Coming off of perhaps the greatest season in Sabres hockey since their Stanley Cup finals appearance in 1975, the Sabres made changes this off-season on a grand scale.

While there is no truth to the rumor that the new Sabres’ motto is "We can't stand prosperity", many of the moves have been criticized on both a local and national level. Infighting amongst the different factions of ownership and upper management have created a turmoil that is far from settled. Add player sniping and an unusual influx of players from the past into management and you get quite the strange brew.

So let us examine the events that have transpired since the Philadelphia Flyers eliminated the Sabres in five games from the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Coming up on the annual National Hockey League awards ceremony, things seemed to be settled on the Sabres front. General Manager John Muckler was terminated by Sabres President Larry Quinn. Quinn cited the deteriorating relationship Muckler had with both coach Ted Nolan and himself. Quinn then made statements that Nolan was his coach and he would be "strongly recommended" to the new general manager. Many took Muckler's termination and the statements to mean that Nolan had won the ultimate power struggle within the organization. Unfortunately, the power struggles were really just beginning.

The Sabres then cleaned up the awards ceremony by taking home most of the major hardware. Dominik Hasek received both the Vezina Trophy (Best Goaltender) and the Hart Trophy (League Most Valuable Player), Michael Peca took home the Selke Trophy (Best Defensive Forward) and Ted Nolan won the Jack Adams Trophy (Coach of the Year).

All was looking great for the Sabres until a mysterious shift in attitude toward coach Nolan took place. Quinn suddenly backed off of his original statements and began to publicly question how good a coach Ted Nolan really was. Citing poor puck retrieval (puck retrieval?) and a poor power play, he began to reveal the reservations the organization seemed to have about Nolan.

Nolan kept the stance that he was the Sabres coach until told otherwise, but he also became very public with his displeasure at the slow rate of negotiations. Quinn told the press that the hiring "process" was ongoing. Eventually it became clear that he was uncomfortable with Nolan and wanted his own man to coach the team. Unfortunately, he never came forth and revealed this -- instead he covered it up with innuendo and half-truths.

The next big event was the naming of the Sabres new general manager. The position was filled by ex-Islander assistant G.M. Darcy Regier, who beat out candidates Terry O'Reilly and Sherry Bassin for the job. Quinn cited Regier's work for the Islanders during their recent rebuilding era and the fact that ex-Isles GM Bill Torrey highly recommended him. Apparently Regier's forte is developing and identifying young talent, a pair of traits that seem to fit the Sabres plans.

Regier was clearly non-committal on the Nolan situation and the Buffalo press honed in on the growing battle lines between Quinn and Nolan. The controversy dragged out for well over a month with players such as Matthew Barnaby and Rob Ray siding with Nolan, and Dominik Hasek strictly in the opposite corner. Also, an ever increasing tension between the majority owners, the Knox family, and principal shareholder John Rigas came to light. Rigas was (and still is!) a Nolan man and the Knoxes were in Quinn's fold.

The ensuing power struggle threw the Sabres over the edge and into chaos. Hasek made statements to the press about his lack of respect for his coach and that the team would be better off without him. Barnaby and Ray came to Nolan's defense. Barbs were traded and the press and public continually blasted the Sabres. The eventual outcome was Ted Nolan's departure after a half-hearted one-year contract offer which he termed "insulting".

Regier then cited the "process", which has become the organization's new mantra, in his search for a new coach. The search became a long drawn out affair with seemingly a new candidate daily. Names like Craig Ramsey, Mike Keenan and Terry O'Reilly came to light early; Ron Wilson seemed to be a late entry along with perennial runner-up Don Lever. Finally, the Sabres settled on former Sabre winger and Panther assistant Lindy Ruff as their new head coach. Ruff then brought in Mike Ramsey to replace Paul Theriault as assistant coach and Don Lever was retained as associate coach.

Ruff's initial press conference was a disaster, shaking the already shocked Buffalo fans into near panic. Season tickets were canceled in droves and the talk show switchboards were jammed with anti-Sabre sentiments. In fact, in many informal polls Larry Quinn was named almost unanimously as the most hated man in Buffalo. He appears to have been chosen to take the brunt of the criticism and he may just deserve it.

The Sabres tried to quell the rising animosity by finally bringing a hero from the past into the organization. Gilbert Perrault was brought in as a public relations liaison in a move long overdue. They then started a marketing blitz based upon players from the past. A dramatic turn from the past few years campaigns of "New Team, New Colors, New Attitude!", many fans viewed this as simply a step back into mediocrity.

In fact some skeptics asked derisively that since all the old players were back, why couldn't they bring the blue and gold uniforms back also? The Sabres may have done some long term damage to their image with the current events. It appears they may have seriously underestimated the reactions they would receive. Now there are serious rumors flying about that the team will be sold to John Rigas by December and that the Knox family cannot financially handle the burden of the team due to the loss of revenue the situation is causing.

The lack of fiscal ability finally filtered down and cost the Sabres the services of defenseman Garry Galley. Galley bolted for a three-year multi-million dollar offer from the Los Angeles Kings. It cannot be construed as a good sign when a veteran leader bolts for a team that has absolutely no chance to win.

Also, the Sabres have run into serious problems coming up with feasible offers for Michael Peca and Alexei Zhitnik, and both are considering holding out from camp. There are now strong indications that Peca may receive an offer sheet from either the Blackhawks or Rangers that the Sabres would be hard pressed to match.

The worst situation of all revolves around all-star center Pat Lafontaine. Lafontaine wants to return to the club and says that he has received medical clearance from two highly respected doctors. The club is dragging its feet on this and will not let him skate with the team until team doctors clear him. Unfortunately, rumors persist that the club simply cannot afford to pay Lafontaine and keep its young stars such as Peca and Zhitnik. Naturally, as Lafontaine is one of the clubs most popular and respected players, fans are in an uproar over this "mistreatment" of their star.

You can then top it all of with an open feud between the majority of the team's players and goaltender Dominik Hasek. Apparently many players who were pro-Ted Nolan have taken great offense to Hasek's stand against him. Barnaby was even quoted as saying there is a running bet on who would take the first run at Hasek in camp. When questioned by the local press, Barnaby refused to back off of his statements. It is a feud between two of the most popular players on the team and it may be this that finally tears the team completely apart.

On the bright side last year's number one pick Eric Rasmussen (C,6'2", 215, University of Minnesota) came to terms and is being given a legitimate shot to make the team. Young kids like defenseman Jay McKee and Corey Sarich are expected to bolster the defense along with Darren Van Oene and Curtis Brown and Wayne Primeau at forward. The youth movement is in full swing and all indications are that it could be highly successful. Add this to a young exciting team that seemed to arrive far ahead of schedule and there is some cause for optimism in Buffalo.

The real victims here are the fans of the Sabres. They are victims of an organization with absolutely no sense of loyalty or tact. Name another franchise that would fire its radio play-by-play man by issuing a press release before notifying him. Apparently this would happen only in Buffalo.

A young exciting team with a charismatic, popular coach and some rising stars were jetting toward something special. The fans could feel it and it seems that the current events have just served to derail a train loaded with precious cargo. It remains to be seen if the Sabres organization has made wise choices or has just slipped back into mediocrity or worse. The organization has a serious credibility problem not only locally, but nationally. Frankly, the management is an embarrassment to the City of Buffalo and the Sabre's fans.

Only one thing can right this train and that’s winning. Maybe the Sabres became winners too early? Coach Nolan and his team may have upset carefully laid plans and it may have cost him his job? The pressure is all on Lindy Ruff, Darcy Regier and Larry Quinn -- win now or pay the consequences and face the wrath of the Sabres fans.

If this wrath turns into empty seats it may mean more than the end of their jobs, but the existence of the Sabres in Buffalo.

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