Wednesday, December 30, 2009
The 2000s so far: Moment No. 2
5:38 AM | 
Posted by
Nick Mendola
2. Sabres stay put -- March 14, 2003
With victories, losses, free agency and trades, it's easy to forget that the word "Portland" didn't mean "minor league affiliate" in the early part of this decade.
The Sabres were in trouble. As it goes with Buffalo sports teams, it was another movie plot line. Their owner, quite literally, was a criminal and the team appeared on the pathway to doom. Even when things looked up, they were down: A business man named Mark Hamister wanted to buy the team, and was supported by the league. Turns out he didn't have a lot of money and wanted the government to help him a lot. Whoops.
Our own Bulldog lays out how precarious the team's future could've been under Hamister.
"Tom Golisano buys the Buffalo Sabres out of bankruptcy, keeping Mark Hamister and a proposal heavy on state aid from going through," Bulldog writes. "In case you forgot, the Hamister bid would have allowed the Rigas family to retain a partial ownership interest. Seriously. And most every local politician was on board. Hurray for regional leadership."
It was a frightening time to be a Sabres fan, especially for guys like me who grew up adoring ice hockey more than any other sport and was thrilled when his dad or mom got a pair of tickets from work. There was a sense of disbelief as we were forced to contemplate the very real fact that Buffalo could lose its National Hockey League franchise.
Luckily for Buffalo, the $92 million price tag was very appealing to Rochester billionaire Thomas Golisano, and the billionaire has done very well since purchasing the team. The Sabres have done alright, too, as Brian Koziol writes:
"I know this event isn't fun or even that exciting," Koziol writes. "The Winter Classic was more fun, the Music City Miracle was clearly the most memorable play of the decade, but no other event saved a franchise that is now so beloved by this city."
It wasn't a game. There wasn't a ticker tape parade or a memorable play-by-play call. You can't even write that much about it with great emotion. The fact remains that whether you love the way he operates his hockey club, Buffalo might not have their Sabres without the decision made that winter.
Email: nick@wgr550.com
With victories, losses, free agency and trades, it's easy to forget that the word "Portland" didn't mean "minor league affiliate" in the early part of this decade.
The Sabres were in trouble. As it goes with Buffalo sports teams, it was another movie plot line. Their owner, quite literally, was a criminal and the team appeared on the pathway to doom. Even when things looked up, they were down: A business man named Mark Hamister wanted to buy the team, and was supported by the league. Turns out he didn't have a lot of money and wanted the government to help him a lot. Whoops.
Our own Bulldog lays out how precarious the team's future could've been under Hamister.
"Tom Golisano buys the Buffalo Sabres out of bankruptcy, keeping Mark Hamister and a proposal heavy on state aid from going through," Bulldog writes. "In case you forgot, the Hamister bid would have allowed the Rigas family to retain a partial ownership interest. Seriously. And most every local politician was on board. Hurray for regional leadership."
It was a frightening time to be a Sabres fan, especially for guys like me who grew up adoring ice hockey more than any other sport and was thrilled when his dad or mom got a pair of tickets from work. There was a sense of disbelief as we were forced to contemplate the very real fact that Buffalo could lose its National Hockey League franchise.
Luckily for Buffalo, the $92 million price tag was very appealing to Rochester billionaire Thomas Golisano, and the billionaire has done very well since purchasing the team. The Sabres have done alright, too, as Brian Koziol writes:
"I know this event isn't fun or even that exciting," Koziol writes. "The Winter Classic was more fun, the Music City Miracle was clearly the most memorable play of the decade, but no other event saved a franchise that is now so beloved by this city."
It wasn't a game. There wasn't a ticker tape parade or a memorable play-by-play call. You can't even write that much about it with great emotion. The fact remains that whether you love the way he operates his hockey club, Buffalo might not have their Sabres without the decision made that winter.
Email: nick@wgr550.com
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