Buffalo Sabres, Junior Hockey, Attendance
Good morning, Buffalo Sabres fans! After three days off, the Buffalo Sabres return to action this evening as they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs for a good ole’ Rivalry Wednesday matchup. It’s a meeting of two struggling teams — who will come out on top?
Lots of news and notes from around the hockey world this morning — and not all of it positive.
First, we’ll start things off on a high note. The Buffalo Sabres are partnering with First Niagara for a financial literacy initiative, according to this WNY Papers article.
Buffalo Sabres netminders Anders Lindback and Chad Johnson visited a local school this week, and the initiative will see funds donated to help “empower local young people to own their economic success.”
Next up, another partnenship, as the NHL and Samsung Canada have announced a multi-year deal. [NHL.com]
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This will allow fans in Canada to get closer to the game with behind-the-scenes videos, bracket challenges and more on devices including mobile, tablets and wearable hardware.
Check the article for specifics to see if your Samsung device is applicable.
My NHL Trade Rumors takes a look at the NHL this season and its numbers in attendance after 30 home games.
In the league, the Buffalo Sabres rank 12th in home attendance through 30 games this season – not bad at all, especially taking into consideration the team’s record. That speaks volumes for the fans in Buffalo, many of whom unconditionally support their team, regardless of the standings.
The Chicago Blackhawks ranked 1st with an average 21,706 fans in attendance per game. Of course — it has to be considered that some arenas are larger than others. First Niagara Center couldn’t even fit that many people, but overall, the Sabres have filled 96.5% capacity this season.
Now, on some less-than-positive notes:
Within the past 24 hours, two reports of investigations regarding junior hockey players and sexual assault have been released. The first involves members of the OJHL’s Cobourg Cougars and made it all the way to Deadspin, though the investigation is ongoing and there have been a) no arrests made b) no names published.
The second involves four members of the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques, who allegedly face a sexual assault complaint. Again, no names have been published and the investigation is ongoing, but this is the second investigation launched in the last three weeks in regards to the conduct of Olympiques players.
Finally — was a girls hockey championship game, in overtime, cut short and ended in a tie in order to allow a boys’ hockey game to hit the ice? [USA Today]
The championship game for the Connecticut girls hockey state title was declared a tie, despite the rules that declares that 8-minute sudden death overtimes were supposed to be played until the game was decided.
If the game was indeed shortened in order to allow a boys game to start… how in the world is that fair? I shake my head at whoever thought that was okay.
More from Sabre Noise
- 3 biggest standouts at Buffalo Sabres 2023 Prospects Challenge
- 3 takeaways from the Buffalo Sabres final Prospects Challenge game
- Buffalo Sabres experiment with lesser-known talent in loss to Pens
- Buffalo Sabres 75 Bold Predictions for 2023-24: Prediction 51
- Buffalo Sabres vs. Pittsburgh: A quick look at the Penguins prospects