An Interesting Idea

by Ryan

So yesterday the Habs released a logo for their centennial. That's right, hockey fans, 100 years of hockey and jingoistic tensions, everybody celebrate!



Anyways, I was poking around their website and found this, which seems like a pretty good idea if you ask me. The team is unveiling a "Centennial Plaza" in a few months, and for a nominal fee you can have a brick with your name on it get stepped on by hundreds of drunk people on the way inside the Bell Centre. Quite the investment, I know.

However, this got me thinking, could the Sabres pull off something similar?

Remember back when the Bass Pro deal was finalized (the second time) and Larry Quinn said something about doing something with HSBC Arena's atrium because of the development around the building? Well, I do, and the Buffalo News' website blows and doesn't archive anything past a week or so, so I can't show you. Just, uh, just trust me on this.

Anways, what if the Sabres did something similar to this? I think this would be the perfect place for a monument of some sort to the Aud, and letting the fans get a piece of the action would be a nice gesture. The pricing for that kind of thing isn't all that bad, and it's been done before.

For example, the Bills do this with Gate 2 and 3, and the prices aren't too bad if you like to drop a few bills on masonry. The smallest brick is $150 bucks, and even that isn't too bad if you just don't know what to get a special Bills fan.

The only problem with something like the Bills' Walk of Fame is that not everyone gets to see it, as there are many ways to get into the stadium. If the Sabres did something like this it would have much more visibility, and would undoubtedly get much more interest because of that increased traffic.

There is only one way in the Arena, and while that may seem like a fire hazard to some, (have you ever tried getting out of there in a hurry? Good luck.) it only means a quality investment to someone who wants the world to know he was at Game Five of the ECFs two years ago.

This may seem like a petty excuse for a cash grab, but, well, that's exactly what it is. I'm sure there would be some tie to a charity, but you just know the team is dying to squeeze every nickel out of this team that they can, and this is a pretty novel idea if you ask me.

Larry, if you're reading, you know how to reach me.