Today’s column is based on a question that I’m genuinely curious about, and we’ll get to that in a minute. But let’s start with a few statements of fact, none of which should be in dispute.
Fact: The Buffalo Sabres haven’t made the playoffs in 15 years.
Fact: That’s tied with the New York Jets for the longest streak in North American pro sports.
Fact: More impressively, it’s the longest drought in the 100+ year history of the NHL.
Fact: The drought is ending this year.
I’ll pause here, because I know some Sabres fans are going to be antsy about that last one. No, they haven’t mathematically clinched. But with 92 points already in the bank, the Sabres are a lock. I’m not trying to be cute, or pull some sort of elaborate reverse jinx. Both our projections and MoneyPuck have them at north of 99 percent. It’s going to happen. I realize Sabres fans have been traumatized by this team over the years, but it’s going to happen.
Deep breaths, everyone. Let’s keep going.
Fact: This year’s Sabres are fun as hell.
Fact: This year’s Sabres are legitimately good. (Don’t look at the analytics, watch the games, nerd.)
Fact: Generally speaking, their fans are cool.
Fact: Their fans have suffered, often quietly but occasionally very publicly. Nobody deserves a winner because that’s not really how sports work, but also: Sabres fans absolutely deserve a winner.
Fact: Speaking of winning, the Sabres have never won a Cup. But they were infamously robbed of one in 1999 on one of the worst non-calls in hockey history, something only a contrarian idiot would deny.
Fact: Did we mention the record-shattering 15-year playoff drought?
Add it all up, and we get one more indisputable fact.
Fact: This year’s Sabres aren’t just the season’s best bandwagon team; they might be the single greatest bandwagon team of all time.
Seriously, can you think of a better option? The miracle St. Louis Blues in 2019 were pretty good, and last year’s Winnipeg Jets checked a ton of boxes. Maybe the New York Islanders right after John Tavares left and everyone thought they’d finish last? Any Columbus Blue Jackets team, including this year’s, is a decent option, but Buffalo has a 30-year head start on them. We may need some distance to really figure out where the Sabres rank among history’s best options, but I honestly can’t think of anyone who clearly tops them.
And for this year? It’s not even close. I write an annual column where I rank all the playoff teams based on bandwagonability, and yes, that’s a real word, whether my editors think so or not. It’s one of my favorite columns to put together every year. But this spring, I might not even bother. What’s the point? If you’re the sort of fan who’s willing to adopt a temporary team, there are only going to be two options: “I am bandwagoning the Sabres,” and “There is something fundamentally wrong with me.”
All of which leads me to the big question.
Sabres fans: Do you want this?
I’m serious. This isn’t some rhetorical question. I genuinely want to know how Sabres fans feel about the potentially unprecedented surge of support that’s about to arrive.
I’ve tried to put myself in your shoes, but it’s not easy because I root for a team that everyone hates and is committed to being super weird about all the time. But as best I can see it, there are really two ways to look at the question.
Option 1 is yes, of course, the more the merrier. To be clear, the standard rules of bandwagoning would still apply, which is to say that the true diehard fans always get first dibs. You can’t ditch your gear from your loser franchise and immediately try to elbow your way to the front of the line on some new team, right next to the fans who’ve been rocking blue and gold from the beginning. Bandwagon fans are second-class citizens, and that’s fine. Know your role and all that, but otherwise enjoy yourself.
If fans follow those rules, then Sabres fans should welcome them. Everyone wants to be the popular kid at least once in their life, right? And the Sabres are about to be the most popular team in the league. It will be a proud moment for long-suffering fans in one of hockey’s greatest markets. Finally, after all the misery and punchlines and heartbreak, you get to enjoy something. And you’ll do it with the entire hockey world at your back. This is going to be your collective Rudy moment, and it’s one you’ll have earned. Enjoy it.
In other words, Sabres fans have waited forever for this, and they deserve all the support in the world.
But then there’s Option 2, which sounds a lot like Option 1 until you get to the end: Yes, Sabres fans have suffered. Yes, they’ve heard your punchlines. Yes, they’ve been waiting a generation for this moment. And that’s exactly why everyone else should clear out and leave them alone. Anyone who’s managed to stick with this team for the last 15 years and beyond has earned this. The rest of you haven’t, so don’t try to crowd in their territory. They’re not your charity case, and they don’t need your pity. This is their moment, not yours, so get out of the way.
In other words: Sabres fans have waited forever for this, and they deserve to enjoy it without anyone else piling on.
Honestly, I can see both sides.
Generally speaking, having bandwagon fans crawl out of the woodwork to support your favorite team is a good thing. It means your team is likable, and has at least a decent chance to win. And it means that as a fan base, you’ve been less annoying than you could have been. A lot of things have to line up to fill a bandwagon, and most of them are good. All else being equal, you want other fans to support your team.
But all else isn’t equal, because this year’s Sabres are very obviously a special case. And the other side of this is that it’s possible that no fan base has had as miserable a decade or so as the Sabres’ just did. They’re not obligated to share this with anyone, to any extent at all. It should just be them. The rest of us, who spent that time kicking them when they were down and making cliched punchlines at their expense for the last decade, should let them have this. You respect Sabres fans? Good, you should. Show it by wishing them well and then staying out of their way.
I don’t know. And I shouldn’t know, because I’m not a Sabres fan. But I might be one soon, at least temporarily, just like you.
Should we be? That’s not our call. So instead of me trying to make the case one way or another, let’s ask the people that matter.
Sabres fans, what do you say?
This poll is just for them.
I thought about trying to find a way to block fans of other teams from answering. Maybe by asking a question that only a Sabres fan would know, like “Who took the worst puck-over-glass penalty in history?” or “Why was Rob Ray always half-naked?” or “What’s it like to feel jealous of the Cleveland Browns?” but instead we’ll just do this on the honor system. If you’re not a Sabres fan and just wanted to see the real-time results, just click “submit” without voting.
But if you’re a Sabres fan, let me know which option you’d prefer. The more the merrier, or you against the world?
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