How Much Longer For The Sabers?

[Mr. Lackawanna]

As reported in the Buffalo News (5-15-2009) Tom Golisano is leaving New York State. The reason is the high taxes in this state. What effect his move will have on the Buffalo Sabers is unknown. It would be a smart move on his part to offer to sell the Sabers, to Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie. Mr. Balsillie then could move the Sabers to Hamilton. By purchasing the Sabers Mr. Balsillie would have less opposition in his quest in bringing a NHL hockey team to Southern Ontario. With Mr Golisano out of New York State it is just a matter of time before the Sabers are gone.

[grump]

Right on, brother. I've been listening to sports talk radio in Toronto, "Fan 590" and they're all over this story while it's pretty much ignored locally. The Coyote bankruptcy and how it plays out will have profound implications for future relocation of NHL franchises but no one here is even talking about it.

[Mr. Lackawanna]

The Toronto radio sports show is an excellent radio show.

[Save Us]

The only people that stay in NY are those with family or are government workers/teachers or recipients of some benefit.

Not really much else to say

[Trolls_r_us]

this type of mentality is part of the problem in WNY....

The day the Sabres move is the day the NHL should just close its doors. There are several teams that can't even sell tickets and lost tens of millions per year. The Sabres are not one of those teams.

Every headline in the news does not mean the Sabres or Bills are moving.

[Mr. Lackawanna]

this type of mentality is part of the problem in WNY.... Every headline in the news does not mean the Sabres or Bills are moving.

Let us see what happens with the Bills when Mr. Wilson dies.

[SundayNiagara]

The Toronto radio sports show is an excellent radio show.

Go Leafs Go!

[Trolls_r_us]

Mr. Lakawanna,

I understand the fears but I will also say that the Bills and Sabres are two different situations.

With the Bills, I'm not sure what to think. From things I have heard it sounds like there is a pretty good chance they stay in WNY long-term, despite all the Toronto talk we hear. Still, it is hardly assured.

With the Sabres, there is ABSOLUTELY ZERO CHANCE they move, period. They are one of a FEW NHL teams that is successful in a great hockey market. The NHL is not like the NFL where the money is massive and growing every year, in fact there is talk of the salary cap going DOWN in the next year or two in the NHL, whereas the NFL cap went up around $7 million THIS YEAR alone!

Why would anyone move the Sabres, who make a profit, have a long history here, and are in a town known around the country as one of the top 2 or 3 hockey towns in the USA when there are teams like Phoenix, Florida, Tampa Bay, and Nashville (to name a few) that are LOSING $$, can't sell tickets, and are in cities that do not care about hockey?

The NFL is different: EVERY CITY loves the NFL, so there is less of a difference in fan support. You could put a team in Vermont or Alaska and it would sell out its stadium.

I would say the chances the Sabres move are ZERO.

The Bills I would say it's 60/40 that they stay, but there could always be someone willing to spend almost 2 billion dollars to buy them, move them, and build a new stadium for them.

[therising]

I don't think Golisano's "moving" is a real move. He's changing his address; probably already spends half his time down there, anyway.

[Mr. Lackawanna]

Mr. Lakawanna,

I understand the fears but I will also say that the Bills and Sabres are two different situations.

With the Sabres, there is ABSOLUTELY ZERO CHANCE they move, period. They are one of a FEW NHL teams that is successful in a great hockey market. The NHL is not like the NFL where the money is massive and growing every year, in fact there is talk of the salary cap going DOWN in the next year or two in the NHL, whereas the NFL cap went up around $7 million THIS YEAR alone!

Why would anyone move the Sabres, who make a profit, have a long history here, and are in a town known around the country as one of the top 2 or 3 hockey towns in the USA when there are teams like Phoenix, Florida, Tampa Bay, and Nashville (to name a few) that are LOSING $$, can't sell tickets, and are in cities that do not care about hockey?

The NFL is different: EVERY CITY loves the NFL, so there is less of a difference in fan support. You could put a team in Vermont or Alaska and it would sell out its stadium.

I would say the chances the Sabres move are ZERO.

The Bills I would say it's 60/40 that they stay, but there could always be someone willing to spend almost 2 billion dollars to buy them, move them, and build a new stadium for them.

I have heard reports that Mr. Golisano is losing interest in being an owner of a NHL Franchise. With the big money that is being offered for the Phoenix franchise. It would not take Mr. Golisano long to sell if he was made an offer.

[HipKat]

Sell doesn't necessarily mean move, does it?

[Mr. Lackawanna]

Sell doesn't necessarily mean move, does it?

If Mr. Jim Balsillie the Canadian Billionaire buy the Sabers. Don't you think he won't try to move the Sabers to Southern Ontario? Remember he is the same man whom wants to move Phoenix Coyotes to Southern Ontario if he can purchase the Phoenix Coyotes.

[HipKat]

And that has to have approval from the NHL.
Granted, that's the hotbed market for the league, especially over Arizona, but there's a conflict of interests.
With Buffalo and Toronto being ingrained in their communities and in the league, I think it would be tough to sell to the owners and the NHL to put a new team in Hamilton. It think it over saturates the area.
Even drawing from outside of that area would be tough, with Detroit only a few hrs away.
Isn't Hamilton about the size of Jamestown, btw?
Even the Rangers and Islanders are more that 50 miles apart and Toronto is big, but not as big as NY/NJ/LI area.

[SundayNiagara]

"Isn't Hamilton about the size of Jamestown, btw?"

According to Wikipedia, Hamilton's 2006 population was 504,559. A lot more than Jamestown, I'd say.

PS: Hockey-mad Southern Ontario can support a third NHL team.

[Trolls_r_us]

a team in Hamilton would not kill the Sabres....

And UNLIKE the NFL, the Sabres are a major NHL team.

Who honestly believes that the NHL would allow Buffalo to lose its hockey team while Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Miami, Phoenix, and Nashville (all cities where the teams cannot sell tickets and have almost no relevance) keep theirs?

Not going to happen. IF a team moves to Southern Ontario, it will be a team that is struggling to survive, which is NOT the Sabres.

Let us not forget, the Winter Classic sold out a 70,000 seat football stadium in minutes! Buffalo is famous for being a major hockey town. The Sabres will be in Buffalo as long as there is an NHL.