Painful

I have avoided writing this one. Partially out of denial, partially because it is so easy to pile on. But... well, now is the time.

This Sabres team is broken. Not broken in the sense that there are poor players or coaching. I am talking broken in the spiritual sense. I had not, I admit, seen this coming. sure all of the signs were there, especially the ones in neon lights (see Briere and Drury leaving). I thought that Miller, Gaustad, Campbell would pick up the slack. I truly did. What I have seen is an unemotional team going through the motions on most nights. I acknowledge they picked it up big time in the past two games against the Bruins and Leafs, but no one was home to score those clutch goals that They-who-shall-not-be-named used to score.

Who is to blame? Yes it starts with Regier. He was wrong, pure and simple. There is still time to right the ship but the fix is going to be expensive in the way of prospects. There are players to be had, players that can fill the Drury/Briere roles but they are going to cost Buffalo some of their exquisite depth and prized prospects.

Lindy doesn't get off easy here either. For the first time ever Lindy seems at a loss. I think part of it is a sense of betrayal. I know if I had signed a new 3 year deal at less than market value and then had my veteran leaders stripped I would feel betrayed too. I can't help but sense that it has seeped into his thinking and the room as a whole.

Tom Golisano gets a bite of the apple too. He has done tons of good while here in Buffalo, but anyone who listened to the fans and read the news knew that bringing one of those two back was critical to the perception of this team, if nothing else. Now this team must win in order to draw. Losing Briere and Drury destroyed any grace period this town was willing to give. Tom, as a business man, you should have known better than that.

The players. The players have been downright awful. What shakes me is this unwillingness to take ownership of the team. Instead of grasping the leadership role they have played hot-potato with it. It may have something to do with the fact that being the captain of this team is akin to a death sentence. Ruff's rotating captaincy has been criticized. i think it is more of a result of a locker room waiting for the other guy. A true team would DEMAND and push forward a captain. Yet, they sit back and let the opportunity sail by. This leads me to believe that the role needs to be filled from the outside. I don't know who that guy is, but he better be found and brought in soon.

Defending a Cheapskate

Actually, I have to defend Golisano and the Sabres on this one. The process came out of a trend that had developed in Buffalo. Most of the Weekend Games and marquee games (Leafs, Canadians, Sens, Flames, Oilers and a few other teams) sold out quickly. What they found was that fans were buying these and flipping them on e-bay for a large markup. Meanwhile, midday games, games against teams like the Wild, Thrashers, etc lagged.

In an effort to answer the supply and demand and maximize attendance and revenue the team instituted the variable pricing TWO seasons ago and it has been a large success. The Sabres have sold out the past two seasons and already are nearly there this year. The paln has had the desired effect of keeping the building full so the team can miximize parking, souvenier and refreshment revenue. A real stroke of genius in my estimation. Also remember that every single game is shown on TV as well. This team due to marketing, pricing and media coverage is the most accessible team in Buffalo. The NFL's Bills could learn some real lessons from the Sabres.

The fans here have actually embraced the variable pricing, for the most part, because it creates affordable lower end games for the income challenged and enables the Sabres to maximize profit on the uber-high demand games and the influx of Canadian fans that are willing to pay 200-300% premiums. Basically, they cut into the e-bay crowds markup and made that profit their own.

The policy extends to the season ticket base as well. Season ticket sales have gone through the roof for two reasons: 1) Team is very good and 2) The sabres have one of the lowest ticket costs in the league. Season ticket holders in Buffalo get a significant discount. This has enabled the Sabres to manage their revenue to their significant advantage.

The Drury and Briere decisions, in my view, were independent. What it really came down to is that Briere and Drury were vastly overpaid for their relative worth. The fact that both are getting $10 million in the first season is highly relevant. I don't think the Sabres flinched at Drury's price, It was clearly Drury's decision to just be done in Buffalo due to a falling out with management over a contract extension dispute. Poorly managed, yes. Cheap? No.

As for Briere I believe that the signing of Tim Connolly to a three year deal,even when injured, was the writing on the wall. Getting a 8-year deal with nearly $10 million in salary year 1 from the Flyers sealed the deal. I believe the plan all along was to cut Briere loose. I also believe they were genuinely shocked to lose Drury.

So, as opposed to crucifying the Sabres and Golisano for gouging the fans I tend to recognize the fact that he utilized good business sense that extended benefits to the fans. The fact that the Sabres are spending $12 million more per season on salaries than prior to the cap is also a significant argument against the cheapskate argument. It is truly a win-win situation. The fact that the team is financially viable in spite of this salary increase is the real story. The Sabres, while doing a terrible job with Drury and Briere, are a model of how to manage a small market team and be competitive in an inherently unfair marketplace.

Cheapskate Owners Fleece Fans on Both Ends

While I was away in Maine last week, the Buffalo Sabres announced an ingenious new ticket pricing plan. The Sabres call it the "Variable Pricing System." Here is how the team describes this new system:

Individual game tickets are based upon the Sabres innovative, Variable Pricing system, which is a newly created program where each game is designated by one of four different classifications (Gold, Silver, Bronze and Value). Each classification is determined by the opponent, time of the year, day of the week, rivalries and games against all-star players.

GOLD GAMES

Gold games will be those games that typically have the highest demand with regard to the opponent or the date of the game.

SILVER GAMES

Silver games will typically be weekend games (Friday, Saturday or Sunday) or games versus high demand opponents.

BRONZE GAMES

Bronze games will typically be mid-week games or against up-and-coming opponents.

VALUE GAMES

Values Games will be "family friendly" priced games that are offered at a deeply discounted rate for the season.

For the cheapest seats in the house, here is the price breakdown:

Gold: $68

Silver: $41

Bronze: $29

Value: $20

The Sabres host the Rangers and Flyers twice each. One game against each team is slotted as a "Gold" game and one game against each team is slotted as a "Silver" game.

So, what does this all mean? Well, it means that the Billionaire Owner of the Buffalo Sabres, Tom Golisano, didn't think it was worth his money to re-sign either Chris Drury or Daniel Briere, but he certainly thinks it's worth his fans' hard-earned money to watch them come back to Buffalo and play against their team. For the four games against the former Sabres stars, fans have to pay $218 as opposed to the regular price of $80 for games Golisano and his errand boys in the marketing department didn't deem worthy of extortion. It must feel great to pay so much extra for the right to watch these guys play for another team. Talk about pouring salt in the open wound.

This is what makes the small-market NHL owners so lovable. They whined and screamed for a lockout, and took over the wheel of the league and drove it straight into the iceberg. Now, they finally get the system they held the players and fans hostage to get, and they are complaining about the big-market teams spending too much money. But, that won't stop them from charging their own small-market fans an arm and a leg to see those big-spenders when they come to town. The best part of this is that other owners will catch onto this idea, and it will drive up revenues, which, in turn, will raise the salary cap. But, if you think owners like Golisano will take your money and use it to put a better product on the ice, don't hold your breath. They will be the ones trying to shut the league down again to lower salaries, and blaming the Rangers and Flyers for destroying the small markets, while they laugh all the way to the bank to deposit the extra money they made off those very same evil teams.

Just When It Couldn't Get Any Worse for Sabres' fans...this!

Still reeling from the loss of their two captains and the massive contract received by Thomas Vanek Sabres' fans got some news that was even worse. They found out that it appears that Darcy Regier and Larry Quinn are acting like nothing more than two bit con men.

Fans woke up to the Sunday morning Buffalo News to find:

"This isn’t meant to ruin your Sunday breakfast, but the Buffalo Sabres keep digging their hole deeper and deeper. They can no longer blame the media or the Edmonton Oilers or the collective bargaining agreement for their dizzying week of mismanagement loaded with halftruths and spin control.

Now, an agent, Pat Brisson, is stepping forward with enough gumption to say publicly what people suspected all along, that managing partner Larry Quinn wasn’t telling the whole truth last week. Quinn claimed General Manager Darcy Regier called Brisson, who represents Daniel Briere, and never received a return phone call.

“For the record, Darcy Regier did call Pat Brisson in January,” Quinn said Friday. “There was no offer back to us about any kind of discount or anything. So I think we ought to make the record clear on that. If there had been and everybody came together and said, ‘Let’s all chip in,’ we would have tried to figure out a way.”

According to Brisson, the Sabres never called his office at any point during the season. In fact, he hadn’t heard from them since last summer, the day before Briere was awarded a one-year contract worth $5 million. Brisson at the time was pressing the Sabres to sign Briere to a five year deal worth $25 million, which the Sabres rejected."

Nothing like one of the most respected agents in hockey saying your team's leadership is a bunch of phonies and liars. This follows Buffalo News Sabres' writer Bucky Gleason's revelation that the Sabres had an agreement in place on Drury this fall (told you!!!) and failed to act on it.

Here are excerpts from that article.

"Right when you thought the news couldn't get much worse coming from HSBC Arena, we come to find out that Chris Drury actually accepted a contract offer from the Buffalo Sabres that would have kept him around for a tad more than $5 million a year. And what did the Sabres do? Nothing. Zip. Zero. Zilch.


Drury agreed to a four-year deal worth $21.5 million last fall. He waited and waited . . . and waited . . . for the Sabres to send the contract to his agent so he could sign the bottom line. Days passed without hearing from the Sabres. Then it was weeks. Still, nothing. Finally, he started having second thoughts. "

The Sabres, of course, deny this. But I have a tough time swallowing that Chris Drury, the classiest Sabre in decades and Steve Brisson, and Danny Briere and Mike Grier have it all wrong and are actually making it up out of spite.

You have to wonder what is next? I would be unhappy, but respect, the sabres decision if they simply had decided to change direction. This, this makes no sense at all. This is a perfectly illustrated scenario for why the Sabres are one of the least respected organizations in hockey.

I must admit I really feel for Lindy Ruff. He just went from the catbird seat to the outhouse in days flat. He sounded at a loss and in shock after losing both of his captains and the vast overpayment of Vanek. He definitely sounded like a guy who would have much rather been someplace else. He deserves far better than this.

The thing that is strange is that Tom Golisano is such a class guy. I find it hard to believe he could tolerate this. The next week could be very interesting. A few weeks ago I decried the Sens firing of John Muckler. Unfortunately, this series of 'decisions' by the tandem of Quinn and Regier could be far more devastating.

I say that it is time for Quinn and Regier to go. This town has suffered enough. The last thing Buffalo needs is two more con men in charge.