Nickelodeon and the Bills: A Perfect Combo

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Doug, Rugrats, Hey Arnold!, Spongebob. GUTS The Nickelodeon catalog is vast and elite and today, you can grab your own awesome piece of the Nick universe with FOCO’s Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs 2023 Nickelodeon Glow in the Dark Bighead Bobbleheads.

Both bobbleheads feature the Bills superstars on top of a Nick branded base with a barrel of glow in the dark slime spilling behind them. In place of a football, both players are carrying the famous Nickelodeon blimp. Allen is sporting his home blue jersey while Diggs is decked out in Buffalo’s away uniform.

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Make it a Draft Week with “NHL Con”

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On a recent episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman floated the idea of the NHL putting on “NHL Con” or soe other form of convention as part of the draft celebration. The idea came as an offshoot of the discussion surrounding the league’s push to decentralize the draft.

It’s a terrific idea that the league should pursue with, or without, a shift in operations for the entry draft. The NHL Draft isn’t quite the fan extravaganza that the NFL Draft has become, but it’s certainly a draw for die-hards and there’s local interest as it moves from city to city. Tying in a massive, hockey-focused festival for the week of the draft would be an excellent way to draw more fan attention to the event, and to keep people engaged beyond the first round on Friday night.

The NHL’s version of Comic Con could become an offseason Mecca for various offshoots of the hockey community. Pulling in interests from equipment, collectibles, hockey history and kid-friendly events could provide days of relevant programming that builds up to the weekend’s draft. There could even be ancillary programming like a concert or two that the NHL could help put together as part of their arrival in the city that week. Maybe, if the city’s layout made sense for it, you could create an NHL Campus. Where you have the arena as ground zero as that is where the draft will occur, but other nearby venues (whether it be a convention center, park, college campus or concert hall) are all part of the programming that takes place during the week. That way if you were a fan hoping to see the Stanley Cup and get some autographs, you’d go to the Fan Fest space at the local convention center. But if you were there for a panel discussion, maybe you wind up at a smaller concert venue close to the arena. Regardless of the shape this would take, I’d hope that Elliotte’s initial suggestion was either an educated guess or that it has caught the ear of the special events people at the NHL and they’ve started to develop something. They won’t be short on options to include.

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Don’t Forget the Summer Goalie Market When Questioning the Sabres Moves

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The season may only be four games old, but the Sabres’ 1-3 start has put some of the fans’ biggest offseason concerns in the spotlight.

Buffalo’s decision to leave the roster largely untouched and lean on their unproven trio of goaltenders was chief among the offseason debate in Sabres circles. Leaning on a roster that made the Sabres the third highest scoring team in the NHL wasn’t a terrible choice when you dig into the data. Kevyn Adams has continued to lock up the core of his roster and it was those players – most notably Tage Thompson (47 goals), Dylan Cozens (31 goals) and Rasmus Dahlin (73 points) – who pushed the Sabres to the top of the league’s scoring race. The choices in goal were a greater gamble. 

Eric Comrie and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s struggles last season underscored the position that likely kept the Sabres out of the playoffs. While Devon Levi has shown promise (and was stout in Tuesday’s win over Tampa), handing the keys to a 21-year old with seven games of NHL experience is unprecedented. If there was one position where fans would have agreed with more tangible reinforcement, it would have been in net. The league’s goalie market from the summer made that proposition much harder to accomplish than maybe some assume. 

Connor Hellebuyck was far and away the best goaltender available over the summer. There were widespread reports that the Jets were shopping the former Vezina winner, though a deal never materialized. Hellebuyck’s contract status almost certainly played a role in the lack of a trade. While Hellebuyck was a goaltender I felt could push the Sabres to a playoff berth, I would not have pursued him with a lengthy contract extension attached. Now that he’s signed a seven-year, $59.5 million extension, it would be hard to see the logic in acquiring that sort of player given the faith the organization has in Levi. 

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The Instigator Podcast 12.8 – Pat Kane and the Sabres. Is There a Fit?

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After offering a recap of Buffalo’s first three games, we tackle a topic that’s been circulating with Sabres fans for quite some time. Are the Sabres interested in Pat Kane and would he be a good fit with this roster? We dig into Kane’s underlying stats, consider how he may look post-surgery and offer up some of the potential positives if he was indeed signed as a free agent in the coming weeks or months.

Celebrate The Day of the Dead with FOCO’s Buffalo Bills Calavera Bobbleheads

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Step up your game this halloween and show your Bills spirit with FOCO’s Buffalo Bills 2023 Calavera Glow in the Dark Bobblehead.

All season long, make sure you are repping your Buffalo Bills with the best officially licensed apparel and collectibles from our partners at FOCO as today, they are commemorating a very special in the Mexican Heritage, The Day of the Dead.  This morning, FOCO has just released a line of Calavera bobbleheads with teams from various sports leagues, including your Buffalo Bills.

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Sabres Trade Tiers

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Going back to the spring, many Sabres fans have been waiting on a trade that hasn’t come. 

As Buffalo morphed into a playoff contender, there was a growing expectation that Kevyn Adams would make some deals to round out his roster. But his action at the deadline was more measured than some may have guessed, and he completed the offseason without any notable deals being made (save for dealing Ilya Lyubushkin to alleviate a numbers crunch on the blueline). Victor Olofsson is on record saying he was prepared to be moved, but no deal materialized for him, a goaltender or any other position which could have helped the Sabres take the next step to the playoffs. 

It’s understandable that Adams hasn’t been in a rush to shake up his group. The forward group is brimming with young talent while a pair of first overall picks anchor the blueline. Buffalo boasts a core many teams can only dream of. The need to materially alter this group is reserved to maybe two or three spots across the entire roster. Unlike previous years during this decade-long rebuild, the team isn’t in a position where they’re lacking depth on the NHL roster or in their pipeline. It’s a luxury which will put them in a position of strength when the time comes to take a big swing. 

And that time is approaching. 

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The Instigator Podcast 12.7 – Start of Season Mailbag

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Let’s kick off the opening week of the NHL season with a listener mailbag. On this episode we’ll tackle Owen Power’s contract, how the Sabres should handle Matt Savoie, what a successful start to the year looks like for Zach Benson and more.

Add Some International Flavor to Your Collection with Bills London Game Bobbleheads

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There’s no debate that North London is red (white and blue) as the Bills take the field to take on the Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 

Buffalo’s second regular season trip to London is headlined by a high-flying offense led by Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs. To celebrate the occasion, and the sea of Bills fans who made the trip to London, FOCO has released two limited edition bobbleheads of Allen and Diggs for the NFL London Game. 

The Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs London Game bobbleheads features the QB in his home uniform with a mockup of the Tower Bridge and the NFL London Games 2023 logo behind them. It’s topped off with a British flag and the Bills logo on the base. Like all FOCO bobbleheads, the attention to detail on these figures is pristine. The small touches, like the detailing on the Tower Bridge, sets these figures apart. 

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The Instigator Podcast 12.6 – Analyzing the Sabres Roster Choices

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The regular season is nearly here. With the Sabres wrapping up their preseason schedule, we try and determine what Don Granato and Kevyn Adams’ final decisions will be in forming Buffalo’s roster. We dicsuss the backup goaltending decision, how many defensemen the team will choose to keep and which forwards will earn the precious few spots which are available. We wrap up the show discussing where we see the Sabres finishing the season in a wide open Eastern Conference playoff picture.

Time to Go Back In Time with FOCO’s Snoopy Peanuts Bills Bobbleheads

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Get ready to celebrate the return of the NFL season with a touch of nostalgia as FOCO has announced the sixth release of their ongoing series, the  Peanuts Snoopy NFL Team Themed Bighead Bobbleheads.  This collaboration brings together the beloved charm of the Peanuts characters with the iconic teams of the NFL in a collectible form. These are available for all 32 NFL teams including the Baltimore Ravens!

The Bills Peanuts Snoopy Bobblehead captures the essence of sportsmanship and playful charm. In this unique rendition, Snoopy, everyone’s favorite beagle from the Peanuts universe, is showcased in an action-packed pose, donning the proud colors of the Bills. Sporting the team’s signature purple jersey along with a perfectly fitted Bills helmet, Snoopy is all set to hit the field. The attention to detail is impeccable, from Snoopy’s determined expression to the intricately designed football helmet.

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