Arena: KeyBank Center (1996)

Location: Downtown Buffalo, New York

Game Attended: November 13, 2021 vs Toronto Maple Leafs

Game Result: A Hard-Fought 5-4 Last-Minute Loss to Toronto

Seat Location: Upstairs Behind the Sabres’ Shoot 1x Goal (officially), Downstairs near the Blue Line (unofficially)

Overall Impression: The Most Fun Ryan’s Had at a Sabres Game in Years

So yeah, the Weather Gods of Buffalo didn’t get my request to turn the temperature up, either. But I suppose “when in Rome” in Buffalo calls for blustery winds that make you question your sanity and intermittent snow and rain that honestly just plain suck. But hey, no snow accumulations or weather-related delays to speak of!

For Episode 23, I enlisted the assistance and downstairs sofa of Ryan, a former Wells Fargo training companion of Graham (you’ll remember him from Detroit) and I. Ryan grew up in, spent his college years in, and still lives in Buffalo, and as a former hockey player himself, I thought him a perfect companion for my Buffalo chapter of the journey. And he sure didn’t disappoint, though I’ll own up to having more Labatt Blue’s than I’d like to admit.  

Anywho, coming into Buffalo, I wanted to experience the local cuisine, the local drink, and some exciting Sabres hockey on the second night of a back-to-back for just the third time on Tour. Ryan, a local expert, no doubt, did not disappoint with authentic Elmo’s buffalo wings (and informed me that asking for ranch opens the door for laughter) and local trips to the Froth Brewery, the Southern Tier Brewery downtown, and the Riverworks.

And as for the Sabres……well……they’re not that good. In fact, I “may” have judged them to be the worst NHL team on paper in 2021, though at the time of the visit they were a very respectable .500 in a very competitive Atlantic Division. And much like Chicago, I’m sure there are some fans that are staying close to home to stay safe in this world of Covid. But I was hopeful that with a “local” opponent in Toronto (plus a recently opened national border) there would be a better crowd than the 41% average attendance to date. 

Bad news: nope. Not better. Good news? Much better seats thanks to the lack of robust section security in the lower bowl!

I asked Ryan for his thoughts on the seeming lack of attendance and he offered two main thoughts. First, the team just isn’t that good. The Sabres lack a bonafide star player or three following their recent trade of superstar center and captain Jack Eichel following a debate on player health. And while there are some young exciting players like first overall pick Rasmus Dahlin and young scorers Dylan Cozens and Tage Thompson, there just isn’t enough talent to field a strong competitive team. 

And secondly, people don’t view ownership (the Pegula family) favorably. Ryan told me there have been multiple bad staffing decisions in recent years (evidenced by six head coaches and four general managers since their last playoff appearance in 2011). And he said the owners just aren’t the wisest or most supportive owners. Case in point: Jack Eichel needed neck surgery to repair a herniated disk and wanted an artificial disk replacement surgery previously pioneered in athletes (but not yet in a hockey player). Ownership and team medical staff insisted on Eichel opting for a more traditional spinal fusion surgery that’s been performed on NHL players before (but with more potential complications). Eichel refused, demanded a trade, and successfully received the disk replacement surgery within a week of his trade to Vegas. The Pegulas’ stubbornness and unwillingness to change cost them a superstar leader. As I get older, I’ve realized more and more that supportive ownership and management is an essential element to championship teams. 

But poor roster and ownership notwithstanding, we soldered on to KeyBank Center in the heart of downtown Buffalo. I’ll admit to a warm welcome from friendly staff and a statue in Alumni Plaza of the Sabres’ vaunted French Connection line of Gilbert Perrault, Rick Martin, and Rene Robert. 

And the arena itself wasn’t bad but it just seemed dated. Seats were made from old plastic in the upper bowl, though they did have cushioned bottoms. Floors and walls in the concourses were very plain green (odd) and gray, respectively. Nothing really popped out as unique, save the French Connection statues out front and the sabre sword “entrance tunnel” for the players. It was cool to see, if not kitschy too. 

Actually with only 43% attendance (and about half of it Leafs fans who made their presence well known), there was actually some decent energy in the building. The game looked like an impending Toronto rout until the Sabres sprang to life for two quick tying goals in the third period. Throw in the older gentlemen screaming “PUCKS ON NET” every shift, our young friend trying to photo-bomb the Leafs fans in front of us, and a visit from Sabre Tooth, it was actually a fun game. Only a late Leafs onslaught killed an otherwise fun (and perhaps Labatt-fueled) mood. 

Ryan did a great job taking me to all the local spots and being a good sport. I very much look forward to welcoming him to North Carolina for a Pinehurst golf trip and further celebrations of more positive banking endeavors!

And as luck would have it, he took me to a very special place on Sunday after the game. We went to the Riverworks, a converted warehouse turned brewery and arcade on the water downtown. In fact, some of the outdoor factory space was converted into a pair of outdoor rinks. And on this otherwise Buffalo Bills Sunday game day, the Riverworks began to host a remarkably special event. 

In 2017, a local hockey player named Mike Lesakowski organized a project called the 11 Day Power Play, a marathon hockey game deemed to be the world’s longest. Two teams of twenty Buffalo-area hockey players skated on and off for ELEVEN. STRAIGHT. DAYS. And they raised over $1,000,000 for cancer research at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York. Roswell diagnosed Mike’s wife Amy’s breast cancer early and successfully treated it. Mike’s mother, regrettably, lost her battle with lung cancer in 2016. 

This year, from November 14-24, over forty teams of local hockey players will split time on the two rinks at Riverworks with a fundraising goal of $2,000,000 for Roswell Park and other local charitable foundations. Those of you who know me and the Tour well know how much charitable efforts like this mean to me. It’s why I’m out here. I thought I’d be fortunate to raise a few thousand dollars for Hockey Fights Cancer, and I may end up raising $10,000 or more by the end of the Tour. To see such a strong community effort raise LITERALLY MILLIONS for a cause I care so deeply for is nothing short of inspiring. I wish the 11 Day Power Play nothing but the greatest of success!

And I’ll definitely be back to Buffalo  i’ll be back to visit Ryan again, to enjoy a round of golf or two, some more Elmo’s wings (cajun BBQ, of course), perhaps a “few” more Labatt’s. And I’d love to come back for another hockey game in Buffalo. Just maybe next time I could join the 11 Day Power Play for a shift or two!

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