While watching the opening celebrations of the Buffalo Sabres 2001-2002 hockey season, I couldn’t help but reflect on my first Sabres game that I attended thirty years ago. It was an exciting time for the community as the new hockey franchise was entering into its second NHL season. The Buffalo Memorial Auditorium had recently received a face-lift by raising the roof to add a significant amount of new seating. The building was pulsating with over 16,000 of the most loyal fans that I have ever seen!
What a happy time! My husband was now officially a Buffalo Sabre and taking his position behind the blue line on defense. We had just settled into a wonderful little home in Williamsville and had been warmly met by new neighbors that we found to be extremely helpful. It was unlike any move we had ever experienced.
The career of a professional hockey player was based on performance and the whim of the local team management. It was not unusual to be traded to one or two teams within a single hockey season…moving to new locations had become a part of my married life! Relocation had become a routine job for me, what was different during my move to WNY was the nature of the Buffalo community! This truly was the “City of Good Neighbors.”
We lived in Western New York for almost four years before Michael was traded to Vancouver, BC to play for the Canucks. The day of that trade was the saddest of our lives. We really felt as though we had made a home here and we were not looking forward to living on the West coast away from family and friends.
After three years of West Coast living and the ending of Michael’s hockey career, we were eager to move back to Buffalo. Being Canadian citizens, we had the hurdle of clearing of immigration without the sponsorship of the National Hockey League. Fortunately we were able to prove our worthiness to the government, now we had to fend the comments from so many about moving back to Buffalo. People could not understand our eagerness to LIVE IN BUFFALO!
How do you explain to fellow Canadians that we missed the “American way of life?” The gusto for living, the national pride, a comfortable lifestyle and a community that wraps its arms around you for starters. After twenty-four years we have never looked back upon our decision to move back to Buffalo, educate our children and raise them with traditional American values.
Needless to say, our return to Buffalo as an ex-Sabre was setting a trend for future Sabres and their families to retire here after their hockey careers ended. Not only for ex athletes, moving to Western New York offers everyone the opportunity to enroll their children into great school systems, attend and participate in cultural events and recreational activities, live in affordable housing and wonderful communities.
In my 17 years of working in real estate and relocations to this community, I have found that most newcomers experience what I did thirty years ago and continue to be impressed with what they find here!
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