There seem to be rumblings coming out of Buffalo that the Buffalo Sabres NHL franchise could be for sale again. Buffalo savior Tom Golisano may be growing weary of his Lake Erie stick carriers and a search may be under way to find a potential buyer. It was he who stepped in when this franchise was in financial peril and kept it in Buffalo. I know what everyone is going to think that this is another target for Jim Balsillie, but for one thing Balsillie will never get approved as owner after the mess in Phoenix and Nashville. For another Golisano is a Buffalo guy and he would likely look for another Buffalo guy to own and operate the team.
Currently the Sabres seem very stable as they are 10th in current season attendance and finished the last NHL season ranked 9th in attendance. Forbes as the value of the Sabres listed at 170 million nearly double the 92 million Golisano paid for the team when he bought it from the league. He may be looking to double his money and get the Sabres an owner who is passionate about hockey. With that being said he has been a fine owner, stabilizing a franchise and improving its home arena.
The problem here may be that the Sabres need to make it through two playoff rounds to post a profit. Since they they lost in the frist round of the playoffs last season, and failed to make the post season two seasons ago along with a losing record so far in the current year Golisano may have had enough. If these rumors start to solidify one name should be remembered.
That name is Terry Pegula, and he is the man who forked over 88 million bucks to Penn State for the school to start an ice hockey program and is married to a woman from suburban Buffalo.
Related Links:
- Joshua Lobdell.com
