Buffalo Sabres an awful and embarrassing organization: Cox

[Guest]

February 18, 2011, was supposed to be the day that the world changed for the Buffalo Sabres.


That was the day Terry Pegula, an owner with buckets of cash who loves hockey, officially assumed control of the team that the Knox Brothers founded.


No more poverty. No more bankruptcy. No more getting by on the cheap. No more being the feeder squad for the rich boys.


All good.


Instead, it’s pretty much been all bad. The team is off to the worst start in franchise history and has become a yet another case study on how money doesn’t always cure all in pro sports.


Two black eyes on the franchise, a 10-game suspension to uber-rat Patrick Kaleta (upheld on Thursday by Gary Bettman) and an upcoming suspension to gong show artist John Scott for his ridiculous Wednesday evening cheap shot on Boston’s Loui Eriksson are just symptoms, really, of an organization that seems to have completely lost its mind....

http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2013/10/25/buffalo_sabres_an_awful_and_embarrassing_organization_cox.html

[OpIv37]

Re: Buffalo Sabres an awful and embarrassing organization: Cox

I said it a while back: Pegula is the NHL's Snyder. He's not a hockey guy. He's just a fan like us or worse in terms of hockey knowledge. The only difference is that he has enough money to buy the team from things completely unrelated to hockey.

The only way it works is if he steps back and puts GOOD hockey people in charge (ie NOT Regier). It took Snyder 15 years to learn that he can't win running the team like he's playing Madden franchise mode. Hopefully it won't take Pegula that long, but based on his actions so far, I'm not counting on it.

[sukie]

Re: Buffalo Sabres an awful and embarrassing organization: Cox

Snyder spent wildly trying to buy a winner. Pegula? Interior decor.

[rbochan]

Re: Buffalo Sabres an awful and embarrassing organization: Cox

Who?

[OpIv37]

Re: Buffalo Sabres an awful and embarrassing organization: Cox

Btw while I agree with the general sentiment of the article, I disagree with a few particular points.

First, Ruff is not one of the best coaches in the business. His record here speaks for itself. His inability to win the big one and do things like fix the PP in less than a decade are proof that he's no one of the best.

Second, the Scott and Kaleta incidents are inconsequential. Kaleta is what he is- we all know it and we've known it for years. And the Scott incident is way overblown. The only reason it's a big deal is because it's making people outside of Buffalo realize what Sabres fans already knew: this guy doesn't belong on an NHL roster. It's not because of the hit- it's because he isn't an NHL level talent. He's the old-skool goon that teams just can't afford to waste a roster spot on in today's NHL. The fact that Scott is on the roster is the embarrassment, not the incident.

[Guest]

Re: Buffalo Sabres an awful and embarrassing organization: Cox

Who?

Well respected long-time sports writer for the Toronto Star however if it makes you feel more important, he quotes a Buffalo News writer.

[chernobylwraiths]

Re: Buffalo Sabres an awful and embarrassing organization: Cox

BS, Snyder is an ass that wants to line his wallet. Pegula really wants change and to win. You should see what is happening downtown partially because of him. And he seems to be doing it more at his own expense than asking for tax money. Sure he should reap huge financial gain too, but I believe that is besides the point.

Where I believe Pegula has dropped the ball is the retention (and continual retention from the start) of Regier. I really believe the guy is such a nice guy, that he doesn't want to fire Darcy. That is bad in the sports world where firing people who don't produce is the norm. Onliy time will tell.

[Guest]

Re: Buffalo Sabres an awful and embarrassing organization: Cox

Ralph or Pegula are beyond criticism since they were willing to invest in the City of Buffalo by owning a team right?

[Dr. Lecter]

Re: Buffalo Sabres an awful and embarrassing organization: Cox

Ralph or Pegula are beyond criticism since they were willing to invest in the City of Buffalo by owning a team right?

Who said that?

Don't be a dumbass.

[sukie]

Re: Buffalo Sabres an awful and embarrassing organization: Cox

Pegula really wants change and to win. You should see what is happening downtown partially because of him. And he seems to be doing it more at his own expense than asking for tax money.

What does Downtown have to do with the hockey product he expects fans to pay for? I would estimate, and it's only a guess... NOTHING.

[OpIv37]

Re: Buffalo Sabres an awful and embarrassing organization: Cox

BS, Snyder is an ass that wants to line his wallet. Pegula really wants change and to win. You should see what is happening downtown partially because of him. And he seems to be doing it more at his own expense than asking for tax money. Sure he should reap huge financial gain too, but I believe that is besides the point.

Where I believe Pegula has dropped the ball is the retention (and continual retention from the start) of Regier. I really believe the guy is such a nice guy, that he doesn't want to fire Darcy. That is bad in the sports world where firing people who don't produce is the norm. Onliy time will tell.

Yes, compared to Snyder, Pegula is more philanthropic and less of a money-grubbing egomaniac, but you completely missed the point. The point is that they are both people with no real experience or background in the sport in which thus now own a team, and they both try to run the team personally although neither is qualified to do so. Case and point: Snyder kept Vinny Cerrato as VP for player personnel for years, despite an utter lack of results, just like you are complaining about Pegula and Regier.

[Night Train]

Re: Buffalo Sabres an awful and embarrassing organization: Cox

Pegula has about as much hockey acumen as my cat.

His issue is just going along with whatever his right hand man Sawyer wants ( which is Reigier wearing a teddy ) There is no other explanation why he is still GM. Meanwhile, Black dies a thousand deaths trying to explain it all and wishes out.

The amazing thing is how long this could go on before a change is actually made. It's become a sad comedy to us and hysterical entertainment to the rest of the NHL.

[JATMtheJATM]

Re: Buffalo Sabres an awful and embarrassing organization: Cox

im not a pegula guy. its obvious he has no hockey sense. if he did, darcy would no longer be GM of this team.

[trapezeus]

Re: Buffalo Sabres an awful and embarrassing organization: Cox

i still have faith in pegula. he's focused on big picture hockey heaven, and helping buffalo with the harbor center, etc. There is change coming there that no other owner or business person would take on. 5 years from now, buffalo will have more tournaments, more college hockey events, perhaps more NHL events because of those investments. That's good for buffalo.

as for today's hockey, it's like they want to follow the penguins model to a T. They are more focused on letting regier take the blame, hit rock bottom and then insert their guy at end of season. if that's the plan, i'm on board.

but i really don't think it's fair. they let regier pick another coach who assumeably has a contract that the will have to break at the end of the season. these are decisions that should have been made 3 years ago. the fact darcy was given a wallet and still extended stafford and then picked up pieces that didn't work meant that his approach failed. if he would have tanked the team then and started fresh, i would have given him a little bit of leeway to build the team.

i was ready for a bad season, but i really didn't expect they'd be so incompetent and so uninterested as a team.

[chernobylwraiths]

Re: Buffalo Sabres an awful and embarrassing organization: Cox

Yes, compared to Snyder, Pegula is more philanthropic and less of a money-grubbing egomaniac, but you completely missed the point. The point is that they are both people with no real experience or background in the sport in which thus now own a team, and they both try to run the team personally although neither is qualified to do so. Case and point: Snyder kept Vinny Cerrato as VP for player personnel for years, despite an utter lack of results, just like you are complaining about Pegula and Regier.

I don't think Pegula is trying to run the team at all, and he has said as much, that he hired people to do that. If I were to pick another guy that might need to go, it is Sawyer who appartently was the guy who told Pegula that Darcy was the man for the job. I didn't miss the point, I don't agree with the point.