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Sabres owner Terry Pegula talks about his big offseason, high hopes, and no pressure

Terry Pegula

The Buffalo Sabres’ new owner, Terry Pegula is introduced to fans before an NHL hockey game between the Buffalo Sabres and the Atlanta Thrashers in Buffalo, N.Y., Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

AP

With the kind of spending the Buffalo Sabres did this offseason, you’d imagine that the stakes are sky high in Buffalo this year. After all when you drop the kind of cash owner Terry Pegula did to land guys like Ville Leino and Christian Ehrhoff as well as dealing for former Calgary hard-hitter Robyn Regehr the expectations on the season are going to be lofty.

Pegula finally spoke about his big spending ways and the excitement that’s generated in Buffalo this season and for the future of the team in western New York. The Buffalo News’ Bucky Gleason has a great piece on Pegula today in which Pegula makes it clear that he’s not the kind of ruthless owner that’s going to rain fire and brimstone down on everyone should things get off to a slow start.

While Pegula might spend like his name was Steinbrenner, he’s not about to act like him either.

“If we come out of the chute 0-9 this year, everybody is going to be going skitzoid,” Pegula said. “But you gotta believe you’re not an 0-9 team, and it will get better. You can’t have the Sword of Damocles hanging over the players, coaches and everybody’s head. You have to stick with the team.”

The Sabres aren’t going to start the season as the NHL’s best team. They don’t have overwhelming talent, the most depth or even the top goaltender. Just know that they aren’t far away, either. They will enter the season just as capable of winning it all as any other team.

Hey, why not this year?

Rather than shying away from the goal, or fearing the goal, the Sabres are following their leaders and embracing the goal. Pegula hasn’t backed off an inch. In fact, it’s been the contrary. The Sabres are inching, if not leaping, toward becoming one of the top teams in the league.

“I’ve heard some comments, ‘It’s time to put up or shut up. You say you want to win and all this stuff,’” Pegula said. “Well, isn’t that why every team should exist? I don’t think we’re special. Everybody, and I don’t care what sport you’re in, you’re supposed to do your best to try to win.”

Amen, Terry.


The amount of good-natured sensibility that comes out of Pegula makes him, perhaps, the most likable owner in pro sports. This is a guy who went to the World Junior Hockey Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid just a couple weeks ago so that he, coach Lindy Ruff, general manager Darcy Regier and the team’s scouts could watch the one player they’ve drafted (2011 first round pick Joel Armia of Finland) at the camp. Giving his guys a vacation in the Adirondacks made for a nice bonus as well, but bringing that kind of workforce out to watch just one player shows how important this whole thing is for them.

That brand of hands-on commitment from an owner is practically unheard of in these days when you see faceless ownership groups buying or owning teams. Seeing it come without the instant pressure on everyone to win right out of the gate (at least from Pegula) seems crazy as well.

Pegulamania is running wild in Buffalo and the brand of infectious, good-natured feelings that go along with it can’t help but make you hope that it can bring the Sabres and the city of Buffalo a lot of good things in the future.