Buffalo Sabres Media Guide - NHL.com
Buffalo Sabres Media Guide - NHL.com
Buffalo Sabres Media Guide - NHL.com
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4B. Thomas Golisano<br />
B. Thomas<br />
Golisano<br />
<strong>Buffalo</strong> <strong>Sabres</strong> Owner<br />
Since April 2003<br />
It is said that the right man at the right time<br />
can make all the difference. This is perhaps<br />
nowhere more evident than the remarkable<br />
journey of the <strong>Buffalo</strong> <strong>Sabres</strong> and Tom<br />
Golisano.<br />
The 2002-03 <strong>NHL</strong> Season was a dark time<br />
for Western New York hockey. The <strong>Sabres</strong><br />
were floundering both on and off the ice. The<br />
team was mired in 29th place and had not<br />
made the playoffs in two years. Off the ice<br />
matters were even worse. The franchise was<br />
a financial wreck, operating in bankruptcy<br />
against a backdrop of limited fan support. A<br />
sense of defeat had set in, and the organization<br />
lacked the confidence and leadership<br />
needed for resuscitation. Further darkening<br />
this picture was a looming work stoppage and<br />
state of the <strong>NHL</strong> game itself.<br />
This was the state of the <strong>Sabres</strong> in April 2003.<br />
Things certainly have changed.<br />
Playing in front of 41 sold-out crowds at HSBC Arena, the <strong>Sabres</strong> finished first overall in the <strong>NHL</strong> last season,<br />
capturing the first ever Presidents Trophy in franchise history. They ended the season with a league-best 53 wins<br />
and 308 goals scored, making them the only team to top the 300-goal plateau. <strong>Buffalo</strong>’s 54 road points were<br />
also tops in the league, and they tied an <strong>NHL</strong> record by winning their first 10 games of the season. <strong>Buffalo</strong><br />
advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive season and fourth time in the past 10<br />
seasons.<br />
<strong>Sabres</strong> season ticket sales have climbed to an all time high of 14,800 from a low point of 5,800 two years ago,<br />
along with a waiting list of several thousand. The <strong>Sabres</strong> sold out all 41 regular season home games and all nine<br />
playoff home games in 2006-07, a feat not achieved since 1970-80 in the old Memorial Auditorium. <strong>Buffalo</strong>’s<br />
rabid fan base not only purchased tickets in droves, sales of <strong>Sabres</strong> merchandise went through the roof thanks<br />
to the launch of the team’s new uniforms. <strong>Sabres</strong> overall merchandise sales were up more than 1000 per cent<br />
over the previous season, as the team regularly posted the best monthly sales numbers on shop.nhl.<strong>com</strong>, and<br />
<strong>Sabres</strong> individual player jerseys were prominently featured in the top 10.<br />
The <strong>Sabres</strong> are now financially stable. Although challenges remain, the fact that the team has operated in the<br />
black for the past two seasons shows hope for future sustainability in Western New York.<br />
<strong>Sabres</strong> management continues to retain the young core players that many observers believe will keep the team<br />
<strong>com</strong>petitive for years to <strong>com</strong>e. Thomas Vanek, who led <strong>Buffalo</strong>’s with 43 goals last season at age 23, was locked<br />
up in the off-season for seven years. In addition, 24-year-old center Derek Roy was signed to a six-year deal after<br />
setting career highs in goals, assists and points last season. Rather than sign players to shorter-term contracts<br />
as he had done in the past, Golisano adjusted his business practice to stay <strong>com</strong>petitive in the <strong>NHL</strong>’s new economic<br />
landscape.<br />
This didn’t happen by accident. It was the result of careful planning and the infusion of the Golisano entrepreneurial<br />
spirit.<br />
Golisano is often fond of challenging the management team of the <strong>Sabres</strong> with the question, “What are we<br />
doing to differentiate ourselves from our twenty nine <strong>com</strong>petitors?” That single question and Golisano’s determination<br />
has framed the whole approach and plan of the new <strong>Sabres</strong>.