3 Ways Sabers Can Improve Key Bank Center – Hockey Writers – Buffalo Sabers Writers

The Buffalo Sabers are about to begin their 27th season at KeyBank Center, their waterfront home. Although the field has had more names than Ron Artest over the years, that's all that has changed. Once considered one of the NHL's most beautiful venues, the arena and its beauty have both become outdated over the years, and the Sabres' mystique has suffered as a result.

With the addition of the impressive LECOM Harborcenter building taking some of the attention away from it, KeyBank Center hasn't had a major renovation since it opened in 1996 and is in need of a major renovation. The installation of a new 27 x 43 ft jumbotron this summer was a great start, but much remains to be done. Here are three things the Sabers franchise, its mainstays, can do to make their home feel new again.

Sabers Must Play Better

The appeal of any sports venue will diminish if the games aren't exciting, and the Sabers have been consistently good for a long, long time. The Buffalo Memorial Auditorium (“the Aud”) was closer to a broom closet than the Taj Mahal. It was crowded and crumbling, but there was nothing to that. The building was the scene of some of the most famous moments in Sabers history, and fans embraced it because it was a place like no other. Aud's claustrophobic and homey vibe had a way of making everyone in the scene feel connected, and fans look back on its struggles with fondness rather than disdain.

While KeyBank Center can't measure up to Aud's electricity, when the Sabers are playing well and the fans are invested, it's also one of the most charged arenas in hockey. During the Sabers' glory days in the mid-2000s, the noise in the arena was deafening every night, so much so that the walls shook. WGR 550 host Jeremy White once compared it to the Roman arena.

It is not understandable that these days there were no real complaints about this stadium because the team was playing well and playing on the ice was important. The Sabers were often good when they played in the Aud, and if they weren't, it wouldn't be nearly as prestigious. A win cures everything, and when it finds its way back to KeyBank Center, it will no doubt be loud again.

Keep KeyBank Center Cleaner & Repaint

The biggest complaint about KeyBank Center is that it is 'modern.' When the Sabers entered after 26 years in Aud, it was the beginning of a new era. The facility was a shiny new monument and made the Sabers more attractive when many teams were still using stadiums built 50-60 years earlier. But as impressive as it was, the field has been neglected for a long time.

First, it looks messy and run down inside. No matter what floor you are on, the concourse walkways are full of stains and smudges due to an obvious lack of janitorial care. Concrete flooring has cracks all over it, and while that can sometimes be attractive, in this case, it looks dull.

Wear and tear was to be expected, given the amount of foot traffic. In addition to the Sabres, the KeyBank Center also hosts the Buffalo Bills, as well as year-round events from concerts to professional wrestling. But the Sabers have allowed their situation to get worse. Giving the platform a thorough cleaning and sealing the bottom cracks would be an easy and reasonable place to start.

It is accurately described by Athletic's John Vogl as “a bunch of colors being tossed around” (from “Sabres' arena in pictures: Problem areas, opportunity areas and how to improve the fan experience in Buffalo,” Athletic5/5/21), the building has no style and looks like a paint factory explosion. The stadium bowl itself, at least, follows the Sabers' blue and gold scheme, but the rest of the building can't say the same. Throwing down the rainbow gauntlet and incorporating a matching design that's easy on the eyes can make the whole arena a lot more fun.

Switch KeyBank Center Seats

As it is, KeyBank Center has no personality. It's not a bad platform by any means – without any issues – but it never has any real character. Random color schemes and a general lack of design is a common indicator, but it doesn't stop there. Bowl seats are also selected. They are old and need to be replaced, and all the seats are the same: blue cushions, blue armrests, and blue backrests.

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Yes, they match the gold trim in the bowl below, but the problem is that it's not simple – it's not fancy or attractive, it's just dull – a microcosm of the whole building. As expensive as it may be, the Sabers have to get it right. Fans well remember the colors of the seats in Aud that defined the sections. There was no 100, 200, or 300 level system, like in the KeyBank facility. Instead, they use “golds” (the lowest), “reds and blues” (the middle), and “oranges” (the highest). It was part of the beauty of the arena and helped give each stage its own identity and experience.

Since the current seats need to go anyway, why not ship the franchise's origins and redo the color scheme the same way? Technically, the Sabers have already done it, and the results were amazing.

During their 2019-20 50th Anniversary season, the Sabers are planning several celebrations. The best was undoubtedly the “Aud Night” in honor of the famous place. The organization put colored t-shirts on all the seats in the bowl to match the old stadium. It was a spectacle and it really took the old spirit away, even if only for a moment.

Current seats need to move. There are no two ways about it. When the time finally comes, why not redo the old color scheme once and for all? We have seen how good it looks, and it will make the arena more comfortable and give it more pizzazz. Nostalgia can be an incredibly effective tool, and there's no reason to believe it won't be used here to bring new life to KeyBank Center.

What are some other ways to update the KeyBank Center? Should the Sabers prioritize renovating their frontcourt or are there more important things to worry about as they begin a very important new season?