An exit by Sabers general manager Kevyn Adams in the midst of the team’s losing streak didn’t sit well with Buffalo, with fans in the stands at KeyBank Center calling for his firing Saturday as the club from Utah was in town.
Chants of “Fire Kevyn” could be heard in the third period as the Sabers headed for a sixth straight loss, according to The Athletic.
This is because, on Friday, Adams made rather clumsy remarks at a press conference, claiming that in Buffalo, “there are taxes and not palm trees” to justify the failures of the organization which did not take been in the playoffs since 2011. The many players using their no-trade clause to avoid ending up in Buffalo would complicate Adams’ job.
Supporters thus made fun of their CEO by showing up to Saturday’s match with inflatable palm trees.
Discontent is widespread in the city of Buffalo. Popular hosts of local radio station WGR 550 went on a tirade against Adams on Friday after the CEO held his press briefing.
-“He’s the guy who’s supposed to convince you to come here, but the next player or the next agent he calls is going to think about taxes and absent palm trees,” protested host Christopher Parker, exasperated, as cited by Sportsnet. The guy doesn’t believe he can do the job anymore. Why would you go play for him?”
You don’t have to look too far to find proof that a team can win in Buffalo: the Bills in the NFL were, before Sunday’s games, with a 10-2 record thanks in particular to the prowess of their quarterback Josh Allen .
“In the space of a few months, you traded two of the top five scorers in the league, who won the cup,” added Parker, referring to Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart. Tell me again about taxes and the fact that there are no palm trees.”
Even if everything is not looking good, the Sabers are still in the thick of the playoff race, as virtually every team in the East can claim, basically. They are only three points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning who occupy the last position giving access to the playoffs, but the Lightning have three games in hand.