 B. Thomas GolisanoOwner It is said that the right man at the right time can make all the difference. This is perhaps nowhere more evident than the remarkable journey of the Buffalo Sabres and Tom Golisano. The 2002-03 NHL Season was a dark time for Western New York hockey. The Sabres were floundering both on and off the ice. The team was mired in 29th place and had not made the playoffs in two years. Off the ice matters were even worse. The franchise was a financial wreck, operating in bankruptcy against a backdrop of limited fan support. A sense of defeat had set in, and the organization lacked the confidence and leadership needed for resuscitation. Further darkening this picture was a looming work stoppage and state of the NHL game itself. This was the state of the Sabres in April 2003. Things certainly have changed. Playing in front of 41 sold-out crowds at HSBC Arena, the Sabres finished first overall in the NHL last season, capturing the first ever Presidents Trophy in franchise history. They ended the season with a league-best 53 wins and 308 goals scored, making them the only team to top the 300-goal plateau. Buffalo’s 54 road points were also tops in the league, and they tied an NHL record by winning their first 10 games of the season. Buffalo advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive season and fourth time in the past 10 seasons. Sabres season ticket sales have climbed to an all time high of 14,800 from a low point of 5,800 two years ago, along with a waiting list of several thousand. The Sabres sold out all 41 regular season home games and all nine playoff home games in 2006-07, a feat not achieved since 1970-80 in the old Memorial Auditorium. Buffalo’s rabid fan base not only purchased tickets in droves, sales of Sabres merchandise went through the roof thanks to the launch of the team’s new uniforms. Sabres overall merchandise sales were up more than 1000 per cent over the previous season, as the team regularly posted the best monthly sales numbers on shop.nhl.com, and Sabres individual player jerseys were prominently featured in the top 10. The Sabres are now financially stable. Although challenges remain, the fact that the team has operated in the black for the past two seasons shows hope for future sustainability in Western New York. Sabres management continues to retain the young core players that many observers believe will keep the team competitive for years to come. Thomas Vanek, who led Buffalo’s with 43 goals last season at age 23, was locked up in the off-season for seven years. In addition, 24-year-old center Derek Roy was signed to a six-year deal after setting career highs in goals, assists and points last season. Rather than sign players to shorter-term contracts as he had done in the past, Golisano adjusted his business practice to stay competitive in the NHL’s new economic landscape. This didn’t happen by accident. It was the result of careful planning and the infusion of the Golisano entrepreneurial spirit. Golisano is often fond of challenging the management team of the Sabres with the question, “What are we doing to differentiate ourselves from our twenty nine competitors?” That single question and Golisano’s determination has framed the whole approach and plan of the new Sabres. Although the Sabres approach may seem counter-intuitive at times, it reflects the Golisano philosophy of differentiation. The Sabres cut prices but increased revenue. Contrary to a popular outcry to fire the coach and general manager, Golisano retained both and extended their tenure. The hockey department reduced the live coverage of its scouting department but doubled the number of reviewed games through video technology. Despite the need for a makeover, the team reduced its focus on trading players and committed to develop drafted players and those already in the system. Although the team facilities were relatively new, updates and changes were in store. The arena has undergone major renovation; player facilities have been completely overhauled. A philosophy of patient development and accountability was employed, utilizing existing coaching staff and, with a few key additions and subtractions, many of the same players together with the organization’s youthful prospects. A particular emphasis was placed on the development of the franchise’s prospects in Rochester by hiring a full-time strength and conditioning coach and goaltending instructor for the AHL’s Amerks. The changes were not obvious at first. Indeed, prior to commencement of the 2005-06 season, most conventional observers were not optimistic about the team or the franchise. Many predicted the Sabres to finish near the bottom again. However, conventional observers do not see what is taking place under the surface where the real work of change takes place. Soon after the 2005-06 season began, the fruits of Golisano’s efforts became apparent to all. The team was fast, skilled and seemingly perfectly designed for the new and improved NHL that emerged from the lockout. The game was exciting, and the team soared to new levels of excellence, playing with extraordinary chemistry and belief. Utilizing the longest tenured head coach and general manager tandem in the NHL, the 2005-06 Sabres set a franchise record for most wins (52) and road victories (25), before advancing all the way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Golisano’s influence has been felt at the league level as well. Since taking ownership of the Sabres, Golisano has become a strong voice on the NHL’s Board of Governors, encouraging rule changes to open up the game and permit league’s best players to showcase their world-class skills. Golisano was also behind a couple of experiments designed to make the game more fan and media friendly. During the 2004-05 lockout, HSBC Arena played host to a pair of Rochester Amerks game using blue ice to see if this would allow the ice to show up better on television while making it easier to see the flow of the puck. The Sabres also designed enlarged bowed nets to facilitate scoring in a league that had seen goal scoring decrease significantly in previous years. Before hockey, Golisano founded Paychex, Inc., a leading national provider of payroll, human resource and benefits solutions for small- and medium-sized businesses. Golisano started Paychex in 1971 at the age of 30, with the intention of primarily serving small businesses. What started as a single operation expanded through franchise agreements and joint ventures until Paychex consolidated into one private company in 1979. By 1983, when Paychex became a public company, the potential of the small-business market had been proven, and Paychex had been named to the INC. magazine list of “The Fastest Growing, Privately Held Companies in the U.S.” Since then, Paychex has regularly enjoyed double-digit growth. Golisano has often been recognized for his entrepreneurial, civic, and philanthropic achievements and endeavors. One of his most recent philanthropic endeavors was a $6 million gift to a pair of Rochester Catholic high schools to help them shore up their long term finances, facilities and academic programs. Our Lady of Mercy and Bishop Kearney High School will each receive a gift of $3 million over three years, the largest single contribution in the history of either school. In August 2005, Golisano pledged $100,000 towards the opening of the Lion’s Den room at Women & Children’s Hospital in Buffalo. Only the second of its kind in the country, the room is designed as a place for children to find relief from the stress of having a serious illness or injury while they are in the hospital. Golisano and former Sabres captain Pat LaFontaine were significant donors to the $300,000 project, with some of the money coming from the 2004 Companions in Courage celebrity hockey game held at HSBC Arena. In November 2005, Golisano donated $6 million to the Central New York Children’s Hospital at University Hospital, the largest gift ever from an individual donor in SUNY Upstate history. In January 2004, Golisano contributed $2 million to WXXI Public Broadcasting in Rochester. The gift will help WXXI meet the federal mandate to begin digital broadcasting. Golisano makes his home in Victor, New York, and is a regular fixture at Sabres games both at home and on the road. |
| 2007-2008 Regular Season | |||||
| SKATERS: | GP | G | A | +/- | Pts |
| D. Roy | 78 | 32 | 49 | 13 | 81 |
| J. Pominville | 82 | 27 | 53 | 16 | 80 |
| T. Vanek | 82 | 36 | 28 | -5 | 64 |
| J. Hecht | 75 | 22 | 27 | 1 | 49 |
| A. Kotalik | 79 | 23 | 20 | -5 | 43 |
| T. Connolly | 48 | 7 | 33 | 4 | 40 |
| D. Stafford | 64 | 16 | 22 | 3 | 38 |
| P. Gaustad | 82 | 10 | 26 | -4 | 36 |
| D. Paille | 77 | 19 | 16 | 9 | 35 |
| S. Bernier | 76 | 16 | 16 | -1 | 32 |
| GOALIES: | W | L | OT | Sv% | GAA |
| R. Miller | 36 | 27 | 10 | .906 | 2.64 |
| J. Thibault | 3 | 4 | 2 | .869 | 3.31 |
| Full Team Stats >> | |||||
