Memories of the AUD

[JD]

What do you guys remember most about the AUD?
Any good times there?

I was still young when I went to games there but I still have some good memories.


Well, here are a few of mine.
Probably the top of my list, is getting Pat Lafontaine to sign my jersey at the open house deal they had goin there. I remember, there was such a HUGE line going up the cement walkway just for him. My dad snuck me under the railing and I hurried and blended in with the crowd, I had to have cut about 3000 people or so. LoL.

Another time was just kicking around a foil ball with a few kids my age I met there (i was like 7). We would just kick the ball around and try to score in the other persons little vent thingy that was at the floor. We would do that after every intermission.

I remember catching a puck with a baseball glove when I was like 8 or so, too.

Also, the steepness of the seats there were quite frightening. And how it used to echo so loudly in there, oh man I miss that place.

[The_Philster]

Never caught a game there but did get to see Def Leppard in concert there back in 93 :punk:

[JD]

Well that IS a positive, lol :)

[Dozerdog]

My buddy Chuck's dad worked a beer stand and he and I would sneak into a dozen games a year- usually when they played every Sunday night. (Early 1979-84) We would wait by the back door and his dad would pop it open.

All the ushers and security cops got to know us after a while and would even scout out the best seats after the first period (usually Canadian season ticket holders that blew off some of the games)

First time I went in was an NBA game- Buffalo Braves vs Milwaukee Bucks- 1974. My dad's employer- an insurance company- had season tickets and they were awesome seats- exactly inside where the penalty box was (i remember putting my hot dog & soda on the top of the penalty box door)..During an exciting playoff game vs the Celtics I remember Brent Musberger sitting right in front of us.


Saw the Russian Moscow Dynamo get thrashed 12-6 in 1976. Saw the Sabers lose on Bobby Nystrom's OT goal in the playoffs in 1978? Saw a ton of concerts in the early 1980's as well.

Anybody remember the Buffalo Stallions? Saw tons of those games.

[Ð]

I remember going to see the Sabres play Pittsburg in 1990.

We stayed at the Lenox (close to Bufftp's church) and rolled into town at around 3:00 and immediately started to make our way down Delaware, bar by bar, being careful to avoid the odd rainbow bar along the way.

The game started at 8:00 and we looked at the time at aboot 8:30, said "aw crap" hopped in a cab and made it there for the second period. They had Old Vienna on tap, so we were kept well-supplied and spilled more on the folks sitting in front of us than we drank, but it was OK, because it turns out they were from St. Catherines. We kept yelling "Marioooooo, Mariooooo" but as it turns out he was injured and didn't dress, which was curtly pointed out by this bald-headed short guy in a Genesis baseball concert shirt. We kept yelling anyway.

Walked across the road to that Irish pub that's across from the Adams Mark (Hilton at the time) and met some of the local Irish female population...After that I plead the fifth.

Stayed over Saturday night too & then the Jets game on Sunday. I actually lost my ticket, so I had to buy one from a scalper for $5 to get in.

[The_Philster]

Originally posted by JD SabreFan
Well that IS a positive, lol :)
Well, I didn't follow hockey at all until late in the first season we had the Arena. First game was in December 97

[JD]

I see.

I was also at the last game at the aud, dont know how I forgot to mention it.

It was nuts, I thought the building was going to collapse from the noise from the crowd, I dont recall ever hearing them stop cheering. When we won at the end people jumping and crap, I was afraid of getting knocked down the rows...

[fushetti]

Memories of the aud...where oh where to begin.

I remember as a little kid in the mid 80's going to the circus and to Disney on Ice and freaking out about the oranges being so steep.

As for the Sabres, my first game was in 87-88 vs the Islanders. I was 8 years old . First time up in the oranges. I attended...roughly 50 games from 87-88 till 95-96 when it closed. One of my favorite memories i have was a game in December 1991 against the Calgary Flames where there was a bench clearing brawl. Rob Ray had his shirt ripped off for the first time, and Grant Ledyard was fighting inside the Flames bench. They stopped play and went to intermission with 2 minutes left in the first period. Another goofy memory I have was in the 1991 playoffs against montreal. My father, never one to make sure he had tickets in hand, left the tickets at will call. For all those who remember, the Aud had a whopping 3 (Count em!) ticket windows. We showed up at 6pm for a 7pm faceoff. Didn't get our tickets until the middle of the second period. I didn't go to any milestone Sabre games other than the last game of the aud. I was at Grant Fuhr's first game....saw Mogilny and LaFontaine light it up again and again. That building was awesome. I used to love running up and down the tunnels and escalators. Plus, a hockey game wasn't complete without standing outside of the Sabres and visitor dressing rooms waiting for them to come out to sign your yearbooks. One time after an embarrasing 6-1 loss to the Lightning, in which Gratton scored a hattrick, my brother, 10 at the time, asked Gratton for his autograph. Then my bro says, "are you on tampa?" and CG says "yes" to which my brother replied "well you suck".

But besides all that, my number one memory was meeting LaFontaine at the Sabres carnival during the 25th anniversary season. I was walking near the Sabres dressing room when all of a sudden i was rushed into a single file line. Next thing ya know, i'm second in line to meet Patty. I still have the picture hanging on my fridge. God he was awesome.

[JD]

Originally posted by fushetti
One time after an embarrasing 6-1 loss to the Lightning, in which Gratton scored a hattrick, my brother, 10 at the time, asked Gratton for his autograph. Then my bro says, "are you on tampa?" and CG says "yes" to which my brother replied "well you suck".

But besides all that, my number one memory was meeting LaFontaine at the Sabres carnival during the 25th anniversary season. I was walking near the Sabres dressing room when all of a sudden i was rushed into a single file line. Next thing ya know, i'm second in line to meet Patty. I still have the picture hanging on my fridge. God he was awesome.


AHAHAHAHAHHA your brother is (or was) awesome! lol too funny!

I think I got my jersey signed that same day your talking about with the Sabres Carnival. I cut 3000 fans, you didint. :finfan:

[fushetti]

Yeah, my brother was and is quite the character. I thought it was so funny. Its no wonder Chris Gratton scored a hat trick. Robb Stauber was in goal.

[Earthquake Enyart]

I saw the Harlem Globtrotters play before a Braves game once. Saw Meadowlark Lemon hit a hook shot from half court - not in the middle, but over by the sideline....nothing but net.

I too was at the Soviet Wing game. Wish that were on CD somewhere.

I was also at the infamous fog game in the Stanley cup finals. Rene Robert (the best money player the Sabres have ever had) beat Parent through the fog in OT. Parent was so pissed. :snicker: He never saw it.

[Ð]

Hey, EE...

If Parent couldn't see it, how did you see that he didn't see it :huh:

Must have been like the opening bit in Life of Brian
i.e. "I think he said 'blessed are the beekeepers' "

[Earthquake Enyart]

The fog was thick from the ice to about 1 foot off the ice. You couldn't see the puck from the stands. Just saw the red light go on.

[IHateTheDullphins]

I was young, but I remember a Black dude that used to get up on something and do a dance, I think the Pee Wee Herman dance if I remember right. Those seats were so scary too, so steep. I miss that place too.

[Ð]

That's hilarious, EE! Kind of like the three puffs of smoke when they elect the new Pope.

[fushetti]

Originally posted by IHateTheDullphins
I was young, but I remember a Black dude that used to get up on something and do a dance, I think the Pee Wee Herman dance if I remember right. Those seats were so scary too, so steep. I miss that place too.

OH MY GOD!! I FORGOT ABOUT THE EARL OF BUD!!!

[JD]

I REMEMBER HIM TOO!!!

Such great memories....do you all know about the yearly aud clean up?

The website, Sabrefans.com hosts it every year, maybe we all can get in on the action!

[hurls]

Mine is non-Sabres. I saw my first pro wrestling match there. Big John Studd, Backlund, and Sgt. Slaughter were all there. And we passed Studd, driving with Moondogs Rex and Spot, on the thruway on the way up.

[SABURZFAN]

The Aud was my favorite place to visit as a kid.tons of hockey games.tons of wrestling matches,the Harlem Globetrotters,the BRAVES played the KNICKS,we beat the Russians 12-6........


my last game was SABRES-BRUINS ending in a 3-3 tie in 1990.a week later,i moved to vegas.:(

[SABURZFAN]

Originally posted by slruh
Mine is non-Sabres. I saw my first pro wrestling match there. Big John Studd, Backlund, and Sgt. Slaughter were all there. And we passed Studd, driving with Moondogs Rex and Spot, on the thruway on the way up.

Ilio DiPaolo's(sp?)was a great place for a spaghetti dinner too.

[Myers57]

I have never been in the Aud because I introduced myself to the Sabres, none of my family really follows them...

Anywho I would like to do that Aud cleanup just to check the building out...