The gift of Golisano

Buffalo, NHL should embrace prospective Sabres owner

So Tom Golisano wants to buy the Sabres, which to me is about the best news the NHL has received since Frank Abagnale Jr. backed out of the bidding. It's pretty surprising that the business mogul's renewed interest in the team isn't creating a greater buzz, especially especially given team press releases like the one this week announcing that the Sabres had "acquired center Jakub Klepis (pronounced YA-kuhb KLEH-pihsh) from the Ottawa Senators." You know that deal had the faithful going wild up on Seymour H. Knox III Plaza.

Actually, the Sabres did make a little national news this week by revealing that, in something of an upset, the team would be able to meet its payroll for the rest of the season. Only in the NHL is it worth a headline when a team announces that it's going to pay its players on time.

Anyway, back to Golisano. You remember him. He's the CEO of Paychex Inc. who in last fall's New York gubernatorial race spent $75 million in a futile attempt to rise to power. (In other words, the same thing the Rangers are doing right now.) He's a wide, self-assured man of 61 with a full head of silver hair. He's outspoken enough and controversial enough and outside-of-the-establishment enough that some pols in Buffalo aren't quite ready to welcome him. (This is partly because he ran some wiggy anti-George Pataki ads last fall. After one debate, a Pataki advisor and a Golisano advisor got into such a heated screaming match that a police officer had to step in.)

But Golisano would bring a lot of life, and a lot of money, to Buffalo. Those are a couple of things the Sabres, who are about $200 million in debt and have the worst offense and the worst win-loss record in hockey, can really use. It's true that Golisano isn't much of a hockey guy -- he was a high school baseball star, he sponsors a PGA Tour golfer, he shoots skeet -- but neither was Gary Bettman when he took over as NHL commissioner. And Bettman will be happy to tell you what a good job he has done with the league.

Also, Golisano is making efforts to get to know this team. He has been going to Sabres games lately, and people who remember seeing him on TV talking about things like Medicaid and budget deficits keep stopping by to wish him luck. He has even been seen in the stands talking to Dominik Hasek, a direct connection which, in Sabresland, makes Golisano into a sort of pope.

He is by all accounts a fair boss. Paychex Inc. is rated as one of the best companies in the United States to work for and Golisano's executive compensation was reportedly a sensible $744,230 in 2002. That may sound like a lot to most of us, but it's not much by NHL standards. Why, Sabres center Stu Barnes (nine goals in 61 games) makes nearly four times that amount. A year or two from now YA-kuhb KLEH-pihsh himself could be earning what Golisano takes in.

Neither is Golisano, who started Paychex 30 years ago with $3,000, afraid to take risks. One of his platforms in the governor's race was the legalization of marijuana for medical use. Now that's a clever position. If he does buy the team, no doubt people will perk up when they hear that Martin Biron "stoned" some guy on a breakaway.

"I'm getting excited about the Sabres," Golisano said last week. And the NHL should be getting excited about Golisano. This is no John Spano, folks. And remember, Golisano made his pile in payroll processing, for heaven's sake. I mean, if the Sabres don't get him as an owner, how long before the Senators come calling?

Sports Illustrated senior writer Kostya Kennedy takes sides each week at SI.com.

 

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