Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula was apparently outraged before the team's game against the Panthers at the BB&T Center in South Florida. His ire was triggered by a pregame video the Panthers showed contrasting snowy Buffalo with sunny Florida. That's not necessarily all that uncommon, but it was the imagery used that really upset Pegula.
Many of the images used in the video came from the November snowstorm that briefly crippled Buffalo and resulted in at least 13 deaths. Those were juxtaposed against video of the Panthers' mascot enjoying himself in the sun playing street hockey and fishing, among other things.
According to the Miami Herald, Pegula took his complaint right to Florida general manager Dale Tallon:
"People died in that storm," Pegula was overheard saying to Tallon. "That's not funny."
Tallon said he didn't see the video -- he wasn't in the press box at the time -- but was told about before meeting with Pegula and Murray during the second intermission.
"I can't comment on it because I haven't seen it and don't really know what's in it," Tallon told the Miami Herald after walking away from the Buffalo management group.
"But if they're upset, rightfully so."
According to the Herald, Tallon apologized to Pegula.
A portion of the video was shot from the stands and can be seen on Facebook.
Odds are, the Panthers video team didn't know the full extent of that storm and the difficulty it put on Buffalo and its citizens. They wouldn't be the first warm-weather team to poke fun at one of its snowy counterparts. It's more tone-deaf than malicious.
Pegula, who resides in Florida, is not being overly sensitive either. That storm put the city of Buffalo in some serious difficulty and did far more than inconvenience its citizens. It's hard to believe most other Buffalonians would find it funny, either. As someone who has invested a lot of his fortune in Buffalo and has displayed a deep care for the city, Pegula's reaction is hardly a surprise.
As far as the Panthers are concerned, it probably doesn't need to go much further than an apology for the insensitivity.
