No, the inflatable palm trees showing up at Buffalo Sabres home games lately are not attempts by Western New Yorkers to keep the realities of lake effect winter at bay. The growingly pervasive iconography is a rebellious response to a comment from the team's general manager in recent weeks.
After some fans were supposedly asked to discard or deflate their palm trees, rumors grew about Sabres management instituting a "no palm tree policy" at games. Nicole Hendricks, VP of communications and hockey operations told ESPN that the only policy the Sabres have is that items can't obstruct the viewing experience of other fans. Nothing about palm trees in particular.
But Hendricks also laid out a plan for the tropical motif that, if it came to fruition, would be awesome:
"My dream is we turn things around, make the playoffs, and our playoff giveaway is rally towels with palm trees all over it," Hendricks said.
Turning the meaning of the palm trees on its head would be, of course, great, for both the organization and the fans. That said, sitting at seventh of eight in the Atlantic Division and having played eight straight games without a win (three overtime), there's an uphill battle to get there.
Buffalo Sabres Palm Tree Drama, Explained
Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams recently addressed the media and claimed that Buffalo not being a, "destination city," had made it difficult to attract key talent.
Here's what he said, per WKBW:
"We're not a destination city right now. We don't have palm trees, we have taxes in New York and these are things you deal with. I'm in conversations every day and there's a lot of players that we're on their (no-trade) list," Adams said. "We need to earn the respect and it starts with getting over the hump, getting in the playoffs and competing."
Buffalonians, prideful in their region, took issue with what was perceived as a jab at their city from Adams, and started wearing tropically-themed shirts and bringing inflatable palm trees as a symbol of their frustration with the team's play, but also Adams's comments.
WE HAVE PALM TREES IN BUFFALO!!!! #Sabrehood pic.twitter.com/Ml3DmUvxfx
— 🌴𝖂𝖍𝖎𝖙𝖊 𝕮𝖍𝖔𝖈𝖔𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖊 🍫🌴 (@MattyB_923) December 7, 2024
It's a particularly frustrating sentiment for fans to hear considering plenty of cold weather NHL teams have found success—the Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Wild are the top two teams in the Central Division this year.
Sabres fans also recall periods in the late 1990s and early 2000s where the team was competitive, including five straight playoff appearances and a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Furthermore, just south of the city, the Bills in Orchard Park have found a way to build a winning team and culture despite the snow, having just clinched their seventh playoff appearance in eight years.
The Bills have also had to deal with their fair share of challenges regarding Buffalo's supposed lack of pizazz, including Willis McGahee once saying, "Coming from Miami, I was used to partying, going out, just having something to do every night. Restaurants, whatever. Going to Buffalo, it was like hitting a brick wall. Like, 'Damn!' Can't go out, can't do nothing. There's an Applebee's, a TGI Friday's, and they just got a Dave & Busters."
Notably, Marshawn Lynch loved the Applebee's.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sabres Executive Has Awesome Response to Palm Tree Fiasco.
