Yesterday Buffalo was all a-flutter because the Buffalo Sabres (the hockey 
team for those unaware) introduced their new owner to the media.
Terry Pegula, a natural gas magnate, is a lifelong fan and has always dreamed of owning the team. In recent years, it seems that the current organization had been hamstrung by an inability to spend money, keeping the team short of their goal of capturing the Stanley Cup. Something the Sabres have never done.
OK, so I’ve only lived here a short time. While I was in NYC I was never Mr. Hockey, preferring baseball and football and even college basketball to the pucks. But it is hard to NOT be a hockey fan here.
Dare I say, the Sabres are much like a religion here. People are dedicated to the team and their devotion runs deep. Even Pegula openly wept when he saw Sabre great Gilbert Perrault.
“He’s my hero.” was his simple and emotional line.
It’s all the all-sports station talks about and people are major fans. I liked the Islanders growing up and remember the excitement of their 4 Stanley Cups in the 80s. I worked in the studio for a majority of Ranger games during their Stanley Cup run. Another exciting sports moment since they had not captured the cup in 54 years! Martin Brodeur, the Devils goalie, brought the cup to WFAN when I worked there so I have a picture of me with the cup and Marty let me carry it back up to his car. Funny story: I clanged it off the metal railing at one point and shouted the old Homer Simpson “D’oh!”
Brodeur: “Oh Mike, no worries! It’s been through much worse than that. We were rolling it down Second Avenue last night!”
So Pegula, buys a team for $198 million. I hope his dream of a Stanley Cup in Buffalo comes true. I know this city needs it.
So Pegula, buys a team for $198 million. I hope his dream of a Stanley Cup in Buffalo comes true. I know this city needs it. There are sections of the city that are quite downtrodden. Abandoned houses and apartment complexes–victims of a bad economy. Gang violence still haunts the city. Younger people come for school but leave
Sports can often transcend life, bringing us to believe in the impossible. Perhaps that’s just what Buffalo needs. One big reason to believe in itself.