Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – Josh Allen joined many of his Buffalo Bills teammates on Thursday to cheer on the Buffalo Sabres in their season opener.
Those in attendance on Thursday went wild when Allen was shown on the scoreboard. He was also wearing his new Alex Tuch sweater.
Tuch attended last Sunday’s Bills game wearing a Josh Allen jersey. The Sabres winger says getting each other’s jerseys wasn’t anything they had talked about.
“It wasn’t planned, but he must have saw that I was wearing his jersey, so it was really cool," said Tuch on Friday. "We text occasionally, and I met him after one of the games last year. He’s a really great guy, and what he’s doing with the Bills is really special. So it was definitely a jersey I needed to get.”
Bills tight end Tommy Sweeney was with Allen at the game, and Tuch and Sweeney were good friends when they were at Boston College. Tuch enjoyed seeing his old college friend at the game too.
Both teams really seem to like going to the other’s games to support them. Tuch thinks it’s a special bond between the two teams.
“It starts up top with the Pegulas and it goes through our GMs just wanting to be part of the city, wanting to be in Buffalo, and wanting to create something special here," Tuch said. "I think supporting each other is just one more thing that we love doing, because, hey, we’re in it together. We’re part of this city, and it’s a lot more fun that way too.”
Sabres head coach Don Granato was busy coaching a game, but he found out after the game that Allen was there.
”I love that. I think our guys feed off of that," said Granato after Friday's practice.
“The funny thing about that was we were talking in the room that Josh Allen was there and he had a Tuch jersey on. I said, ‘Boy, I must have missed that,’ and I actually thought they put somebody with a Tuch jersey on the scoreboard and they were going crazy for Tuch. I thought, ‘Wow, what a great ovation for 'Tucher',' and didn’t realize until after it was a great ovation for Josh.”
It’s hard not to see the similarities between how the Bills and the Sabres have been built. Both organizations weeded out players that didn’t fit the vision, and brought in talented players that are good people. These things aren’t lost on players like Tuch.
“The Bills went through their struggles and the Sabres have gone through their struggles, and we’re trying to follow in their footsteps. The fact of the matter it does take time," Tuch said.
“They drafted Josh and they didn’t become this elite team right away. They still had to develop Josh and develop everything around him to create that good culture. [Brandon] Beane and [Kevyn] Adams have… really good head coaches who expect a lot from their players, but are really easy to talk to and be around. It's guys that you want to play for, so getting the right people in the right places really matters. They’re doing it right, and we’re trying to do it right here.”
JJ Peterka perked up from a tough preseason to play very well on Thursday, and even scored his first NHL goal. Both Peterka and Jack Quinn sit next to Tuch in the room, and the veteran winger did help the rookie with his struggles.
“I talked to him a little bit. He’s really easy to talk to, and so is 'Quinner'. I’ve got the two young bucks on either side of me, and I don’t know how that’s going to go,” Tuch said with a laugh. “But it’s great. I get into some cross-conversations and I’m right in the middle, but they’re two really good kids. They’re both sponges.
“JJ was struggling a little bit, and he put more pressure on himself than anyone else did. So sometimes I said, ‘Just go out and enjoy it.’ I’m not a 20-year-old rookie feeling young and healthy, so it’s something I envy and am jealous of. I hope he enjoys that, and I think he is right now.”
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Now, of course, I thought it was a genius move by Granato to put the young kids on either side of a veteran leader like Tuch. You know what they say, you shouldn’t assume.
“If that’s a smart move, no I am not that brilliant," Granato said. "I’ll have to put that one on our equipment guys, but any guy that returns sitting next to any young guy is good by me. Tuch is outstanding in that regard, making people feel comfortable and providing them with the information needed. So I didn’t have to worry about that, but I do like that that’s the case.”
Granato says forward Riley Sheahan is close to being ready to return to game action, but is still day-to-day.
Buffalo hosts the Florida Panthers on Saturday. Join Brian Koziol for pregame coverage starting at 12 p.m. ET, when you’ll hear more from Granato and Tuch as well as Eric Comrie, who I have a feeling may get his first start with the Sabres in goal.
