Buffalo Sabres Fans Need To Get Louder At Home
Picture it: Buffalo Sabres rookie forward Jack Eichel picks up the puck on his stick, skates it into the zone on the wing, then shoots it through the defender’s legs, through the goalie’s legs, and into the net.
The goal horn rings out at First Niagara Center, the team’s goal song (“Let Me Clear My Throat”) blares out of every speaker, and the fans go wild.
The goal song stops, and that crowd? Goes dead silent pretty much immediately after.
That’s exactly what happened on Sunday afternoon inside First Niagara Center during the Buffalo Sabres’ decisive victory over the Colorado Avalanche.
A goal was scored and the crowd went wild, before going absolutely silent. Rinse and repeat a few times over.
The rest of the time, the crowd – which was announced as a sold-out 19,070 but absolutely wasn’t filled to 100% capacity – didn’t seem to be engaged.
Yes, there were a few “Let’s Go Buffalo chants,” but none that really got a strong following.
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In-game promotions like the Kiss Cam, or an intermission video asking little boys about their Valentine’s Day plans, don’t do a whole lot to foster the energy or excitement in the crowd. Yes, everyone seemed to love the Dancing Usher bit, but once it was over and everyone cheered, the arena returned to pretty much dead silence.
The problem is that this isn’t a new problem. First Niagara Center has been lauded by many as too quiet over the past few years.
And sure, maybe part of that has to do with the fact that the team hasn’t done so well.
But making FNC a quiet place makes it easy for opponents to come in and rage. Buffalo Sabres fans aren’t making it a hard place for opposing teams to play, and that’s certainly a factor that can be improved upon.
We all know that Buffalo Sabres fans are incredibly passionate…. so let’s show it more!
Get loud when there’s a goal, but also get loud when there’s a hit or a fight. Get a group and start a “Let’s Go Buffalo” chant. Make opposing players think “Wow, I hate playing in Buffalo. Their fanbase is so passionate and so loud, it absolutely stinks having to play in that.”
Overall, it’s a three-way effort that’s required to make all this happen.
The players have to put on a good show. If there isn’t a decent hockey game to watch, and root for, good luck getting an engaged crowd.
The fans need to get into it.
And the team needs to HELP fans get – and remain – engaged by encouraging chants, playing the appropriate music, pump-up videos and the like. The atmosphere in-arena needs to be right in order to bring fans into the game and keep them there, not just after a goal’s been scored.
All those pieces need to come together to make the Buffalo Sabres’ home rink a tough place to play for opponents, a great place for Buffalo Sabres players to play, and overall, the kind of experience it should be.
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Let me put it this way: no one should ever be able to call it “The Library at First Niagara Center” again.