Buffalo Sabres Founding Owners
The founding owners of the National Hockey League’s Buffalo Sabres, Northrup and Seymour Knox first made and attempt to bring the NHL to Buffalo when they applied for a franchise in 1965. When the city was passed over for league expansion two years later, the Knox brothers tried to purchase the Oakland Seals, intent on moving the team to Buffalo. When the NHL Board of Governors blocked their efforts, they did not throw in the towel. Finally, on December 2, 1969, the Knox brothers were awarded an expansion franchise for the 1970-71 season, naming the team the Buffalo Sabres.
In the twenty-plus seasons the Sabres have competed in the NHL, their greatest moment came in the 1974-75 season, when they came one step shy of the Stanley Cup Championship, falling to the Philadelphia Flyers in the finals.
Recently, both Seymour and Northrup were instrumental in bringing two new major league sports franchises to Buffalo, with the formation of the Buffalo Bandits of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League (MILL) and the Buffalo Blizzard of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). The Bandits won the MILL Championship in 1991 in their inaugural season; while the Blizzard began league play in 1992.
The Knox brothers also concentrated their efforts on building a sports and entertainment complex — now known as HSBC Arena — at the Crossroads in Downtown Buffalo.
For their indisputable efforts in promoting professional sports in Buffalo, Seymour and Northrup Knox earned a place in the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.