Conehead: Happy fans mean more beer sales

"Happy fans drink more beer. That's just the way it is," says Tom "Conehead" Girot, a vendor at various Buffalo sports venues, including KeyBank Center in 1972. In fact, Girot says the energy for Sabres games has rivaled the 1974-75 season. "Back in the 1970s, it was a new franchise. We were developing new fans, and that's basically what we're doing now. We got the veterans, the older people like me that have waited all their lives for for a team like this, and then we're drawn the young people, and good for them."

He says the shift came during the Sabres' 10 game winning streak. "They were impressed with the team, and because of the 10 games you know it, and they were winning them convincingly. It wasn't overtime wins and all that. It was legitimate wins. So quite, quite a difference. Fans really started to believe," says Girot.

If you're looking to get one of his guranateed cold ones, Girot says anytime's a good time. "Most people are buying as they walk in, as well as first intermission, second intermission. My seat sales have been fantastic during this run. Anytime you want a beer from Conehead, is a good time to buy it," says Girot.

Girot is confident this is the year the Sabres strike silver. "This team is really good. They can play the game any way you want to play it. They can rough it up. They can score. They're the fastest team in the league. Good goaltending, best set of defensemen they've ever had. And they, love Lindy, and you get the best coach in the National Hockey League and the best fans," says Girot. But he believes one Sabres squad could have had a better chance of taking home Lord Stanley's Cup. "I think the best squad was the 74-75 team," believes Girot. "You had six 30 goal scorers on that team. Gil Perreault was in his prime, big defenseman, core of Jim Schoenfeld, and Bill Hajt. That was a great team. The only reason they didn't win the cup was a guy named Bernie Parent."

He's worn the Conehead for nearly 50 years, but Girot admits he didn't like it at first. "My wife and I were saving to buy our first house. She spent $20 on this stupid Conehead at Thanksgiving or at Halloween time, and I was not happy about it. So I decided, well, we have to get some use out of this Conehead," says Girot. He says he wore it to a Bills game around Halloween 1979, and one thing led to another. "In 1979 when the Bisons came back into being, by the way, I was an original stockholder in the Bisons, came up with a guarantee, and one thing led to another, and got my own beer in this town, got a mural in Rochester. It's been a good life."