The Sabres are examining their affiliation with Rochester, and part of their decision to renew will be upgrades to Blue Cross Arena. The sides don’t have a deal for next season.
“We’re going to continue to work with the officials in Rochester,” Brandon, the president of Pegula Sports and Entertainment, said Wednesday. “Obviously, it’s a very important regional element for us. We’ll continue to discuss that when there’s another general manager in place and head coach in place.
"It’s a very important affiliation to the Buffalo Sabres.”
The Sabres and Amerks have a long history as affiliates, linked from 1979 to 2007 and 2011 to the present. The Sabres for years have said the Amerks’ arena needs significant upgrades.
“What we really we want to have,” Brandon said, “is a public-private partnership with the mayor – they’ve been very responsive – with the state, and look at the arena holistically and see what makes sense for us as a business and then from a hockey team standpoint.
“From a business standpoint, we just want to continue enhance the experience for our fans. As someone who went to college there and went to loads of Amerks games, it’s a very important part of that community. We just want to continue to enhance.”
http://buffalonews.com/2017/04/26/sabres-brandon-want-work-rochester-state-improve-continue-relationship-amerks/
Amid rumblings the Sabres are looking to move their minor-league hockey team out of Rochester, ownership released a statement Wednesday. It didn't deny they have looked at other cities but did reaffirm a commitment to Rochester.
"Pegula Sports and Entertainment has been engaged in discussions with the hopes of reaching a long-term agreement for the Rochester Americans to compete in an improved facility that meets necessary arena standards," Pegula Sports and Entertainment said. "PSE is exploring all options for the Amerks organization with its primary preference to have the franchise remain a driver in the Rochester community as an anchor in the emerging downtown corridor."
The Sabres have said for several years that Rochester’s Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial is not suitable for hosting even a preseason NHL game. They moved this year’s scheduled exhibition to Pegula Ice Arena on the Penn State campus.
“Being the largest tenant, we would like to have more control and active discussion in how the dollars that come in are appropriated,” Russ Brandon, president of PSE, told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle in June. “We’re going to need some changes down the road to ensure viability.
“There’s exciting plans for the downtown corridor in Rochester, and we want to be a part of it. The arena can be a real beacon for downtown, and right now it’s far from that.”
The American Hockey League has had numerous city swaps in recent years, so the Sabres could find an available city, including Albany, if they chose to leave Rochester.
http://buffalonews.com/2017/03/01/sa...ons-rochester/