and the Layoffs begin @ Pegula Sports

[uticaclub]

25 minutes ago, BuffaloRebound said:

I know what’s going on.  We’re all going through it.  There’s also a lot of business owners with far less means than a billionaire doing everything possible to take care of their employees.  Maybe those 25 people got a huge severance package.  I don’t know.  What I do know is that it’s not a good look for a billionaire to lay off 25 people right now.  Even if you gave them a huge severance package, it’s headline news and bad press for the Pegulas. 

Smaller companies are eligible for more assistance than the larger ones that will never get back to size or success they were seeing before this. The Pegulas have much more to lose then the average business owner especially given their industry. Those 25 jobs aren't going to exist when everything opens up & anyone that makes less than $50k/year will make more money unemployed then they ever did working, so it actually might be helping those people. 

[bbb]

37 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

Admittedly, a lot of my perception is from anecdotal stories from people within PSE. These people though, in many cases, have been with other organizations. You see the differences between good and bad. The Bills were a well-oiled machine in this department for years despite the mess in the other half of the building. Now the roles are reversed.

 

Not knowing what it's like to work inside a sports organization, can you give some examples of these good vs. bad stories? 

[Mr. WEO]

12 minutes ago, Doc said:

 

No owner/ship group if perfect.  Coaches get hired and fired within a few years all the time.  I remember everyone wanting Mike Babcock to be the Sabres' HC and despite taking over a supremely talented roster, he's now out of a job.  The important thing is realizing your mistake and fixing it quickly and eventually getting the right person.   

 

And I'm not sure what it will take to get the Sabres back to the playoffs.  They spend the money needed.

 

 

Who did?

 

 

No reason to pay them if they're getting paid more for not working.  And if you want to believe they'd sell the Sabres after just 1 money-losing season, hey, you're entitled to your opinion.  But they've obviously shown a huge commitment to WNY because of their ties there and I doubt even the most anti-Pegula person would agree with you.

 

Why would there be "no chance" on their own?  They were both in Carolina.  If they were looking at one they'd also have learned about Beane.

 

 

No one is arguing that.  But so what?  They are business people.  The Sabres are not a charity.

 

Come on doc.  Why stretch yourself into another pretzel to deny the most obvious scenario:   McD told them all about Beane and that he wanted him in Buffalo as GM.  If Pegula was so high on Beane already, he would have hired him before he hired his HC, as it is more often done after everyone is fired.   It was generally accepted at the time that Beane was hired because of McD.  There really isn't a reason to believe otherwise.  They interviewed an internal guy,  a "Rooney candidate" guy, some guy from the Packers.   If McD isn't coach.  It's doubtful they interview Beane.  Pretty simple.

 

 

[First Round Bust]

the bloom is off the rose with the Pegulas...do they see a recession coming, did their vision change?   Man years ago I thought working for a Buffalo professional sports org would have been a dream come true.  They must have their reasons and they dont have to justify as plans and more importantly results change.  They may have been overzealous in their vision, who knows for sure.   I wouldnt want to work for PSE now and I have to wonder if other execs and even rank and file workers would have second thoughts about hiring on in the future  Optics aren't good with the significance of the quantity and quality of jobs lost esp with a pandemic.

[JerseyBills]

4 hours ago, teef said:

Need ibuprofen?  I have the big tabs. 

If it has any oxycodone in it , I'll take a bottle or 2 

Edited April 15, 2020 by JerseyBills

[ngbills]

To be fair many teams are doing this but many teams are not. For the record at least the Sharks, Ducks, Blue Jackets, Panthers, Capitals, Stars, and possibly more are not cutting staff. Pegula is one of the wealthiest owners in the NHL. He has the chance to make a statement during this time to show his generosity given how fortunate he has been. But that is his call. As a fan of the team I would be more proud to see him displaying generosity. Look at the Jack Dorsey (Twitter) promising $1B of his wealth (25%) to help causes related to Covid. 

 

 

[Mango]

4 hours ago, AlCowlingsTaxiService said:

I actually think TPeg is more passionate about hockey, but unlike the bills, he hasn’t hit on the most important hires. Never heard anything bad about Chris Bandura unless he too went to the Russ Brandon school of behavior.  This is a great hockey market - unfortunately the home team has sucked

 

I think this is the problem with the Sabres. He needs to get his hands off of the team. Obviously he has earned (bought) the right to do what he wants when he wants. But it is to the detriment to the success of his investment. Lets not forget when he extended Regier he said things like "nobody has a monopoly on hockey brains" in the organization. He spoke to Regier more than anybody else in the organization, and referee to their conversations as "scheming", and Ted Black called the management structure flat, not top down. He has been a terrible owner of that team. And until Russ diddled some interns (or something like that) he was doing the same thing with the Bills. Russ was his Darcy. 

 

Then there are great owners like Steve Bisciotti: 
 

"There is a difference between being involved and being in charge," Bisciotti said. "I want to be very involved. I just don't want to be in charge. You can't hire talented people and overrule them with less talents ... like myself."

[Mango]

3 hours ago, Kirby Jackson said:

A lot of people are laying off and/or furloughing employees that’s not uncommon right now.

 

With that being said, I’m on record, years ago, for saying that the Pegulas didn’t know how to run the business side of sports. Everyone hated Russ Brandon but he was really the man making those organizations go from that side. I know a LOT of people with both the Bills and Sabres and that’s 100% true (and has been forever). Now they had no choice but to let him go with what was going on. However, they let other strong business minds walk out of the door as well. Now you are seeing the results.
 

There are/were 30+ people between those 2 organizations more capable of running the business than Terry and Kim. Of course they have the right to take control as it’s their money. At the same time you don’t see other owners running the day-to-day in many cases. The Pegulas taking control, especially of the Sabres, has been a nightmare. Forntunately, on the Bills side, they have such a strong football ops department it has insulated the other half of the operation (business operations). The Bills product, and brand, are so strong right now they will be fine. If we get back to a decade ago though the house of cards on the business side will come crashing down as well.
 

They desperately need to hire someone to fill the role that Russ held. The need a high end sports executive to come in and really own the day-to-day. I have someone in mind but don’t know if he’d be interested. He currently holds that position elsewhere but would be EXACTLY what they need.

 My post above this reply insinuates something similar. Pegula doesn't actually want anybody in charge. Before McD he was letting Russ run the product like an absolute idiot and putting If it weren't for Terry loving McD the BIlls would be a disaster right now as well. 

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

Isn't this the same Pegula that said "If I need money, I'll just drill another gas well".

[nucci]

9 minutes ago, \GoBillsInDallas/ said:

Isn't this the same Pegula that said "If I need money, I'll just drill another gas well".

#pegulaville

[boater]

Wowzer. There are many misconceptions about rich people in this thread. (disclaimer: I am not rich, but I do know some) Maybe that's a Buffalo thing.

 

In regard to the Sabres, Kim is no better and no worse than any other team President. Their current predicament is a result of the the utter lack of any available executive talent in the NHL.Botteril and what's-his-name were the only names from a an extremely shallow pool to draw from. We're paying the price.

 

Also, they aren't selling the Sabres. They have an integrated investment in downtown Buffalo real estate. The Sabres are a key piece to that. They aren't selling.

 

Being deep pocket billionaires: with the Arabs flooding the market with cheap oil combined with the current lockdown economy, Pegs mineral riches are deeply gouged. They have to be as thrifty with every dollar as Joe Schmoe on the street. That includes layoffs.

 

If it weren't for the Pegulas we wouldn't have an NFL and NHL team to B word about.

[LabattBlue]

More out with the old, in with the new.  Feel bad for a guy like Sinclair who was been with the team for a long time.  Firing someone while this madness is going on sucks.  Almost impossible to find another job right now.

 

The team sucks and has sucked since Pegula took it over, and now when the STH have just about had it, let's fire the Direct of Ticket Sales.  Can you say scapegoat.

Edited April 15, 2020 by LabattBlue

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

14 minutes ago, boater said:

If it weren't for the Pegulas we wouldn't have an NFL and NHL team to B word about.

 

You're assuming that the current Sabres actually qualify as an NHL-calibre team. 

[Doc]

2 hours ago, Mr. WEO said:

No one is arguing that.  But so what?  They are business people.  The Sabres are not a charity.

 

Come on doc.  Why stretch yourself into another pretzel to deny the most obvious scenario:   McD told them all about Beane and that he wanted him in Buffalo as GM.  If Pegula was so high on Beane already, he would have hired him before he hired his HC, as it is more often done after everyone is fired.   It was generally accepted at the time that Beane was hired because of McD.  There really isn't a reason to believe otherwise.  They interviewed an internal guy,  a "Rooney candidate" guy, some guy from the Packers.   If McD isn't coach.  It's doubtful they interview Beane.  Pretty simple.

 

No the Sabres aren't a charity.  But the Pegulas aren't crying poverty either thanks, at least, to the Bills.  Hockey is Terry's true passion and he's not going to sell the team after 1 money-losing season, if ever, as long as PSE is making money.  And as GBiD said below, Terry literally said that if he needed more money, he'd drill another well. 

 

The "most obvious scenario"?  No, it's not obvious that the Bills had no idea who Brandon Beane was before hiring McD.  According to this article, there was no plan to have the two come together and Beane was on NFL radars at the latest earlier that year when he interviewed with the 49'ers.

 

2 hours ago, First Round Bust said:

the bloom is off the rose with the Pegulas...do they see a recession coming, did their vision change?   Man years ago I thought working for a Buffalo professional sports org would have been a dream come true.  They must have their reasons and they dont have to justify as plans and more importantly results change.  They may have been overzealous in their vision, who knows for sure.   I wouldnt want to work for PSE now and I have to wonder if other execs and even rank and file workers would have second thoughts about hiring on in the future  Optics aren't good with the significance of the quantity and quality of jobs lost esp with a pandemic.

 

Maybe for those who are mostly Sabres fans.  For Bills fans, saving the Bills (I think that Golisano would still own the team if Terry hadn't come around) means his bloom will never be off.  Even more so now that the team is making the playoffs.

 

2 hours ago, \GoBillsInDallas/ said:

Isn't this the same Pegula that said "If I need money, I'll just drill another gas well".

 

Yup. 

Edited April 15, 2020 by Doc

[Doc]

24 minutes ago, boater said:

Wowzer. There are many misconceptions about rich people in this thread. (disclaimer: I am not rich, but I do know some) Maybe that's a Buffalo thing.

 

In regard to the Sabres, Kim is no better and no worse than any other team President. Their current predicament is a result of the the utter lack of any available executive talent in the NHL.Botteril and what's-his-name were the only names from a an extremely shallow pool to draw from. We're paying the price.

 

Also, they aren't selling the Sabres. They have an integrated investment in downtown Buffalo real estate. The Sabres are a key piece to that. They aren't selling.

 

Being deep pocket billionaires: with the Arabs flooding the market with cheap oil combined with the current lockdown economy, Pegs mineral riches are deeply gouged. They have to be as thrifty with every dollar as Joe Schmoe on the street. That includes layoffs.

 

If it weren't for the Pegulas we wouldn't have an NFL and NHL team to B word about.

 

I agree with most.  I think that if Terry hadn't come around, Golisano would still own the Sabres.  And he sold a good chunk of his assets for $6.5B so they're not cash poor.

[LabattBlue]

36 minutes ago, boater said:

Wowzer. There are many misconceptions about rich people in this thread. (disclaimer: I am not rich, but I do know some) Maybe that's a Buffalo thing.

 

In regard to the Sabres, Kim is no better and no worse than any other team President. Their current predicament is a result of the the utter lack of any available executive talent in the NHL.Botteril and what's-his-name were the only names from a an extremely shallow pool to draw from. We're paying the price.

 

Also, they aren't selling the Sabres. They have an integrated investment in downtown Buffalo real estate. The Sabres are a key piece to that. They aren't selling.

 

Being deep pocket billionaires: with the Arabs flooding the market with cheap oil combined with the current lockdown economy, Pegs mineral riches are deeply gouged. They have to be as thrifty with every dollar as Joe Schmoe on the street. That includes layoffs.

 

If it weren't for the Pegulas we wouldn't have an NFL and NHL team to B word about.

bull####.  Don't blame the Pegula's lack of finding a good GM on...  "there are no good GM's to be hired".  That is lame.  It's their job to find a person who can succeed.  Instead, their choices have bombed one after another.  Housley, Murray, Botts, Bylsma & maybe even Krueger.

Edited April 15, 2020 by LabattBlue

[GreggTX]

Unfortunately, things may not be back to normal for a long time after this pandemic is behind us. The aftereffects could linger for years as effective solutions will not be enacted by the government which is the only institution capable of repairing much of the damage and they work for the people that don't need help so they will only enact half measures. This will affect more than sports. It's already straining my personal finances as I have 3 sons out of work and 8 grandchildren depending on me. I won't be attending any pro games for some time to come even if the Coronavirus is contained soon.

[machine gun kelly]

Well, I’m sorry for those who lost their job.  My sister works for the Sabres and she survived this round, but her boss lost his job.  It’s going on everywhere not Justin sports, and close to home for me.  It’s so bad in FL it is next to impossible to get into Unemployment and freezing up, and all over the news.

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, Doc said:

 

I agree with most.  I think that if Terry hadn't come around, Golisano would still own the Sabres.  And he sold a good chunk of his assets for $6.5B so they're not cash poor.

 

Golisano wanted out. He would have sold the Sabres to someone. Tom said he'd only sell to an owner who's keep the team in Buffalo but for how long?

 

Unlike the NFL, the NHL loves Buffalo. We are the league's biggest TV ratings market. They don't want to see us go.

[Doc]

3 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Golisano wanted out. He would have sold the Sabres to someone. Tom said he'd only sell to an owner who's keep the team in Buffalo but for how long?

 

Unlike the NFL, the NHL loves Buffalo. We are the league's biggest TV ratings market. They don't want to see us go.

 

I'm sure Golisano wanted out.  He never wanted the team in the first place and only bought it to keep it from leaving, and for that I'll always thank him.  But I still think he'd have kept it if no one else who was willing to keep the team in Buffalo showed up because it was making some money for him.