Xbox360 » Vancouver players stuck up for Stecher

ORCHARD PARK Adidas Martin Hanzal Jersey , 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 Adidas Blake Comeau Jersey ,” 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, 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 Adidas Erik Condra Jersey , 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, 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 Adidas Anton Khudobin Jersey , 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— VANCOUVER, British Columbia — David Perron still believes.Many people have written off the St. Louis Blues‘ playoff hopes, but the winger begs to differ with them.“Should we give up?” Perron asked reporters. “I think there’s a lot of hockey to be played. You look at the standings, we’re not where we want to be. We have some games in hand on some teams. And we can do some damage if we start playing the right way.”Article continues below ...The Blues (13-15-4)are in a good mood as they prepare to visit the Vancouver Canucks (16-17-4) on Thursday. St. Louis is coming off a decisive 4-1 road victory Tuesday over the Edmonton Oilers, a team that had been surging.“It was a real solid team effort,” interim coach Craig Berube told reporters. “Man to man, everybody was dialed in and played a real solid game for 60 minutes.”The Blues will try to repeat the effort against a Canucks team that has posted five wins in seven games. Berube and company hope to get more strong play from Blues’ third line of veterans Patrick Maroon and Tyler Bozak and rookie Robert Thomas.Maroon netted winner in Edmonton, producing just his second goal of the season, while Bozak scored in a loss in one-sided loss in Calgary, ending a 19-game scoring slump. Before that goal, the third line had gone seven games without one. Now Adidas Chris Terry Jersey , it has produced two markers in as many games.Meanwhile, Blues defenseman Vince Dunn avoided a suspension Wednesday, but still received a $1,942 fine from the NHL, following a cross-checking incident withEdmonton forward Jujhar Khaira. Both cross-checked each other, but Khaira’s infraction was deemed more harmful. He was suspended for two games and also fined $7,258 after receiving a major and game misconduct.However, the Canucks did not get a decision they were looking for, as the NHL chose not to discipline Tampa Bay forward Danick Martel for a blind-side hit to the head of Canucks defenseman Troy Stecher on Tuesday.In what might have been a major understatement on his part, Canucks winger Antoine Roussel called the lack of punishment for Martel “surprising.”Vancouver coach Travis Green confirmed that Stecher, who was left woozy and had to be helped off the ice Adidas Dennis Cholowski Jersey , suffered a concussion. Green vented into a referee’s ear after the incident Wednesday, but was more calm the morning after. “When your player’s hurt you want the league to do the right thing, but it’s not an easy job. They reviewed it,” Green told reporters. “We move on.”The Canucks hope to move on from a 5-2 loss to the Lightning that featured some fights and fiery moments before and after Martel’s hit on Stecher.But it’s clear that Tuesday’s fisticuffs, when Vancouver players stuck up for Stecher and rookie Elias Pettersson after he took a high hit from Cedric Paquette, had a galvanizing effect on the Canucks.Roussel told reporters Wednesday after practice that he loved the display of emotions, but he was tired physically and mentally after the workout. Green was enthused, too.“You hate losing, but I like the way our team is coming together,” he said.

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