Golisano: Sabres/Amerks affiliation in dire straits

He joked about it intially, but then the tone of Buffalo Sabres owner Tom Golisano turned quite serious when, during a speech today, he described the long time affiliation between his NHL franchise and the AHL Rochester Americans as being like a troubled marriage.

"If you've got two management organizations that can't work together or don't want to work together, I guess it's gonna fall apart and my guess is that's what's gonna happen," said Golisano while addressing the Rochester Chapter of the American Marketing Association.

The Amerks have served as the Sabres farm team for several years, a partnership  that pre-dates Golisano's ownership of the NHL club. 

2007 has been a year marred by off the ice troubles for the Amerks, a team mired in debt and embroiled in a court dispute between the partners who make up its ownership group.

Golisano, who is from Rochester, is credited with saving the Buffalo Sabres a few years ago. And, he while inferred he would have been interested in acquiring the AHL team in Rochester, he says the Amerks owners would not produce financial statements from which he could formulate an offer.

"It takes two to tango," he said.

And though he says the difficulties of the Amerks are on many levels adversely effecting his NHL team, Golisano is still bothered that the long time affiliation might end.

"It bothers me quite a bit, frankly," he said. Adding, "It's been  a long term relationship that has been good for our players and fans and to have this fall apart at this point doesn't make me very happy."