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November 9, 2002
A “S.O.S” IN BUFFALO
By Matt Petersen
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BUFFALO -- To say that times are tough in Sabre-land
would be a massive understatement. The team’s
ownership is in limbo, payroll has been cut back and
the prevalence of a super-star, a-la Dominik Hasek,
isn’t around anymore.
Should I stay or should I go isn’t just a Clash song
around here, and from what we gathered, fans won’t be
too shocked if their team is gone soon. As we walked
in, fans were handing out banners that read “S.O.S” --
SAVE OUR SABRES.
It’s too bad because the passion for hockey in Buffalo
is rich, and the club nearly won a Cup in the infamous
“no-goal” series (Hull’s game seven goal with foot in
crease) against Dallas in 1998 that the folks here are
still scratching their heads over. They have a shiny
new 18,000-seat building that aparently lacks the
character of the old “Aud,” (the Aud sits mere steps
from the HSBC) but kills it in comfort.
We gave the comfort level a big thumbs up as we were
wined and dined in the alumni suite -- a nice touch
after the 400 miles we drove earlier in the day. The
three of us were treated like kings for the rest of
the evening as we sat in the cozy confines compliments
of Marcel Dionne with whom we’re staying with here.
Jeff sat next to the Dionne’s when he went to King
games in the 80s, and still keeps up a friendship with
the family. Dionne, the NHL’s fourth all-time scorer
and Hall of Famer, showed us a great time and we had a
blast rubbing elbows with former Sabres Fred Stanfield
and Tony McGahee.
The game on the ice was kind of a stinker for the
local fans, and the house looked less than half full
(the PA said paid attendence was 12,000, that seemed
generous). After Buffalo got out to a 2-0 start
against a lowly Atlanta Thrashers club who were still
looking for a win on the season, the Buff’s were
outscored 6-1 the rest of the way. Atlanta youngsters
Dany Heatley (two goals, assist) and Ilya Kovalchuk
(goal and an assist) flat out dominated, and if
Atlanta’s going to be successful in the near future,
those two will be the main reasons why.
Naturally, the HSBC faithful were sour about their
team’s showing, and let them hear it with every blown
power play and missed offensive opportunity. But you
can’t fault the fans, they’re not being treated the
way a respectable fanbase should, and maybe they have
a right to be a little frustrated. With respects to
Alexei Zhitnik, Chris Gratton and Stu Barnes (Miroslav
Satan has been on the mend for the past few weeks),
the fans may have an honest gripe about not having
that offensive superstar needed to fill the nets and
the seats.
The next day, the Dionne’s practically had to roll us
out the door after the breakfast they fed us. It was
good fuel as we’re continuing our most gruelling
stretch of the trip -- next stop Bean Town.
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Game #15 11/09/02
Nashville at Buffalo
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