Golisano Makes the Save

By Dave Ricci

In his youth Tom Golisano was a pretty darn good baseball player. On March 14, the former diamond standout made one heck of a shoestring catch when he came to rescue the Buffalo Sabres hockey club. Golisano saved the Franchise at a time when fans once again feared they could lose the team. Baring a smile, Golisano came prepared with some ready quips. "I want to thank all of you who voted against me in the November election. Had I been elected I wouldn’t be here tonight," joked Golisano in his opening remarks.

Some skeptics will say, "we’ve been down this road, it’s not a done deal yet so let’s not get too excited." Just a few months ago Mark Hamister was hailed as the savior of the Sabres only to have the potential deal fall through.

Golisano has to clear a series of bankruptcy court proceedings but it would take a monumental snag for something to go wrong with this deal. Golisano should gain full control of the team by April 10.

Three factors weighed heavily in Golisano’s favor. He used his own money up front, which eliminated the possibility of an investor bailing and leaving him shorthanded. He didn’t use public money. The third was the completion of the asset agreement purchase with the Sabres.

Despite accusations that he was sabotaging the purchase attempts of other potential owners, or that his purchase was a political ruse to curry favor with voters, Golisano proved that his purchase was for the genuine good of WNY. "All those people in the political world who made those comments were proven wrong today. He (Golisano) did not control the time of the bankruptcy. He didn’t control the time the team was in crisis. It just happened that while he was running for Governor, he was taking a serious look (at buying the Sabres). Obviously those people were proven wrong and I heard many of them say, ‘they hope to eat their words.’ Well I think there’s a lot of people eating their words today," said former Democratic Chairman of Erie County, Steve Pigeon.

Senator Byron Brown added, "when he said he was interested in this team I always believed him. That’s why I felt very comfortable saying publicly that the NHL and the Buffalo community should support him and should rally around his interest in the team."

Decked out in the team’s original blue and gold colors, several former Sabres were on hand for the press conference. Long time Sabres fan-favorite Danny Gare summed up the day’s events by quoting an old hockey adage from "Badger" Bob Johnson "‘It’s a great day for hockey!’ Bob used to say that everyday. It’s great to see Mr. Golisano coming forward and Mr. Bettman accepting his offer. It’s a sunny day, the weather is going to warm up, so hopefully these are good signs for this team down the road."

Part of Golisano’s plan to help expand the Sabres’ fan base is the possibility of playing one or two games a year in Rochester. While some people believe that would take money away from the Buffalo economy, Senator Brown believes that Golisano is on the right track. "I don’t see that as a bad thing. I certainly would not question Tom Golisano’s business instincts. They’ve proven to be excellent. If he thinks that (games in Rochester) will help market this team then I’ll support him 100 percent."

Golisano’s company, Paychex, has sponsored golfer Jeff Sluman on the PGA tour for 15 years. Golisano was also a sponsor in the world of NASCAR for a few years.

Golisano is a true sportsman. He has a fierce competitive fire and wants to succeed in every venture. Combined with his love for hockey, fans can be sure that when Tom Golisano takes control he’ll build a winner.

But don’t expect him to go on a wild spending spree. "Rationality must prevail," Golisano responded when asked if money would be no object.

Regarding the present Sabre regime, Golisano hasn’t threatened a house cleaning, but he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of changes somewhere down the line. What will be the fates of head coach Lindy Ruff and GM Darcy Regier? When a team is struggling the norm is to try and sell the fans on the idea there’s hope for the future. The rebuilding process has begun with younger players but will that be enough? Both Ruff and Regier have fallen out of favor with the bulk of the fan base. One or both might have to go to appease fans calling for a shake-up.

You can criticize Ruff and Regier from now until the end of time. But both deserve at least one season to show what they can do under stable ownership.

It’s impossible to say what the 2003-04 season holds for the Sabres and WNY. It’s just a relief to know there will be a 2003-04 NHL season in Buffalo.

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