The US has drawn a tough group that could be made tougher based on the teams that qualify for the final spots in each of the three pools. The other pools consist of Canada, Finland, Norway and a qualifier; and Sweden, Czech Republic, Switzerland and another qualifier.

An average showing at the World Championships put the US and Canada at the mercy of the selection committee after another showing without a medal for the two powerhouses. Russia captured another World Championship title with the Slovaks and Finland each enjoying a deep run. Many reports point to the Norwegians as the biggest winners from this year’s World Championship.

Now teams like Belarus, Latvia, Germany, France, Denmark, Kazakhstan and Italy will battle for one of the final three spots in the Olympic tournament. These participants will be affected by their play in international tournaments (both at the elite and Division I level) before those final spots are determined.

What is unfortunate is that so much weight regarding Olympic seeding is based on a tournament that few care about. While the World Championship is a big deal for European players and fans, tournament barely registers on an annual basis in North America. Perhaps if the tournament wasn’t played right after the regular season, or during the playoffs, or exclusively in Europe it would carry more weight with fans over here.

Ken Holland was quoted, on NHL Home Ice, saying that upwards of 80% of the players approached by Hockey Canada refused to play this tournament. I can only imagine that USA Hockey has the same hurdles to clear when forming their team. After all, there were players from the Finnish Elite League wearing the stars and stripes this year. This fact alone illustrates the little respect that this tournament receives in North America.

Now, the US beat Canada during the preliminary round, and that was awesome. Missing out on a medal wasn’t even a big deal since we were able to beat our neighbors to the north. However, there needs to be a few changes made to at least make the World Championship a respected event down the line.

First, the dates the tournament covers are awful. Playing during the playoffs means that every hockey fan who cares about the Stanley Cup – basically everyone outside of Europe – will be directing their attention to the playoffs, not the World Championship.

Why not push the dates further into June? This would allow for the NHL playoffs to complete before the tournament was to begin. Also, this would ensure that NHL players would have more time to rest after the season comes to a close. Outside of the Russians, there aren’t many players willing to fly to a corner of the globe to play in a meaningless tournament. Ideally, late June or early July would provide NHLers ample opportunity to wind down and rest after the season, while still being far enough away from training camp to reduce the risk associated with any potential injury.

This is an imperfect solution to the current problem. Especially when you consider that late June would allow players to grow some rust prior to heading to the tournament. Allowing players to settle into summer may also make it even harder for players to be drawn to the tourney. Also, there wouldn’t be a single facility in North America capable of hosting this event with ice down by June or July. So, giving North American fans the chance to attend would likely remain out of the question.

Still, by pushing the tournament back, there would be far less competition for viewers that the current format has. Also, those players who experienced long runs at the end of the year, or early playoff exits would have the ability to heal and recuperate before getting an invite to play more hockey. I have to think the acceptance rate would rise a bit if players were given some time to unwind versus an almost immediate turnaround to Europe.

Lastly, it would be a whole lot easier to attract players if this tourney was played in North America. Pick a city and schedule a building for the last week of June and first week of July so they can prepare the ice and region for the influx of teams.

I have to think a team like the Sabres and a city like Buffalo would welcome a 16-team continent complete with fans and team service reps with open arms. Not to mention getting international sponsors of the event to the city for a couple weeks. There would certainly be interest from more players since they would have a three or four-hour flight within the continent versus a 16-hour flight to Europe.

Obviously there would need to be some cherry picking done here. Cities like Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Buffalo and Minneapolis would obviously be solid host cities with the greatest potential to attract fans. That’s not to say that other cities wouldn’t be in on the bid process, but from a ticketing standpoint, those cities are likely quite attractive.

Again, this is all conjecture and a North American based World Championship tournament could end up being a tremendous flop. But providing the opportunity for additional exposure would certainly create more interest in the tournament.

The Toronto Series has been surrounded with varying levels of criticism and success. Quite often the main complaint is that the game isn’t even close to a home game for the Bills, particularly because of the varying fan affiliations in Toronto. Ticket prices were also criticized at times during the series.

There are obviously going to be steps made to attempt to bring in more Bills fans for the next five years worth of games in this series. At least I hope so. Based on the generally negative reviews that fans (even some players) have had, this will likely remain as a poorly accepted and generally bad ideas the franchise has ever had. It is also looking like it could be the best idea as well.

From 2000-2010 you might say the Bills operated as a small-market, cash-strapped franchise primarily concerned with the bottom line. So many moves that were made seemed to be geared towards trimming cash in various spots in order to make the ownership more money. Even the Toronto Series was practically cash in the pocket for Ralph Wilson.

However, after a year with varied success, the Bills have suddenly become players in the free agent market. Management made a commitment towards building a winning team this offseason and signed new faces and has also kept their best players in town. This appears to be a pledge from management that they want the Bills to be a viable, successful franchise on, and off the field. This pledge was accompanied by a fairly significant investment by Ralph Wilson. I have to wonder, were funds made with the Toronto Series allocated for some of these recent signings?

The $78 million brought in by the first five years of this agreement were a major chunk of change for a small market team that already would be flush with funds thanks to the NFL revenue sharing. Since that money just gets placed on top of any other earnings, the Bills would have been working with roughly $15 million extra ($78m divided by five years) per season since this deal began.

All things considered, you might say that additional money has now been directed towards player contracts in an indirect way. The reason I say indirect is that the Bills still are an NFL franchise and need to operate within the confines of the salary cap. It is the same situation the Sabres had over the past few years. The team earnings are X, they plan to spend Y on players but still have an adequate overall revenue of Z when all is said and done. If the money from Toronto allowed their total bottom line to stay static while committing more to salaries, this annual trip north has not gone for naught.

Maybe that is a long connection to draw on the matter of income, salaries and the franchise’s overall mission. But the pieces certainly come together nicely. Regardless of the real motivation, it is exciting to know that the Bills are serious about forming a contending roster that will win football games. Whether or not the Toronto Series played a role in this matters not. It would just bring some justification to a series of games that has done little more than strip home games away from fans in Buffalo.

Sulzer, who was originally thought of as a toss-in to the Hodgson/Kassian trade was solid for the Sabres in the stretch run and earned himself an extended stay with the club. Sulzer has gone well beyond the pleasant surprise he was in March to a full-blown upgrade for the Buffalo blue line.

Remember, Marc-Andre Gragnani was swapped for Sulzer as each were pending free agents at the end of this season (Gragnani was an RFA). If the Sabres kept him, Gragnani would have likely been tendered on the basis that just about every RFA gets a tender on a yearly basis. That would mean he would have been in the conversation for a roster spot yet again in the fall. Now he is not and most fans are rejoicing over his absence.

Sulzer is now one of eight defensemen who will be vying for playing time next season. If T.J. Brennan is offered – and accepts – his tender, that number will climb to nine. Sulzer fit well as a fifth or sixth defenseman late in the year and showed patience and consistency in the defensive zone. Not to mention, his chemistry with countryman Christian Ehrhoff made for a sound defensive pairing.

I expect to see Sulzer as Buffalo’s sixth defenseman with Mike Weber being bumped to the seventh spot. In fact, I would even go so far as to say Weber is expendable based on this signing. Of course, Weber’s value may not be very high based on what he brings to the table for most teams.

Overall, this signing is very impressive for the Sabres, who received him as little more than a security blanket in their trade for Cody Hodgson.

Note the four massive parking lots smack in the middle of this “district”.

With a trio of pipe dreams on paper, I thought I would share another idea I have been mulling for some time. This will revolve around two massive parking lots and one densely packed neighborhood otherwise known as the Cobblestone District.

Let’s call a spade a spade. The Cobblestone District is horribly named. It should be the Cobblestone Parking District. After all, 75% of the neighborhood is composed of two massive surface lots that are kept empty expect for 100 days a year when the arena is in use. These lots were spawned due to the construction of the arena, but I can’t imagine that this was the only use that planners could have come up with for two such massive pieces of land.

The one surviving block has become a well-used strip of property with some terrific re-use projects anchoring the side of the block that fronts Mississippi St. The back side (Illinois St.) leaves much to be desired, but most of the buildings are at least occupied at this time. There is still a massive black hole in the old smith shop on the corner of South Park and Illinois that has slowly become an albatross for the neighborhood and the building owner. There are plenty of great re-use ideas on the table for that property, but I doubt anything will ever come of it.

A photo from Buffalo Rising showing a terrific re-use for the empty smith shop in the Cobblestone District.

As for the rest; there is nothing. Literally nothing. The streets are paved with Cobblestones but they are utterly pointless as there is nothing that they lead to. This needs to change. There is a slow trickle of development happening on the waterfront and the Buffalo Creek Casino appears to be poised to grow out of the pathetic steel building it currently occupies. By the time these two pieces of the puzzle are complete, I will be 50; but I digress.

The Cobblestone District sits between two very important pieces of Buffalo’s entertainment district. Canalside and the arena make up one bookend and the casino makes up the other. There is a tremendous opportunity for this district to become something similar to Toronto’s Distillery District and act as a solid filler for two major pieces of entertainment in the city. However, the massive plain of concrete needs to rise into something better. I think I may have a solution – or, at least part of one.

First of all, parking in the area is somewhat vital. The arena fills those lots (plus others) anytime there is an event. There is going to be a greater need for parking when the Webster Block is developed and those parking spots disappear. That being considered, taking away both of the massive lots in the Cobblestone District would choke out even more spots. Perhaps that four-story lot near Marine Drive would fit nicely, no?

Ensuring that there is a proper amount of parking available to serve the arena, casino and this improved version of Cobblestone is the first hurdle that would need to be cleared. Based on the three massive surface lots in the area – two on Perry and on at the corner of Michigan and Perry – there is plenty of room to reconfigure what will occupy those lots and make space for parking.

First, the lot at Perry and Michigan is a horrible waste of real estate. This is a corner property 100 yards from FNC and kitty corner to the Casino. Something should be on that site. Maybe not an office building or lofts, especially since Carl Paladino will be turning the Fairmont Creamery into lofts. Right Carl? But there is probably a number of developers who could find an adequate use for that property. Even if it was a parking garage, it would triple the capacity that the current lot holds.

If a lot was placed on Perry and Michigan, the two Cobblestone lots would be free to be developed in a different manner. If a different direction was taken with the Pay-2-Park lot on Michigan, then I think a garage somewhere on the two Cobblestone lofts would be necessary.

The solution? Put the lot on the southeastern most corner of those two lofts (South Park and Columbia) so that is obstructed from view no matter where you are and so that it is still centrally located for those patronizing the area. A four or five-story lot would provide enough spaces to replace the current parking availability, would be covered and could be built for access from South Park and Columbia. Since it seems as if FNC owns these two lots, they could maintain ownership of the ramp, while profiting from the sale of the rest of the land. Build the lot to fit architecturally with the rest of the neighborhood, as well.

With a lot positioned away from the main action, but close enough to be serviceable, the rest of the area could be zoned and allowed to grow organically. The nice thing about Cobblestone is that it does not need to be a structured piece of development with specific standards in place over what will go in. There certainly needs to be some design standards like in Canalside. But Cobblestone doesn’t need the crowd-sourced, back-asswards direction of development that it’s neighbor is currently laboring through.

I envision something close to what Yaletown is in Vancouver, or Allentown here in Buffalo. Some interesting shops and boutiques intertwined with bars and restaurants. Perhaps those developing the area could even dream big and grab some more established brands to occupy the storefronts and restaurants.

The cornerstone of my plan includes a proper entertainment venue. Since it seems as if a permanent concert venue isn’t cheap, quick, light or dumb enough for Canalside; let’s put a proper concert venue in Cobblestone. Since there isn’t much of a view down there, an indoor venue would be just fine. Take the Kool Haus or Sound Academy in Toronto as your blueprint and run with it. Getting a moderate venue for popular acts (bands, comics, speakers etc.) to play should be priority one for Buffalo. The arena is far too big and there aren’t many other places that you see touring acts play here during the winter. This would change all of that. Oh, and it would fit well with the relationship the casino is hoping to build with the surrounding area.

If a former warehouse was to be re-created to house this venue, it would likely occupy a major portion of one of the large blocks. That would allow the rest of the area to grow at its own rate with restaurants, bars and retail growing as a result of the success the concert venue would enjoy.

Ultimately, I’d hope to see the neighborhood take on the personality that the Distillery District has, with this concert venue as the centerpiece. The entire undertaking is a bit much to think about, but starting with the venue and parking garage could certainly get the ball rolling.

Project breakdown:

• Transition parking lots on Perry and Michigan into developable properties. Utilize one as a site for a four or five-story parking garage to supplement the expected loss of parking spaces.
• Position lot on the southeastern corner of Cobblestone lot at the corner of Columbia and South Park. Thus leaving the prime real estate open for development. Garage should incorporate architectural design standards of the remaining historical buildings in Cobblestone District.
• Build an indoor entertainment/concert venue capable of housing 2,000 – 5,000 people to attract non-arena acts on a year-round basis. Venue should be built to adequate architectural standards and mirror warehouses which previously occupied the area.
• Venue would act as the centerpiece for the district with bars, restaurants and retail to develop as economic growth continued.

Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, 67,000 seats. Would this be so hard to put on the waterfront?

The elephant in the room is the glimmering new stadium proposition in Los Angeles. It seems likely that Farmers Field will be built and that the second step will be to relocate a team to Los Angeles. Among the teams whispered about on an annual basis, the Bills, Vikings and Jaguars are three of the most popular. The Vikings are all but removed from the list of potentials with the announcement on their stadium.

I have to think that Jacksonville would be the odds-on favorite for a move. After all, the Jags tarp over a ridiculous number of seats every season and haven’t taken a firm grip in the Sunshine State. Of course, Buffalo’s aged stadium, poor economy and the looming specter of Ralph Wilson’s estate makes the ground the Bills stand on rocky – at best. However, there are ways to ensure the Bills remain in Buffalo forever, and they don’t all require a brand new stadium.

While Ralph Wilson’s estate will not be something that is addressed for a few more years, it is certainly at the crux of many Bills-related discussions. There are plenty of rumors of varying legitimacy swirling about ownership groups led by Jim Kelly, Tom Golisano (please no), Jeremy Jacobs and even Terry Pegula coming in to purchase the team. However, these are indeed rumors and there is no clear heir apparent to Wilson as owner of the Bills. Knowing that there is going to be a group – or one person – that will keep the Bills in Buffalo indefinitely is something that needs to be established in the coming years.

If an ownership group can be hammered out, there will be more clarity towards the future of the team and what direction can be taken regarding a permanent stadium project. The current plan on the table makes plenty of sense. The team, city and fans are not in a position to build a sparkling shrine to the game of football and a balanced renovation project will provide the footing necessary to stave off those sniffing at relocation.

However, there will come a day when a new stadium will be necessary. Whether that is five, ten or twenty years from now, the Buffalo Bills will eventually need a new stadium. What is unfortunate is the team (and city) aren’t in the position to remedy that situation. The proposed renovation project appears to be a broad sweeping plan that will help bring the Ralph closer to its newer, shinier cousins around the league. It is a perfect stop-gap to ensure a number of safe years in Buffalo before a permanent stadium plan can be determined.

Perhaps the time has come to begin preparing the city for this project. Rather than being caught by surprise, the city, county and team should know what their plan of attack will be for constructing a new stadium. Based on the size of Buffalo, a massive stadium project is out of the question. However, there are a number of stadiums that have been built which could serve as a blueprint for the Bills:

• Cleveland Browns Stadium (1997) – Capacity: 73,000 – Cost: $350 million ($487 million in 2012)
• Heinz Field, Pittsburgh (1999) – Capacity: 65,000 – Cost: $281 million ($369M in 2012)
• M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore (1996) – Capacity: 71,000 – Cost: $220 million ($314M in 2012)
• Ford Field, Detroit (1999) – Capacity: 65,000/70,000 – Cost: $430 million ($556M in 2012)
• Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis (2005) – Capacity: 70,000 – Cost: $720 million ($777M in 2012)

Obviously the cost figures are skewed even when calculated for cost in 2012. However, the general idea behind these stadiums is why I used them for comparison. Pittsburgh and Cleveland, in particular, are near identical cities to Buffalo who were able to build moderately affordable stadiums in the heart of their respective cities. Heinz Field may be the best example to follow for Buffalo. It is built around the corner from PNC Park (they were funded in tandem) and a neighborhood rife with bars and restaurants. Heinz will never host a Super Bowl, but it is a stadium with strong sight lines, an appropriate capacity and came in on a budget that didn’t bankrupt the taxpayers, team and city. Following the Heinz Field model would be perfect for Buffalo.

The reason this is such a key part of any stadium conversation is because it is affordable. Buffalo would never be able to support a massively subsidized, seat licensed glimmering beacon of football. But an appropriately size, attractive stadium would bring modern amenities without burdening the city or taxpayers with a ridiculous burden. By no means could a stadium be built for $370M, however, the Bills could likely get away with a stadium in the neighborhood of $500M. If you’re scoring along at home, that is roughly half of the Minneapolis project.

This stadium wouldn’t be domed – but who cares – and wouldn’t be capable of hosting a Super Bowl – but who cares – however, it would be a perfect replacement for a building that is growing obsolete by the day. Not to mention, bringing 65,000+ down near the city would infuse patrons in to local restaurants and that proposed entertainment district down near the arena.

A mock-up posted on 92.9′s website of the Ralph plopped on the Outer Harbor.

A great starting point would be the Outer Harbor. The vast expanse of land looks destined for little more than a massive park (which isn’t necessarily a bad idea) and nothing more. After all, public access begins and ends with park space, nothing else can provide such access.

The Outer Harbor would offer the space for parking and the stadium while also having enough wiggle room to properly alter the infrastructure to provide access to the stadium. This site would also provide nearly direct access to downtown rather than having the stadium reside in the suburbs. The outer harbor doesn’t need to be the end-all-be-all, it just has the requisite space necessary to support a stadium project.

It is beyond foolish to think that Buffalo’s politicians would ever be capable of collaborating to get such a project off the drawing board. Hell, we can’t even get a children’s museum off the drawing board. But these discussions need to begin so that we can end those discussions about our football team leaving town.

(Buffalo Rising)

However, the winning firm (HOK), will not be building the stunning design that won out over the other four finalists will not even be built. Knowing that an internationally acclaimed firm will be leading the way to creating an iconic piece of development for a key district in the city is incredibly exciting.

The corner in which the new medical school will be built is should be bustling with action once all of the projects planned for the area are complete. According to Buffalo Rising, Women’s and Children’s Hospital will be moved nearby along with a new build from Ciminelli Development on the corner. All told, it will add up to three more serious additions to the entire district.

What I don’t understand is why the designs originally pitched for this project aren’t being considered for construction? Obviously UB and BNMC thought that HOK was more than capable of running with this project based on their submission. Why wouldn’t that submission be capable of actually being built? Hell, the New and BRO posted the pictures of the rendering as if it would be built. There are probably plenty of people thinking that construction will start on this building in the very near future. But there is  still a year left before shovels will be in the ground.

Now, I’m fully prepared to eat some crow if the actual design that HOK comes back with is superior to the dynamic structure that won the proposal. I just don’t see why they couldn’t say “you’re the winner, now let’s get our asses in gear and build this thing”.

Ultimately, there are reviews and additional pieces of the puzzle left to put together. Over the next year, HOK will surely take care of all of this. The one thing I respect about the BNMC and how they deal with expansion is their no nonsense approach. There are not countless committees and reviews like at Canalside. The BNMC knows that they have a parcel worthy of development, a shovel ready project that has been approved and they let the developer have at it. No monkeying around is what is allowing the BNMC to become a serious power player in Western New York and the medical community as a whole.

This building (which I hope is 12 stories) is slated to open in 2016. That is truthfully an accurate date of completion for a serious build such as this one. Between today and the official grand opening of UB’s med school, I hope to see Children’s and the Ciminelli building get off the ground. That way, in 2016, there will be a major new block of buildings standing where a few parking lots were just a few years previously.

The entire city needs to take a lesson from the BNMC. They have set a standard for what they expect and each new project meets those expectations. If other developement projects followed this lead, Buffalo would boast a dazzling array of buildings and activities downtown. For now, knowing that our medical campus is nearly unrivaled is a great start.

Most notably, Ruff’s players have come out to question some of the methods he has become known for. Derek Roy and Ville Leino’s locker clean out day remarks were the two that stood out the most in terms of questioning their coach’s approach.

There was a lot of pieces that were kind of out of place,” Leino said. “Also, they’ve got to work with what they were given. We have a lot of good players and we’re a good team, which we proved at the end. We just didn’t get that chemistry and all that right away at the start, and it was probably too late.

Coaches do most of the work, and obviously players want to be better, too. I think we’ve just got to get more out of everybody, which we did at the end. It doesn’t matter who plays if you don’t get their talents out. You’ve got to try to use everybody with what they’re best at. ~ Ville Leino

Terry Pegula and Ted Black have voiced their support for Ruff and Darcy Regier many times. Black all but confirmed the two would be back for 2012-13 at the All-Star break. When it was announced they would return, there wasn’t too much surprise. However, the long stretch of listless hockey last year and ultimately missing the playoffs has brought more heat on the Sabres’ bench boss. Ruff has been coated with Teflon for a long time. However, it seems as if his coating is starting to wear out.

The base of this argument centers around the fact that the Sabres have not won enough hockey games the last few seasons. As most are quick to point out, the Sabres haven’t won a playoff series since 2007. They also failed to make the playoffs last season and suffered through a season-long string of inconsistent play and injuries.

While Lindy Ruff certainly isn’t the only person to blame for the struggles the Sabres suffered through last year, he is certainly part of the puzzle. Ruff didn’t seem capable of righting the ship at various times. He certainly didn’t sit idly by as the Sabres took a nose dive, it just seemed as if he wasn’t capable of finding the answers with the players provided to him. With reports from people on, or close to the team (like Paul Hamilton) that players had begun to tune him out.

Ruff’s ability to utilize his players properly has long been a knock against him, but usually it was centered on his underutilization back-up goaltenders.  The 2011-12 season brought out a mob of fans who felt he wasn’t capable of getting the most out of his scorers as well. Personally, I think this may be Ruff’s greatest failing.

Looking at the teams remaining in the Conference Finals, you see a quartet that utilized a specific system – and impressive individual play – to reach this round of the playoffs. Each team has found their own niche and their individual“systems” have played a key role in their success. However, each team(except maybe for the Coyotes) have gotten key contributions from their top players as they have advanced. Each team has also gotten great goaltending, something that isn’t a weakness for the Sabres.

The Kings and Devils, in particular, have made sure their top players and most potent scorers have been in the position to contribute at all times. That means ensuring to put those players on the ice in a position to make a difference in the game. Typically that involves playing in the offensive zone. WGR’s Matthew Coller has done some tremendous work in identifying the offensive zone starts for numerous players throughout the league. In fact, his in-depth statistical analysis of the entire Sabres roster is something to behold.

Among his findings was the fact that Buffalo’s best scorers (example: Thomas Vanek) do not see the same number off offensive zone starts as their counterparts with other teams. Basically, Buffalo’s top scorers don’t get the same opportunities to start in the offensive zone as players on other teams.

While that single statistic doesn’t tell the whole story, it does tell part of it. What it points to is the portion of Ruff’s “system” predicated on the ability to play two-way hockey, no matter what your cap hit is. If you want to draw a broad conclusion from that point, you might say that Ruff cares more about playing defense than ensuring he is using his players to the best of their ability.

That is a very broad assumption to make and it is probably incorrect. Yes, Ruff preaches two-way hockey and expects his players to be capable of playing defensively responsible hockey. It is foolish, however, to think that Ruff is purposefully choking the offensive life from his players with this approach. You might say that his commitment to sound hockey has caused the general decrease in offensive production across the board.

This decrease, which shows across the stat sheet, was prevalent this season. It may also serve as a way to understand why so many trade deadline acquisitions fail to catch on in Buffalo. Dominic Moore was injured and allegedly Raffi Torres was out of shape, but can anyone say that Darcy Regier seriously missed on Danius Zubrus, Steve Bernier, Dominic Moore, Raffi Torres and Brad Boyes? I don’t think that would be a fair assessment. Some of them probably weren’t the correct choice, but I have to imagine a majority failed to mesh with the system that Ruff expected them to play in on a nightly basis. Add in his constant line shuffling and you may have a case for why the Sabres don’t seem to produce at the rate of other teams.

Another way to look at it would be the impressive hockey played by Boyes and Cody Hodgson in the week or so immediately following their acquisition, versus the less impressive runs they had once they were settled in. One might draw the conclusion that once they grasped the system, their offense began to dry up. I know that is the train of thought I follow.

The point I’m trying to prove here is that the Sabres have been very good at producing a team with a bunch of 20-goal, 50-point players. Rarely do the Sabres have a player (or players) finish the year with more than 80 points. Yes, they typically have one player near the point-per-game plateau. However, there is typically an impressive drop from the team’s leading scorer and the next few players. Is this solely due to the way Ruff utilizes his forwards? Probably not, but that certainly is a major contributing factor.

There is nothing wrong with building from the net out in hopes of winning a Cup. But not making full use of the skills of your team’s top-six is foolhardy.

From the news:

Construction is slated to begin in July on the first phase of the project, a $4 million plan to turn a 1940s barn near the zoo’s parking lot into a new entrance plaza. The zoo hopes to complete that portion of the project by April 2013.

Whether construction on the second phase of the project — a $14 million plan to build a new arctic habitat with expanded polar bear exhibits — will begin in June 2013 will depend on the zoo’s ability to raise the rest of the money for the project.

Creating a new entrance plaza is long overdue for the Zoo (rhyming is fun). The current entrance is far too small and cramped. Without many in-depth details, I would imagine that the new plaza will have a far greater spread and provide more of a grand entryway.

An overhead layout of the proposed Arctic Edge project. (Courtesy: Niagara Greenway)

I’m fearful that the plaza entrance won’t even get off the ground, however. The News detailed that a barn from the 1940s will be part of the project. I can only imagine the uproar in the preservation community if this barn is to be razed to make way for such a project. After all, progress is not as important as preserving every brick laid prior to 1960. Of course, the barn is part of the adaptive re-use of the project as seen in the project proposal. I have to say it is quite understated, but interestingly attractive at the same time.

The more important of the two projects detailed by the News is the new arctic environment that would include an expanded polar bear exhibit. However, it would seem there are some hurdles left to clear in terms of funding. What is more concerning is the fact that the Zoo could lose their two polar bears if the construction of the new exhibit doesn’t get off the ground.

In the grand scheme of things, losing a pair of polar bears wouldn’t be the worst thing that has ever happened to the city. However, it would be par for the course with the way this city operates with development projects.

It is imperative that the necessary funding is given to the Zoo for this project. Cities like Buffalo have much larger and impressive zoos. However, the Buffalo Zoo has begun to take steps to remedy the situation. Despite being landlocked, the addition of Otter Creek, Sea Lion Cove and the M&T Bank Rainforest has brought modern exhibits to North America’s second-oldest urban zoo.

Even if the project sounds like a Gatorade flavor (Arctic Edge), it needs to get the necessary funding. The Zoo needs to remain a viable attraction; I don’t think it could do so with an unfinished construction project and two missing polar bears.  If two major attractions are moved and never returned, it will just make our city that much more embarrassing.

The project itself is tremendous. The space provided to the bears alone is impressive and the additional habitat space is quite similar to how the rainforest is laid out. The Zoo’s future page (link below) details a number of other plans that show an impressive direction for one of Buffalo’s greatest assets.

Obviously this is a major undertaking. According to the story, the Zoo needs $6 million to finish the funding for the project. Where that money is going to come from is a mystery, but the County Legislature could certainly get the ball rolling by allocating more funds to the project.

What is exciting about this proposed plan is the continued dedication to improving the Zoo. There are some fantastic areas the Zoo currently boasts. There are also some serious deficiencies throughout the complex. Obviously the Zoo has begun to take steps to remedy this scenario. Now they just need the proper support to ensure the necessary steps can be taken.

Ultimately there should be action taken to expand the Zoo further into Delaware Park. I know that will enrage some, but expansion is probably necessary to allow the Zoo to stay competitive. Some of the proposed projects they have in mind are very interesting. I can only imagine how great the Zoo would be with even more space to build additional state-of-the-art enclosures. Perhaps down the line we will see a Zoo with expanded grazing habitats for the giraffes and elephants (turns out a similar project is already in the works) and expanded living space for the big cats as well. But that would all be well down the line.

For now, the next step is an obvious one. The necessary support just needs to be provided.

I’d like to see a state-of-the-art aquarium built within the Buffalo city limits, not an aquarium that would rival the Georgia Aquarium, but a substantial attraction to the city to boast. Ideally, the aquarium and zoo would work hand-in-hand as one super awesome entity.

Considering the space that would be required for a proper aquarium, the outer harbor would make for a wonderful home for this new piece of development. The amount of empty land would even allow for the Zoo to be built right next door, but that seems unlikely. After all, the recent capital improvements that have been made basically locks the Zoo into place indefinitely. At this point, any changes to the Zoo will require expansion into Delaware Park. There should be no hesitation to do so, either. Expanding the Zoo to help compete with others like the Cleveland would be a wise step to take.

Having the Zoo located on the Outer Harbor with this new aquarium enters my mind because it would keep things tidy. You could have both attractions right next to each other with the ability to visit both without needing to drive anywhere. Not to mention, the space on the Outer Harbor would allow for an expansive Zoo to be built. But, it’s cool if there won’t be a zoo to accompany this idea. I really like the Buffalo Zoo, so I’m cool with it not being moved.

As for an aquarium, it is high time Buffalo gets a proper one. While it isn’t a necessity, it is one of those things that are a terrific addition to any waterfront development. Not to mention that the Niagara Aquarium is a complete joke and needs to be replaced. Putting a sparkling new aquarium a hop and a skip from downtown would certainly solve that problem.

My reasoning behind picking the Outer Harbor is because there is a ton of space, there is no concrete plan for the land and there will soon (I hope) be a direct connection between the arena district and the Outer Harbor. That is, of course, if the Harbor Bridge is ever built.

The land is really the main motivation for my thought process. There will be nothing to restrict the development or the planning of this type of project out on that property. The Outer Harbor is such a hugely expansive property that there would be no restrictions as to where an aquarium would fit. Not to mention, providing a serious piece of development for this space seems to make a whole lot more sense than simply making it a park.

Don’t get me wrong, creating a massive park that could be similar to Central Park in terms of size, scope and services would be outstanding. However, to put it on this type of landmass would ultimately be an underutilization of the property. I’m certain a tremendous number of people would take advantage of a park on part of the Outer Harbor, but making nearly the entire property a big huge park seems foolish.

At some point a line needs to be drawn on the creation of green space and public access. It is absolutely necessary to provide public access to these lands and to ensure they don’t sit idle for another 25 years. However, you can’t honestly say that the best use would be to plant some new grass, pave a few bike paths and call it a day. The same thing can be accomplished on a quarter of the land and provide the same access in a terrific setting. The NFTA or ECHDC need to identify a developer who will not only provide something that is economically viable, but that keeps the property open to the public. An aquarium would do just that.

Obviously a proper aquarium would take a massive amount of capital that probably doesn’t exist in Western New York. That is a shame simply because an aquarium would be a terrific, family-centric piece of development that could provide an additional thing for families to do when visiting the area.

Even though this isn’t a very realistic project to hope for, it is exactly the type of project many have been calling for. Maybe they haven’t explicitly asked for an aquarium, but this would be a money making attraction that continues to provide public access to an area devoid of activity and development.