set down by LQ and TG that that is what the Sabres are trying to do. There have been quality players available via trade or FA. Who controls the purse strings on getting FAs? Why not trade a few prospects/picks for one or two top 6 forwards. This team doesn't do that and there is where the problem is, imo.

[trapezeus]

i think the sabres rely too heavily on drafting. They currently have zero idea of where this team is. I think as a GM you have to slot the team into thirds. Is this a top third team that needs a little extra oomph, a little extra cash to get to the finals, are you in the middle where you need to massage kinks out and watch players grow or fall apart and replacethem or are you in the bottom third.

The sabres have been selling to us that they are top 3rd. We have all been saying middle group because they aren't built for the playoffs, and lo and behold the team proves they aren't even built for the regular season.

When you get that slotting wrong, you are passing great opportunities by.

The sabres missed the playoffs for how many years after the ottawa series loss? 2 or 3 and then they'll miss this year? that was a year to move plateaued talent off the team for younger kids and start trying to figure out the move.

And even if they didn't do that, they should have been adding the last critical pieces. Get a bonafide goal scorer last year at the deadline. Send out some young talent. Luckily they didn't part with ennis for some washed up scrub.

but that's my point, the team literallhas no focus on where they are and how far they have to go. Pegula has to scrub this thing thoroughly before he has an idea of how this thing is going to go forward.

[Ebenezer]

the team literallhas no focus on where they are and how far they have to go. Pegula has to scrub this thing thoroughly before he has an idea of how this thing is going to go forward.

and that is the key. Does DR handcuff himself or is he handcuffed by ownership?

[trapezeus]

DR is a huge question mark. at times he nailed it, at other times he totally blows it.

i'd be willing to give both DR and LR another year to try to fix everything provided they aren't strapped with cash constraints and such.

[SabreEleven]

How I got my Hard-on of the Day...

Pegula can start with a bulldozer
http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/columns/jerry-sullivan/article310892.ece

I'm told Pegula is a huge fan of the Sabres and a harsh critic of the organization. Let's hope he lives up to it.

[JD]

Still, this is all too surreal.

The dude is going to stroke out in the next week or something.

GOOD THINGS DO NOT HAPPEN TO BUFFALO FANS