Written by: Matthew Cohen, MS in Business Analytics ’24
If you haven’t yet figured out that Buffalo is a sports town, then this blog is for you. No, we aren’t like other cities in America that are blessed with one sports team in each of the four North American major professional sports leagues. For example, the city of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania has the Phillies, members of Major League Baseball (MLB), the 76ers, members of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Eagles, members of the National Football League (NFL), and the Flyers, members of the National Hockey League (NHL). The latter two leagues include teams from Buffalo: the Bills in the NFL and the Sabres in the NHL.
When it comes to sports in Buffalo, there has been plenty of bad luck, droughts and disappointment. In 1991, in Super Bowl XXV (25), Bills kicker Scott Norwood missed a game-winning field goal that would’ve won the Bills their first Super Bowl in franchise history. Instead, he is forever tied to the kick, which has become known as “wide right,” and would lead to the second of the Bills four consecutive Super Bowl losses from 1990 to 1993. From 2000 to 2017, the Bills would hold the longest playoff drought in all of the four North American major professional leagues. Now, 7 years after the Bills broke their drought, the Sabres now stand tied with the New York Jets of the NFL for the longest playoff drought in all the four North American major professional leagues at 13 seasons.
In 1999, the Sabres made the Stanley Cup Final, marking the second time, and the last time, they would reach the finals. The Stanley Cup Finals are a best-of-7 series, or first to win 4 games, to determine the champion of the NHL season. In game 6 against the Dallas Stars, the Sabres and Stars went to overtime. Brett Hull of the Stars had seemed to score the game winner on Hall of Fame goaltender Dominik Hasek. However, Hull’s skate was in the goaltender’s crease. According to the NHL rulebook in 1999, a player could not be in the crease at any time during the play. Failure to adhere to the rule means a whistle and a faceoff. If a puck were to go into the net, it would be declared no goal. However, this goal went on to count and it cost the Sabres another shot at winning the Stanley Cup. After that, they abolished the rule. Today, players can stand directly in the crease, if they do not interfere with the goaltender.
Maybe Buffalo teams are not so good, but maybe they just haven’t had the best of luck. The Bills have made the playoffs many of the years since ending their drought. The Sabres came really close last year, missing the playoffs by just one win.
Buffalo also has the Bandits, who are members of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The Bandits won the NLL Championship last year for the 4th time in their history. The Buffalo Bisons are members of the AAA league of Minor League Baseball (MiLB). They are associated with the Toronto Blue Jays of the MLB. The Bisons are average, but have been good in the past, and often produce good MLB players.
During the fall semester, the Bills (football) and the Sabres (hockey) are playing. The Bills have 8, sometimes 9, home games a season, usually on Sundays. The Sabres have 41 home games a season, and games can fall on any night of the week. The Bandits play home games about every other Saturday night. Throughout the late spring and summer, the Bisons play 3 or 4 games in a row at home before playing a new opponent.
I recommend going to see one or all these teams play before you graduate from UB. Tickets for select Bills and Sabres games can be purchased through the UB Ticketing office. Bandits and Bisons tickets can only be purchased from non-UB ticketing websites, such as TicketMaster. Also, don’t forget about our Buffalo Bulls Division 1 sports, as there are always games happening on campus!
Bio: Matt was born and raised here in Buffalo, NY. He graduated with his associate’s degree from SUNY Erie in 2020 with a concentration in General Studies. In 2023, he graduated magna cum laude with his bachelor’s degree from the University at Buffalo with a major in Communications. In his free time, Matt enjoys filling up his days and keeping busy. He loves to play hockey, ice and inline, and often can be found taking his 2 Cavapoos, Nash and Harper, to the dog park. When not doing these two activities, he is probably either at work or at home building a LEGO masterpiece.