[cognito20]

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few other successful expansions/moves (read: Buffalo, Colorado, Minnesota),

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Buffalo is far from successful. Not even 3 years ago, Buffalo was endangered of being removed. If the team hadn't been as good as they have been, they'd be in the same boat as Pittsburgh right now.

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Not true. Buffalo's financial problems of a few years ago were 100% due to the incompetence, mismanagement, and downright criminality of their former owners, the Rigas family of Adelphia scandal fame. Adelphia wasn't the only one of their holdings they were skimming off the top of...they were screwing the Sabres over too. Buffalo has always been a great hockey town, and has never had problems drawing fans to the Aud/Marine Midland/HSBC, although the sellout streak of recent times hasn't happened in a while either. The REAL thing that saved the Sabres was not their recent great play, although it certainly hasn't hurt, but the fact that Tom Golisano, probably the richest man in Upstate NY, came forward and bought the team when they were in desperate need of a stable owner with deep pockets.

I certainly agree that the NHL needs to get back on ESPN as soon as possible, next year if they can, even if they have to eat considerable financial crow to do so. The Vs. (OLN) broadcasts are execrably horrible, although as a Sabres fan I admit I'm spoiled since we have one of the all-time great hockey play-by-play men, Rick Jeanerette, that we hear 70-80 times a year on the non-Vs. games.

--Scott