I personally saw three games at the Aud. The first one was on Jan. 26, 1992, against Winnipeg. Buffalo won 5-2. It was the second NHL game I saw, the first coming in 1988 when I was six years old in Detroit. When my Dad got tickets to the Sabres game, I was then (and still am) a diehard Toronto Maple Leafs fan. I was indifferent to both Buffalo and Winnipeg. however, a strange thing happened. Joe Louis Arena in 1988 was a quiet building with very little atmosphere. (Must be something to do with the quality of Detroit hockey in '88.) At the Aud, when I heard the "Buffalo Horn" for the first time, and the organ, and the "Let's Go, Buffalo!" erupting spontaneously out of entire sections of fans, it moved me enough to become a Sabres fan, in spite of my awful seats at the back of the blues. All I can remember is that it was very hot from the air trapped under the overhang, and that I couldn't really see the scoreboard. (I also remember that the TV monitors on the overhang didn't work.)
My second game came Apr. 4, 1993, when Andy Moog and the Boston Bruins shut Buffalo out 3-0. I rooted for Buffalo the entire game, with the Sabres becoming my second favourite team. An emotional bond was forming as I sat high up in the oranges, looking down on the ice. Remember the steepness of the upper deck? I couldn't believe it, coming down the narrow steps for the first time and seeing the sheerness of the drop onto the dazzling white ice.
My third and last game at the Aud came March 24, 1995 against Florida. I came home from school one day, and my Dad was standing there with tickets for that night's came that he had scored from a season ticket holder. They were dream seats: in row D of the Upper Golds, directly behind the Florida net. (Sec 35.) We climbed in the car and drove for three hours to get there, not stopping for supper. Game time was 7:35. At 7:30 we were still at the border in Fort Erie, by 7:37 we were in our seats. The seats were incredible, and we had a terrific view of Buffalo's 3-0 win. I actually took time to explore the building this time, and I recall that I was under the seats at the end of the second period when the horn went, and the Zamboni was sitting in the middle of the hall. Right where I was walking! Then, the Panthers walked by, one by one. They may have been awful back then, but I still remember being in awe seeing Stu Grimson lagging behind the team, talking to a trainer, only a foot away. Hero worship is still wide awake when you're twelve years old. During that game I also made it to the bar that they had there, somewhere under the seats, while looking for a Coke. I got one from the bartender, and suddenly, BLAST!!!, the horn went off and the place went berserk. I ran back to my seat, only realising when I returned that I'd forgotten to pay the barman. I ran back, and instead of being angry, he only asked who had scored. Friendly people, great times.
I still had no knowledge then of the plans afoot to close the place, and then all of a sudden one day I woke up and saw the Sabres playing in black and red in the middle of a sea of all blue seats at a new building. I still think that the blue and gold Buffalo uniforms were the nicest in the NHL. While the new "Goat Lord" uniforms sell better than the old ones, that doesn't make it right. Can you imagine the uproar in England if Manchester United announced plans to change from red to mauve and teal? What if Glasgow Celtic ditched their green uniforms of Irish heritage and adopted black and sky blue? What about Liverpool in pink? (Wait, they already are. Go Toffees.) Anyway, the new, ultra-hip, "go with what's cool to make a mint" attitude adopted by Buffalo, Vancouver, and others when it comes to classic uniforms and beautiful arenas will hopefully come back some day to haunt the franchises.
Many of the feelings you have about the Sabres and the Aud echo my own, even though I've been a Sabres fan longer than you've been alive. As a kid, I'd been to a few games of the AHL Buffalo Bisons in the 1960s, each time watching (in some confusion, having no hockey background or expertise at that time) from seats high in the old Greys -- then the highest reaches of the Aud, and which became the Upper Blues after the famous raising of the roof and the addition of the Orange balcony with the arrival of an NHL franchise for the city. The first Sabres game -- and the first NHL game -- I attended was a 5-2 win by the expansion Sabres over the late Minnesota North Stars in February 1971, the Sabres maiden NHL season. A family friend had gotten two separate pairs of end-zone Golds from where he worked, and he and my dad sat in one pair while his son and I -- we were both about 13 or 14 -- had the other. All those magical impressions you cite -- the dazzling whiteness of the ice, the closeness to the action, the informed intensity of the crowd, the electricity of the whole atmosphere, and so on -- were fully in effect for me, as they were for you and I'm certain for millions of other fans when they attended their first NHL game.
I have three major memories of that game. The first is the great game programmes that were available that season; they were a whopping full 9 x 12", devoted entirely to the visiting team, with a full colour action photo taking up the entire cover and monochrome montages of the visiting team's players superimposed by statistical tables in a very '70s graphic style inside. And tucked inside that was a smaller, separate magazine, the actual Sabres game programme, all done in what now looks a delightfully quaint and cheezy '60s graphics style, on glossy paper but all of course in black & white. The second is that Gump Worsely started in goal for the North Stars that night; he was already in his 40s, still wearing a drill instructor crewcut, although it had gone completely grey, and of course still not wearing a mask. From our seats in the end Golds, we felt close enough to grab the Gumper, and I'm not sure my idiot friend didn't try to wing a peanut or two at him over the glass. Ironically, the cover of that night's programme, which I still have of course, featured a shot of an exuberant JP Parise of the North Stars leaping in celebration over Worsely, who was sprawled on his back on the ice in the uniform of the Canadiens he'd worn for several seasons previous. The Sabres fed off a pumped crowd that night, showing plenty of jump and pretty much having their way with a fairly decent Minnesota club most of the game; early in the third period, Buffalo pushed their lead to about 4-1 or 5-2 when one of the Sabres walked in on the Minnesota goal with a partial breakaway, and fooled the Hall of Fame goaler with a sweeping forehand-backhand move. Worsely had been deked to his left by the first move, and tried in vain to stab back to his right with his right skate to block the scoring shot; the puck went in the open side, and as the Aud erupted no one noticed for a few moments that Worsely remained slumped flat on the ice, motionless. The Minnesota trainer and a few North Stars finally dashed over to see what was wrong, and the game was held up for several minutes as the Gump remained inert; several Sabres also gathered around to learn more on what now seemed to be an extremely serious injury. The stretcher was called for, and as it was wheeled out from the Zamboni entrance at the far end of the ice, Buffalo's Eddie "The Entertainer" Shack suddenly raced over to it as rink attendants pushed the gurney through the Sabres zone, and leapt aboard, riding it the length of the ice with a big grin and a wave. As it turned out later, Worsely had merely strained a groin muscle, so Shack's typically zany antics weren't as inappropriate as they might have seemed.
The last thing I remember about that game, and this is a delightful and poignant capper to the whole story, is that the excitement of my first NHL game, a big win, way too much popcorn and cola, and an adolescent gastrointestinal system combined to result, as we left the stuffy warmth of the Aud and emerged through the Main Street entrance into the damp cold of the February night, in my upchucking about a gallon's worth of chunder on the Aud steps. All in all, a great night. There's some "Fan Memories" for you.
My dad worked as a salesmen back in the 80's-90's, and his boss had great season tickets with the Sabres, I think they were lower gold, I can't remember the section...anyways, my dad's boss gave us tickets every now and then when he couldn't go to them... I can remember going to a playoff game against the bruins...it was the 3rd game of the "mayday" series...I know we won, but can't remember the score...I also remember going to a LA Kings game when Gretzky played for them, so that was an added bonus...I also remember going to a game against the New Jersey Devils when they had green instead of black on their uniforms...I know we won, and Pat LaFontaine had a hat trick that game...i'll try to think of some more memories this weekend...my cousins, who are all older, are huge Sabre fans...I'll let them know about your website, and maybe even i could get them to contribute some more memories...Matt
As for the fan memories I was a little kid (I am 17 now) so I really have no vivid memories... I remember going there for a Sabres game against St. Louis and to a circus show and a monster truck show (actually that could have been the convention center).... I live about 15 minutes away... in a suburb of Buffalo... I pass Mem. Aud every time I go to MMA...or should I say HSBC Arena.
I have been a Sabres fan since 1994, but I never had a chance to see a game live in Buffalo until last winter (1999) which means I never did get to see a game in the Aud. But, when I drove up from Cleveland to attend Sabres games last year, we would always pass the Aud on the Metro on the way to the HSBC Arena. I have always loved history of sports which drew my interest to the Aud. In Cleveland we had an NHL team named the Barons but they only played 2 seasons in 75 and 76 before merging and moving to Minnesota to become part of the North Stars. They in fact played in Richfield. Here in Cleveland we underwent a similar arena change, from the Richfield Coliseum to the now stale Gund Arena. I had always wanted to go back into the Richfield Coliseum after the team (Cavs of the NBA) left it but it remained dormant from the time they left until its demolision just last fall. The situation with the Richfield Coliseum was different from the Aud's. Richfield was built in the mid 70's but remained a great arena for fans and teams alike. The problem was that it was built 30-40 minutes outside of Cleveland in a quaint town without fan amenities such as restaurants or hotels or bars. This is what primarily led to the departure of the NHL Barons because of the difficulty to draw fans.
Ever since the Cavs left in 1994 I always thought that the Coliseum could be used. It wasnt outdated by any means. It was a great place to see games because of its quaintness with fans. But it remained dormant as no one bought or transformed the place. So it was razed and all that remains is an empty field where once stood a great structure. My question was what the fate was of the Aud. As we rode by I noticed the doors/windows had been boarded up, though the structure remains as an awesome, awe inspiring site.
Roger Crozier was the first goalie I had the chance to see.
I was at Daytons department store watching the Red Wings play the Rangers on the first color television set I had ever seen. He single handedly beat the Rangers that day and my parents had to drag me out of the department store kicking and screaming. From that day he became my favorite hockey player. The next year he was drafted by the Sabres which I thought was great because I loved their beautiful blue uniforms. The first North Stars game I wanted to see that year was against the Sabres. I begged my parents who bought great tickets. I remember cheering for the Sabres and Roger who was pulled from the game because of a pancreatis flair up. I will never forget that night I actually got to see my hero.
The next day we played street hockey of course I was the goalie and I was Roger Crozier. I shut them out with my homemade Sabres jersey. I will never forget my beloved mother watching me from the living room window. The Sabres became my favorite team outside of the North Stars and I followed Crozier for every game. He was my hero. I found a version of the Jaques Plante mask he wore at a local sporting goods store. I was allowed to try it on in the store and pretend I was Roger. My dad felt it was to expensive and I never attained my beloved Jaques Plante replica mask.
Still a hockey fan through the years, I was saddened to read in the Hockey News that Roger had passed away from cancer. I wanted to send flowers or give some type of recognition of my childhood hero. I felt like part of my youth had died along with Roger. A year later my mom passed away from cancer which has been the most sorrowful event in my life. She was a huge hockey fan and was planning to attend the first Wild game with my wife and daughter even though she was truly sick. With my mom's passing another part of my life was gone. I went over to her house and found that she had saved all of the Northstars programs that we had collected through the years especially the one from the first Sabres game.
I know Roger is just a blip on the huge hockey screen and seems to be forgotten by most who are interested in the Haseks, Roys and Belfours. To get around (the long way around) to my question if there are any Crozier autographs that I could purchase.
I would also be interested in any Sabre Crozier memorabilia. Tough challenges, I know but well worth the effort. I would like to regain that happy spot of my youth with an autograph or something related to Crozier.
This is what I remember about the Aud, the Sabres, and growing up in Buffalo:
I remember that Loblaw's or Twin Fair or somebody had a promotion where you could buy tickets in the orange section for a buck or two. Our parents let a bunch of us go to a Sabres-Penguins game. No one worried that we were only 10 or 11; somebody's dad dropped us off, and somebody else's dad picked us up, and it was fine by everyone. Denis Herron was in goal for the Pejs that night. One of the great things about the Aud was that even in the "nosebleed" seats, you had a good view of the action. [And how!!!--Ed.]
I remember taking a girl to see Gordie Howe play for the Whalers, the week after my Dad died of cancer. Hartford was wearing those awful all-green uniforms at the time. We sat in the blues, in that section where the overhand from the upper level completely blocked the view of the scoreboard. I asked my date if she was having a good time. "It's kinda boring," she replied, "but I like the green team's costumes." We never went out again after that.
I remember countless Braves games, cheering for Bob McAdoo, Randy Smith, Ernie D, and Jack Marin, "The Mad Bomber." Things were so relaxed back then: I got Rick Barry's autograph on a game program while he was doing a pregame radio interview. The players had to walk through a public hallwayto get from the court to their locker rooms, with only a portable wrought iron gate separating them from the fans. You could talk to players as they went to and from the court. When the Braves were blowing out an opponent, the fans would sing (to the tune of "Goodnight Ladies", "Good night, Philly (New York or whomever), We're glad to see you go!"
I remember the year the Sabres rookies played the Buffalo Norsemen NAHL team in an exhibition at the North Tonawanda rink the Norsemen called home. I lived in NT, and that was probably the most exciting sporting event in the history of our town, including the annual T-NT football games.
I remember our whole family gathering around the TV to watch the Sabres play Montreal in the playoffs (this must have been '73). My aunt make signs that said "Sabre Powre" and us kids ran around waving them like crazy. I remember feeling sick to my stomach when Jimmy Schoenfeld got traded (but not quite as sick as I got listening to his "Schoney" album), and when Rick Martin went into convusions after striking his head.
I remember talking my way into the Aud at Christmastime, the year before the new arena opened. I took my eldest son inside (we live in Houston, and were in town for the holidays). The place smelled like stale beer, exactly the way I remembered it. We sat in the golds, just looking out over the ice.
I remember game three of the '93 playoffs versus Boston the game went into overtime and Hawerchuk scored. I remember that game because it was the loudest game at the Aud that I was ever at. I had to wait out in front of the aud to pick up a ride, and after about ten minutes of standing around, I heard the famous air horn go off, and I knew that the Sabres had won the game.
My other story involved a beer vendor who lost tripped on a step up in the Oranges. Everyone thought he was a goner. He grabbed the railing and lost his cartons of beer and came back up the stairs white as a ghost. Needless to say the people down below got an unexpected beer shower.
I have been going to the Aud for roughly 20 of my 32 years to watch the Sabres when it was closed in 1996. So needless to say I have many memories of the old "Aud".
The most important memory for me at the Aud was meeting my wife there during a game two nights before Christmas in 1993. Dominik Hasek was in goal that night for the injured Grant Fuhr and the Sabres beat the Habs 3-0. (Montreal for anyone unfamiliar with the name Habs.)
There were a lot of memories, including exciting playoff games that went into overtime. And basically any Montreal game that ended in a Buffalo win.
But probably the most memorable game came back in 1989 against St.Louis when Clint Malarchuck had his neck slashed by Steve Tuttle's skate. Malachuck nearly died right there on the ice, thank god he was at the end of the arena where the locker rooms were because he probably wouldn't have made it to the other end. I was also there two nights later when Malarchuck walked out of the zamboni tunnel to wave to the fans.
The other most memorable game for me was the final game in the building. The Sabres beat Hartford 4-1. The Sabres then closed out the Aud Era with a ceremony which ended with Pat LaFontaine, Buffalo's captain, sliding the puck into the net for the last time. This brought on one final blast of the goal horn symbolizing the end of the Aud as a hockey venue.
The atmosphere in the old Aud was also memorable for me. As one of the other writers said, the goal horn was quite a blast, startling many first time fans who sat near it. But I can still remember games long before the horn was installed where the place was so loud that it seemed to be shaking.I should know because my season tickets were located right under it. But I couldn't imagine that building without it. And I was going to games there long before it was installed.