ORCHARD PARK
www.officialblackhawksproshop.com , N.Y. (AP) Russ Brandon abruptly resigned his dual role as president of the NFL’s
Buffalo Bills and NHL’s Buffalo Sabres after being confronted by the teams’
owners regarding an alleged inappropriate relationship with a female employee,
two people with direct knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press.The
people spoke on the condition of anonymity because it is an internal matter, and
owners Terry and Kim Pegula did not provide a reason for accepting Brandon’s
resignation in a statement they released Tuesday.The relationship in question
first became apparent to a number of team employees during the Sabres’ visit to
New York for a game against the Rangers on Jan. 18, the people said. The trip
included the team hosting a fan event at a bar the day before the game.Kim
Pegula will take over Brandon’s roles overseeing the Bills, Sabres and Pegula
Sports Entertainment, the company which controls the owners’ numerous
holdings.In a text to The AP, Brandon said he has contemplated stepping down
from the job for some time, and felt the timing was right after the conclusion
of the NFL draft.”My goal when the Pegulas purchased the franchise was to reach
20 years with the Bills, in which I achieved this past November,” Brandon
wrote.”As grateful as I am for the amazing experience and the incredible people
I’ve had the privilege to work with the past two decades, I am just as anxious
for the professional opportunities that lie ahead,” he added.Brandon did not
respond to follow-up questions regarding his relationship.Brandon’s departure
comes after the Bills made a big splash in the first round of the draft by
trading up to select both Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen with the seventh pick,
and Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds with the 16th pick. The new
additions join a Bills team that went 9-7 and ended a 17-year playoff drought
last season.On Saturday
Chicago Blackhawks T-Shirts Authentic , the last-place Sabres earned a boost by winning the NHL draft lottery and the right to the No. 1 pick for the
third time in franchise history.”We have a tremendous amount of confidence in
the strong leadership team we have built within each of these entities over the
last several years,” the statement from the Pegulas read.”We are excited about
the direction of our teams, especially after this past weekend’s NFL draft and
NHL lottery results. Our focus remains on building championship teams on and off
the field for our fans and community.”Brandon most recently served as the Bills’
managing partner, was the Sabres alternate on the NHL’s board of governors and a
member of the NFL’s business ventures committee.The timing of Brandon’s exit
comes at a time he was supposed to oversee the Bills’ next big venture in
determining their future home. Brandon was expected to lead the team’s stadium
search committee in deciding whether the Bills should continue playing at their
current home or develop a new facility in downtown Buffalo.He served in various
roles with the Bills, involving both marketing and football decisions during a
two-year stint as general manager from 2008-09.He also took the lead in
negotiating the Bills’ most recent lease five years ago, which played a critical
role in securing the franchise’s long-term future in Buffalo especially
following Hall of Fame owner Ralph Wilson’s death in March 2014.The lease
included a strict non-relocation clause that included a $400 million penalty the
team would be forced to pay if it considered moving before 2020.Brandon also
oversaw the Bills’ eventual sale to the Pegulas, who completed their $1.4
billion purchase of the franchise in October 2014.The Pegulas retained Brandon
and elevated him to the role of managing partner. The Pegulas thought so highly
of Brandon, the Sabres were added to his responsibilities after the team reached
a mutual agreement to part ways with Ted Black in July 2015.Brandon’s
resignation continues a large turnover of Bills executives who served under
Wilson. Bruce Popko is the senior holdover and now becomes the top executive as
chief operating officer of Buffalo-based Pegula Sports and Entertainment, which
oversees the Pegulas’ numerous holdings.Brandon grew up in nearby Syracuse, New
York, and began making his mark in Buffalo shortly after being hired by the
Bills in 1997 to serve as the team’s business development and marketing
director.He began by spearheading a campaign to transform them into a regional
team by expanding the franchise’s fan base to offset Buffalo’s dropping
population base.That process began in 2000, when the team shifted training camp
to Brandon’s alma mater, St. John Fisher College in suburban
Rochester
Chicago Blackhawks Hoodies Authentic , to capitalize on the community’s corporate and larger population base.Later, the Bills boosted their presence
across southern Ontario by negotiating a deal to begin playing annual
regular-season games in Toronto starting in 2008. The ”Bills In Toronto” series
lasted through 2013 before the deal was placed on hold the following year and
then terminated by the Pegulas.Toronto-based media giant, Rogers Communications,
paid the Bills $78 million to essentially lease eight games (five regular season
and three preseason) during the initial five-year agreement. The price was
almost double what the Bills were projected to generate if those games were
played at their home facility.The series also spurred a large bump in
season-ticket purchases from across the border. By 2015, the Bills estimated
southern Ontario fans accounted for about 18 percent of their season-ticket
sales, surpassing their support from Rochester.Not everything succeeded under
Brandon, who drew criticism for a number of decisions, including failing to
build a winner during his two-year stint as the Bills GM when Wilson elected to
promote from within the organization after Marv Levy stepped down following a
two-year tenure.—This story’s third paragraph has been corrected to note the
relationship first became apparent during the Sabres’ visit to New York for a
game against the Rangers on Jan. 18— BOSTON (AP) Jake DeBrusk watched the
tiebreaking goal go into the net from ice level, sliding into the boards on his
backside after he was flattened by Toronto defenseman Jake Gardiner.The Bruins
rookie didn’t even have time to climb up off his knees before he was mobbed by
teammates.”Jake had a real coming-out party in the series,” coach Bruce Cassidy
said after DeBrusk scored twice to help Boston beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 7-4
on Wednesday night and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.”He scored
going to the net, dirty areas,” said Cassidy, whose team opens the second round
against the Lightning in Tampa Bay on Saturday. ”That’s always the first thing:
play inside
Chicago Blackhawks Hats Authentic , be willing to get hit, fight for your space. That’s playoff hockey. They weren’t freebies. They’ve been real greasy,
as advertised.”Five years after rallying from a three-goal, third-period deficit
and beating Toronto in Game 7 of their first-round series, the Bruins again
scored four straight goals to eliminate the Maple Leafs. After Kasperi Kapanen
put Toronto ahead 4-3 with a short-handed goal in the second, Torey Krug tied
it, DeBrusk gave Boston the lead with 14:35 to play.Despite the final score, the
teams were tied or separated by one goal for the first 2 1/2 periods, until
David Pastrnak made it 6-4 with 8:21 to play. Brad Marchand flipped one into the
empty net with 51 seconds left to set off a celebration in the stands.”For
entertainment value, that was probably one of the better Game 7s you’ll see,”
said Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, who stopped just 20 of 24 shots. ”It was only a
one-goal game going into the third and we shut it down and scored some good
goals.”Danton Heinen scored his first NHL postseason goal, Patrice Bergeron had
a goal and two assists
Custom Chicago Blackhawks Jerseys , and David Krejci had three assists for the Bruins. In his first NHL postseason action, DeBrusk had seven points in
seven games.”Uh, it went pretty well,” he said with a laugh. ”Obviously, with
the win it was special – something I’ll never forget. I’ll never forget this
series just in general, first playoffs. I was really happy to
contribute.”Frederik Andersen had 29 saves for the Maple Leafs, who have not won
a playoff series since 2004. They came close in the first round in 2013, when
they rallied from a three-games-to-one deficit against Boston and took a 4-1
lead in Game 7.”It’s always disappointing,” said Patrick Marleau, who scored
twice for Toronto. ”Obviously, you’re trying to win the Cup. To fall short once
again, it’s heartbreaking every time.”Travis Dermott also scored for the Maple
Leafs, who again won back-to-back games after falling behind 3-1 in the series.
Game 6 came in Toronto on the night that a man drove a van onto a crowded
sidewalk in the city
www.officialavalanche.com , killing 10 people and injuring more than a dozen others.The teams combined for
five goals in the first period before Toronto scored twice in the second, taking
a 4-3 lead when Kapanen beat Marchand to a loose puck and then held him off,
skidding to a stop in front of Rask before poking the around his left skate.In
the third, the Bruins scored two 4-on-4 goals after matching penalties opened up
the ice. Krug made it 4-4 on a slapper from the point just 1:10 in, and then
DeBrusk put the Bruins ahead.”I think that we’re all just pretty excited right
now to have a chance to continue playing together and take on Tampa,” DeBrusk
said. ”We’re going to enjoy this one tonight, but then go back to the drawing
board.”Notes: Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, in his first full season on the Boston
bench, was named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s coach of the
year. … Celtics Hall of Famer Tommy Heinsohn was the honorary fan banner
captain, getting the crowd riled up before the game. … The Bruins are 14-12 in
Game 7s and Toronto is 12-11. … Boston’s Kevan Miller had two assists for his
first multi-point playoff game.
