The role of head coach for the Buffalo Sabers has become one of the most unenviable positions in professional sports since Terry Pegula purchased the franchise in February 2011.
In the 11 years since the Sabers have had six different men in charge behind the bench and none of them have lasted more than two full seasons in that role before being fired. He has been a seemingly endless merry-go-round that has prevented the team from achieving sustained improvement and made him the laughing stock of the NHL.
As a result, saying that the deck was against the seventh and current trainer Don Granato when he took over midway through the shortened 2021 season would be a huge understatement. Despite this, the rookie bench boss guided the Sabers to a much-improved performance in his first full year and it looks like the team is headed in the right direction.
However, the coach’s job is not yet guaranteed. If Granato can’t keep up Sabers’ upward trend next season, he could become yet another victim of the “Curse of the Pegulas.”
Terry Pegula loves firing people.
There is no softer way to say it. Since he acquired the Sabers from previous owner Tom Golisano in the middle of the 2010-11 season, Pegula has become perhaps the ultimate hockey player. most nosy owner. Although he set out with the goal of making the team an immediate Stanley Cup challenger, his involvement in seemingly every aspect of his team’s operations, as well as his little patience with the front office staff, have made him a reviled figure in the city of Buffalo. .
Golisano has never made a managerial change in his eight years as owner, but Pegula has been the polar opposite. After Lindy Ruff was the first sacrificial victim in March 2013, Ron Rolston, Ted Nolan, Dan Bylsma, phil housley and Ralph Krueger tried their best to make the Sabers into a contender, but neither could succeed (thanks at least in part to Buffalo’s perpetual incompetence and organizational overhaul) and all men met the same fate. In addition to the six coaches, three general managers (GMs) have also been let go since 2011, including Jason Botterill in June 2020 just three weeks after the organization he publicly endorsed it.
Let’s also not forget that conflicts with former general manager Tim Murray were reportedly what led to pat lafontaine voluntarily resign as president of hockey operations in March 2014, a blow from which the team in many ways has yet to recover.
As good as his intentions may be, the Sabers organization as a whole has become a circus under the command of former oil tycoon Pegula. As a result, every new coach who has taken over has been faced with trying to turn an extremely dysfunctional franchise into a winner. And it has proven to be an impossible task up to this point.
Granato exceeded expectations this season
The work Granato did in his first full season with the Sabers was extraordinary given what he had to work with. After what was arguably the most disastrous season in team history and without superstar Jack Eichel at their disposal, they shocked just about everyone and finished just seven games under a .500 winning percentage for the 2021 season. 22 (no small feat considering they won just 15 of 58 games last season).
The team’s offense improved considerably, led by a breakout 38-goal season from Tage Thompson, heavy rebounding from Jeff Skinner and Kyle Okposo and a nearly one-point-a-game second half from Alex Tuch. Rasmus Dahlin and Henri Jokiharju also made big strides defensively, and Craig Anderson had a solid campaign despite being the oldest goalkeeper in the NHL. Granato was certainly one of the reasons for the change and deserves to be credited. The roster seemed to gravitate towards his laid-back, soft-spoken style and it seems the team has developed a true identity for the first time in years.
Despite this, Granato’s place behind the Sabers’ bench is not yet set in stone as he enters his second full campaign. Of the aforementioned six men who preceded him, only Bylsma and Housley managed to make it to even two full seasons before being fired. Even if some of those firings were justified, the fact remains that he is approaching uncharted territory in the pantheon of Sabers head coaches under Pegula.
Can Granato break the curse?
Entering the 2022-23 season, the Sabers are expected to build on the foundation of the previous year and perhaps even look for a playoff spot. If that doesn’t happen, the law of averages would indicate that Pegula could do what he has done better than any of his contemporaries and hit the reset button once more.
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After so many failures, the Sabers (at least up to this point) seem to have finally found the right guy and it would be best for everyone if Garnatus were kept. A team can never be expected to accomplish anything without organizational continuity and the Sabers have proven that time and time again over the last decade.
With how far he’s taken the Sabers in such a short amount of time, Granato deserves to be the one to finally break the curse in team training. With him at the helm, the future of hockey in Buffalo looks bright. But it all depends on Pegula’s ability to break an old habit. For the sake of fans in western New York and southern Ontario who desperately want their team to compete again, let’s hope he can.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read my content! I am a journalism graduate from Niagara University and a lifelong Buffalo Sabers and hockey fan. I will gladly discuss anything Sabers with you. Also talk to me on Twitter if you want!