I've often mentioned to people that the head coaches of the two Buffalo major pro sports teams remind me of one another, as far as how they communicate and what their philosophies are on building a team.
On Wednesday, both Buffalo Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger and Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott talked glowingly about each other, their relationship, and their approach to building their teams.
"We just bounce back, and there's always depth in the messages back and forth, with a sentence or two," Krueger said on The Howard and Jeremy Show when asked about the two head coaches texting each other. "Sean's sent some video tips this way of other athletes from other sports, even from basketball, saying something that we both like."
Of course, both teams are owned by Terry and Kim Pegula, who purchased the Sabres in 2011 and then the Bills in 2014. Since then, the two teams have merged under the Pegula Sports and Entertainment umbrella with the moniker "One Buffalo" to show their synergy.
"Ralph has been a good partner of mine, call it, and in some ways a mentor, honestly, in the bandwidth of his experience," McDermott said of Krueger. "He's been in a lot of places and done a lot of things and accomplished a lot over the course of his career, so I try to stay in touch with him and encourage him. I'm not sure I share much that he can use, but he's certainly shared some things that I've been able to use. I think it's really neat to watch the Sabres players and our players pull for one another and support one another, and that's as they call One Buffalo, and that's a unique part and cool part of our city."
The Bills clinched their second playoff berth in three years under McDermott with a 17-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night. They still have an opportunity to win the AFC East with two games to play and a big game Saturday evening in Foxboro against the New England Patriots.
The Sabres currently sit in second place in the eight-team Atlantic Division in the NHL.
"The goal that Sean and I have in common is to make the fanbase in Buffalo, for sports, proud of what we're doing," Krueger said. "We communicated about that this summer and he's written me that a few times and all I can share is that it's a very natural friendship that's growing, and I'm just really a big fan of the Bills and what they're doing there, and how they're doing it, and it feels like vice versa. They like what we're doing."
Bills players have frequently been spotted at Sabres games this season, and when they are, they are often shown on the team's video board, which then gets a loud ovation from the fans in attendance.
"It's good to see some Bills players at games and our players love to go there," said Krueger. "The relationship beginning with our owners passion for sports in Buffalo and getting the sports scene back on track is carried by Sean and myself in the same way and we're just working hard every day to try to do that and I'm just very, very excited for the Bills if they made the playoffs and we're going to be cheering loud for them."
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