Like A Mofo Posted January 25, 2005 Posted January 25, 2005 Ted Darling old calls of Gil Perreault beginning with "Here's Perreault winding up behind his net..." on one of his end to end rushes. I wish I could see one more hockey game in the old Aud. 217974[/snapback] I agree...I loved going to games at the old Aud....smaller arena....more on top of the action...louder....now these arenas are so generic and larger, it drains the crowd noise.
dib Posted January 25, 2005 Posted January 25, 2005 I remember SRO at the Aud. This was after they lifted the roof. We were so high up I swear we were looking straight down at the ice.
LabattBlue Posted January 25, 2005 Posted January 25, 2005 I remember SRO at the Aud. This was after they lifted the roof. We were so high up I swear we were looking straight down at the ice. 218084[/snapback] That was the beauty of the Aud. The slope of the seats made it seem like you were on top of the ice no matter where you sat. It was also nice because nobody's head ever blocked your view.
Like A Mofo Posted January 25, 2005 Posted January 25, 2005 That was the beauty of the Aud. The slope of the seats made it seem like you were on top of the ice no matter where you sat. It was also nice because nobody's head ever blocked your view. 218098[/snapback] Just talking about all these memories of the Aud and Jennerant has me finally missing hockey for the first time. Dammit Bettman and dammit Players Union :I starred in Brokeback Mountain:
Rubes Posted January 25, 2005 Posted January 25, 2005 Damn, I miss the old competition between the Sabres, Canadiens, Bruins, and Maple Leafs. Anyone have any old tapes of Sabres games they want on DVD???
Draconator Posted January 25, 2005 Posted January 25, 2005 Man, this thread is great! One of my greatest memories was at the last minute, deciding with my nephew to go to game 4 of the Sabres/Canadians playoff series in '93. We got tickets in the middle of a group who bused down from Montreal. We traded verbal jabs back and forth. When Yuri Khimilov (sp) scored with 9.3 seconds to go to tie it, we all just looked at each other, and said, "This is what Hockey is supposed to be". Sure. The Canadians scored to win the series, but just watching great playoff hockey in the old barn was beautiful!
stevestojan Posted January 25, 2005 Posted January 25, 2005 Man, this thread is great! One of my greatest memories was at the last minute, deciding with my nephew to go to game 4 of the Sabres/Canadians playoff series in '93. We got tickets in the middle of a group who bused down from Montreal. We traded verbal jabs back and forth. When Yuri Khimilov (sp) scored with 9.3 seconds to go to tie it, we all just looked at each other, and said, "This is what Hockey is supposed to be". Sure. The Canadians scored to win the series, but just watching great playoff hockey in the old barn was beautiful! 218457[/snapback] My favorite memory is the first time i went to a game with my dad when I was old enough to have a few beers. It went from my dad and I going to the game to more of a couple of guys going out for drinks and watch some hockey. It was awesome.
Like A Mofo Posted January 25, 2005 Posted January 25, 2005 My favorite memory is the first time i went to a game with my dad when I was old enough to have a few beers. It went from my dad and I going to the game to more of a couple of guys going out for drinks and watch some hockey. It was awesome. 218463[/snapback] One of my fondest memories of going to a Sabres game was with my father as well. I was going to visit my father in Buffalo for a week, during the Sabres/Senators series in 1997. So before the series started, I was able to get 2 tickets to Game 7, 20 rows off the ice, $37.00, I figured what the heck, if there is no Game 7 Ill just get a refund. Well it turns out after Steve Shields shutout the Sens in Game 6 at Ottawa, there was a Game 7 back in Buffalo, I was pumped!!! What a classic moment, Derek Plante's OT winner! We went ballistic!!!! Sabres fans were waving flags out their windows, honking horns, I was high fiving strangers like crazy, you would have thought the Sabres won the Cup!!!....just thinking about that game gets me fired up!! And now we are reduced to talking about salary caps and labor disputes. Unreal.
Draconator Posted January 25, 2005 Posted January 25, 2005 One of my fondest memories of going to a Sabres game was with my father as well. I was going to visit my father in Buffalo for a week, during the Sabres/Senators series in 1997. So before the series started, I was able to get 2 tickets to Game 7, 20 rows off the ice, $37.00, I figured what the heck, if there is no Game 7 Ill just get a refund. Well it turns out after Steve Shields shutout the Sens in Game 6 at Ottawa, there was a Game 7 back in Buffalo, I was pumped!!! What a classic moment, Derek Plante's OT winner! We went ballistic!!!! Sabres fans were waving flags out their windows, honking horns, I was high fiving strangers like crazy, you would have thought the Sabres won the Cup!!!....just thinking about that game gets me fired up!! And now we are reduced to talking about salary caps and labor disputes. Unreal. 218477[/snapback] The only time my dad sat together for a game, was back in 95 or 96. It was the first game after Clint Malarchuck had his horrible injury. I never heard a more thunderous oviation for an injured player! The best part of the game was when Larry Playfair knocked out some guy on the Canucks with one punch! When we saw that, my dad and I just laughed! I was fortunate enough to get my parents tickets in the 200's of the HSBC Arena (then the Marine Midland Arena) for the first game ever. Pre-season against the Maple Leafs. Mom with her very bad back loved it. Dad said it was nice having food brought to him, but missed the Aud. If it's ok with everyone, I'll make a post about that summer. I worked for the Sabres through a contract agency during the summer of 96, and was one of the move captains from the Aud to the Arena. Tons of lifetime memories during that summer!
Like A Mofo Posted January 25, 2005 Posted January 25, 2005 The only time my dad sat together for a game, was back in 95 or 96. It was the first game after Clint Malarchuck had his horrible injury. I never heard a more thunderous oviation for an injured player! The best part of the game was when Larry Playfair knocked out some guy on the Canucks with one punch! When we saw that, my dad and I just laughed! Man that just sends a chill down my spine thinking about how awesome that ovation must have been, especially when you consider how horrifying Malarchuck's injury was!!! I was fortunate enough to get my parents tickets in the 200's of the HSBC Arena (then the Marine Midland Arena) for the first game ever. Pre-season against the Maple Leafs. Mom with her very bad back loved it. Dad said it was nice having food brought to him, but missed the Aud. Its funny but several people Ive talked to say the same things about the Aud...nice bells and whistles at the new arena, but there was just something about the Aud that was so special. If it's ok with everyone, I'll make a post about that summer. I worked for the Sabres through a contract agency during the summer of 96, and was one of the move captains from the Aud to the Arena. Tons of lifetime memories during that summer! I interned here in New Jersey with the New Jersey Devils in 1996, and I have a lot of memories about that internship, so personally Id be very interested to read a post about your experiences with the Sabres!
LabattBlue Posted January 25, 2005 Posted January 25, 2005 Some more Aud memories(you have to be in your late 30's to probably remember ) Eddie Shack skating around like a tazmanian devil Tim Horton in a Sabres uni The early days of the French Connection Korab and Schoenfeld together on the ice Gare, Luce & Ramsey...the 3rd line and they all scored 20+ goals The girl who used to skate around before the game with a Sabre in hand Hearing the Sabre Dance on the organ(now all you get is rock music blared all game long) Being able to go down and watch the players walk to/from the locker rooms between periods Damn.....Put Hasek on that team in the mid 70's and we would have been good for several Stanley Cups!
Rubes Posted January 26, 2005 Posted January 26, 2005 Damn.....Put Hasek on that team in the mid 70's and we would have been good for several Stanley Cups! 218634[/snapback] What, you're saying Crozier wasn't good enough? Desjardins?
Draconator Posted January 26, 2005 Posted January 26, 2005 I interned here in New Jersey with the New Jersey Devils in 1996, and I have a lot of memories about that internship, so personally Id be very interested to read a post about your experiences with the Sabres! 218505[/snapback] That first week was the most amazing, whirlwind week, I will ever have at any job. I started on a Monday, contracted to be the Administrative Assistant to the V.P. of Ticket Sales, Jeff Eisenberg. Just being in the Aud on a daily basis, was amazing. On Tuesday, Doug Moss had the new jersey unvailing for all the employees. I happened to stand next to Don Luce, and he said the absolute single most hilarious thing I ever heard. Moss mentioned that he wanted to create a uniform that kept Buffalo's culture and tradition. Luce leans over, and says, "If that's the case, a Pierogi would be the crest, and kitty willows would be the shoulder patch!" When the jersey's were unvailed, Muckler wanted to have someone put on the new uniform, as it was the first time he saw it too. When he saw Buffalo Sabres written on the pants, he was none too pleased. (Said it was too large, and it took away from the rest of the uniform). Wednesday I saw the Sabres play the Senators from the press box. One of the guys took a sticker to the box where Gerry would blow the fog horn after all the goals. When media would walk by to see what the new logo looks like, most of the replies were, "We have no idea". Guys like Jennerate, Local media, would be invited in to see the sticker on the inside of the door. Thursday for the Jersey unvailing, no one expected the crowd that turned out. That was the buzz around the offices. How many folks turned out for the unvailing. Friday, watching the Bandits win the MILL Championship from the Zamboni enterance. That was amazing, but more amazement was about to come in a couple of days. The best part about that night was that really hot chick I had in my car from the MILL, going to Channel 7 to have tape uploaded to satellite for ESPN. We showed her the tape of the jersey unvailing, and she was quite impressed. I would love to say that I had incredible sex with her, but no (sadly. She was just one of the best looking females I've ever seen!) Saturday. Goo Goo Dolls/Bush at the Aud. As a bunch of us were sitting in the press box, we get invites to the late Crawdaddy's for a private party with the Adams Family. Well, it was a private party for the Dolls. All those guys are just the nicest! The drummer and I talked Rush for half the night! Sunday, final game at the Aud. I was asked to take the banners from the players as they skated off the ice. What was significant about that, was that the banners from the 70's were on lead pipes! Each of those pipes had to weigh about 200-300 pounds. I had lost my balance helping to carry one of those, and ilterally pinned LaFontaine against the lower gold bleachers. I apologized, about 100 times in 10 seconds. Pat just gave me a dirty look, and then laughed and told me I needed to work out. Before the game, Jenneratte was sitting in the offices, and someone asked him if he would take one of the old sound baffles over to the Arena. Rick replies by saying there is so much smoke and crap in those things, that one more year with those baffles would kill him, without a doubt! One of the best moments about that final game was... http://www.rushmessageboard.com/images/aud.jpg That night was a NHL Hall of Fame party. Standing between Craig Ramsey and Marcel Dionne waiting to get a drink. Sitting in the Upper Golds with Tom Shue for over an half an hour, going over our Aud memories. Hearing Barry Buetel go off on stupid radio callers. Seeing Larry Playfair attempt to pull the No Smoking sign off the wall. That was just an amazing scene. From there, I just did my job. At the end of July, I was approached to be one of the move captains from the Aud to the Arena. My job was to package up all the video in Sabres History. All of the video in the early days were on BETA (or something that was much larger than VHS). Of course, they had a player, so I would pack some tapes listening to the Test For Echo (Rush) Radio special on 97 Rock, then stop to watch a game from something like '73. One almost incredible moment happened because of a cruise Moss arranged for the employees in July. They had this Reggae band play on the Miss Buffalo. Me having played bass for about 10 years to that point, asked if I could join in. From that picture above, it looks like I definately have no soul, what-so-ever. When I joined in, I had nearly the entire organization standing around, basically in amazement. Jennifer Smith stopped me in the executive offices the next day, and told me I am waisting my talent, that I needed to play bass full time. (Each time I try to play YYZ though, I know she's a total lier!) Jennifer a week later, asked me to submit names of individuals to write a new theme song for Sabres broadcasts. I submitted 3 names. One was a local studio owner in Buffalo. One was Jerry Livingston, former bass player with Rick James whom I studied bass with for 6 months, and one was Jim Burgess, who owns Saved By Technology in Toronto, and has done extensive work with Rush. In further conversations I had with Jim, he asked me how serious the Sabres were about this, and I told him that they were quite serious. Then Jim tells me that he was handing the project over to Geddy Lee, and Geddy actually wrote a song for Sabres Broadcasts. But then we see how the organization worked, where literally at the last moment, Moss and Co. said there wasn't enough in the budget to have a big budget theme song, and went with the lowest bidder. Leading up to the first game against the Maple Leafs, the ticket office put out the call to the organization for help getting the season ticket packages out to all those who ordered. Myself an another lady were the only two to volunteer. The hours that week were 7 am to 1, 2 am. It was !@#$ing exhausting! On Thursday before the opening game, I was asked to walk in every section of the Arena to make sure that the rows were numbered right. Sounds like a stupid excersize, until when I went to the 300's, and every row from row 7 on up was labled wrong! Example was placards that were Row 7, Row 8, Row 15, Row 2, etc. I went down to one of the supervisors in the ticket office, and told him. He laughed at me, then I said, "No. You need to see this!" So we went up, and after seeing 3 sections of this, calls Larry Quinn immediately. Quinn comes in, looks at me right in the eyes, (The man can be quite intimidating) and says, "You better be right about this". After seeing 4 sections, he immediately calls someone, and just starts yelling and screaming. This is all going on about midnight. At 2am, you have about 5 guys working to number the rows and aisles correctly. I did get the reward of my life. On September 20th (I think), the Friday before the first game, the then Ticket office coordinator, John Sinclar, calls me into his office, and closes the door. He asks me if I am a Rush fan. Now he knew the answer to that question (as did everyone else I spoke with at the organization). He pulls out the seating manifest for Rush, and tells me to pick my seats! That was my nephew's first concert, and seeing Geddy Lee front row center wasn't all too bad! I thought I was going to remain with the club, but when Jeff left to become the President of the Stallions, they replaced him with this chick who didn't know a thing about sports. I heard her comment to a season ticket holder, "So you want tickets for the Chicago Red Wings". Our personalities clashed that first game, and when I went in to work on Monday, she told me that she ended my assignment. (Stupid B word!) All-in-all, it was just fantastic!
Corp000085 Posted January 26, 2005 Posted January 26, 2005 I've got real audio Jennerette clips of every goal scored in the 99 playoffs, plus mp3s of other goals and songs. If anyone's interested, you know what to do.
Matt in KC Posted January 26, 2005 Posted January 26, 2005 Okay, since we're kicking around favorite Sabres memories: mine is the 1-0 victory over the Devils in the fourth overtime. Wow! Broduer and Hasek each had a 6 period shutout going into the 4th OT before Dave "the Cannon" Hannon scored ("top shelf where grandma hides the cookies" ). Hasek came away with a 70 save shutout. Granted I was watching on TV, but I was in a college cafe that stayed open late until the game ended (at UB), and more and more people wandered in to see what was going on as the OTs went on. I'm pretty sure they were facing elimination (down 3-1 games I think) and they lost the series on the next game however.
LabattBlue Posted January 26, 2005 Posted January 26, 2005 What, you're saying Crozier wasn't good enough? Desjardins? 218702[/snapback] Crozier was probably already a grandfather in 74-75 and Desjardins was a journeyman goalie. The Flyers had Parent and he was probably the difference in the series.
stevestojan Posted January 26, 2005 Posted January 26, 2005 Okay, since we're kicking around favorite Sabres memories: mine is the 1-0 victory over the Devils in the fourth overtime. Wow! Broduer and Hasek each had a 6 period shutout going into the 4th OT before Dave "the Cannon" Hannon scored ("top shelf where grandma hides the cookies" ). Hasek came away with a 70 save shutout. Granted I was watching on TV, but I was in a college cafe that stayed open late until the game ended (at UB), and more and more people wandered in to see what was going on as the OTs went on. I'm pretty sure they were facing elimination (down 3-1 games I think) and they lost the series on the next game however. 218984[/snapback] I was at that game. My dad and I. I was 14 and had to go to school the next day, so my dad kept asking (ya sure you wanna stay?)... I would just look at him, and he knew... I could just imagine the crushing feeling if we had lost. But when Hannon scored that goal - man, that was great (see, not ALL Buffalo sports memories are bad).
plenzmd1 Posted January 26, 2005 Posted January 26, 2005 I was at that game. My dad and I. I was 14 and had to go to school the next day, so my dad kept asking (ya sure you wanna stay?)... I would just look at him, and he knew... I could just imagine the crushing feeling if we had lost. But when Hannon scored that goal - man, that was great (see, not ALL Buffalo sports memories are bad). 219086[/snapback] This game still pissis me off, it was the game I decided I was going to marry my date that night lol! Had just started dating a girl from work and invited her to watch the the game at the local DC Buffalo bar(Greveys for those in DC). Told her we needed to get there early as I cannot eat and watch a Sabre game at the same time. Long story short,she never bitched to go home, never bitched about my 30 th beer, didn't even B word about her having to drive home. Stayed for the whole game( they left the joint open, but wouldn't serve us any more beer in the 4th OT) and decided the next morning I would marry that women. UH AH Sabres on the Warpath!
BRH Posted January 26, 2005 Posted January 26, 2005 This game still pissis me off, it was the game I decided I was going to marry my date that night lol! Had just started dating a girl from work and invited her to watch the the game at the local DC Buffalo bar(Greveys for those in DC). Told her we needed to get there early as I cannot eat and watch a Sabre game at the same time. Long story short,she never bitched to go home, never bitched about my 30 th beer, didn't even B word about her having to drive home. Stayed for the whole game( they left the joint open, but wouldn't serve us any more beer in the 4th OT) and decided the next morning I would marry that women. UH AH Sabres on the Warpath! 219175[/snapback] So... did you?
plenzmd1 Posted January 26, 2005 Posted January 26, 2005 So... did you? 219178[/snapback] 7th anniversary last September
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