The Sabres have scrapped plans to play one of their preseason games in Rochester, saying the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial isn’t good enough for the NHL.
The Sabres haven’t played in downtown Rochester for more than a decade. They were planning to bring a September 26th exhibition match with the Minnesota Wild to the Blue Cross, but after looking it over, Team President Russ Brandon says Rochester’s arena doesn’t have adequate facilities. Instead, the September game will play at the Pegula Ice Arena at Penn State.
The Blue Cross was last upgraded 20 years ago at a cost of more than $40 million. The city says it’s got $10 million from the state for “phase one” of a new upgrade. City Spokesman Jim Smith says this shows the need to keep modernizing. A consultant says the Blue Cross needs at least $16 million worth of urgent upgrades to concessions, rest rooms, seating and more. There’s no timetable for getting started.