BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN)....Few of the thousand of Buffalo Sabres' fans who descended upon the KeyBank Center neighborhood in downtown Buffalo have as many team memories as Seymour Knox IV.
Knox, the son of team founders - his father, Seymour III and uncle Northrup (Norty) - has been there since the pre-Sabres' days of the late 1960s.
The Knox brothers led a local group of hockey fans who also happened to be very successful businessmen into being awarded an NHL franchise that began in 1970.
"I remember long lines wrapped around the building (the Aud)," Knox said. "But, is nothing compared to today."
In addition to the 19,070- fans who packed KeyBank Center, a pair of watch parties - one at Alumni Plaza and the other at Canalside drew thousands of hockey fans Tuesday night.
"They (Seymour III and Norty) would have loved it," Knox said.
Everyday fans like Emma Winorski of Tonawanda came down to soak up the pre-game scene.
"It's crazy," Winorski said.
North Buffalo's Tyler Daly said the Sabrehood scene surpassed the Bills' Mafia tailgating scene outside of Highmark Stadium.
"Lots of enthusiasm," Daly said. "The fans are really into it."
It was loud.
Fans were definitely in a party-like mood.
Chants of "Let's Go Buffalo" could be heard coming from Canalside and making its way up Main Street.
"Sabrehood all the way," said Jason Wroke of Wilson.
Fans made their way to Canalside and Alumni Plaza
Fans made their way to Canalside and Alumni Plaza
