Puck Stop	New Look for Sabres Telecast by Andrew Kulyk & Peter Farrell

Talk to Kevin Sylvester (above, far left), the new Studio Host for Sabres game-night telecasts on the Madison Square Gardens channel, and he’ll tell you about the empty cardboard box in his office. “In this business, you never know when you’ll have to pack your things and leave in a hurry,” says Sylvester.

And indeed, that box was put to use late last year when Sylvester was abruptly let go from co-hosting the morning show at WGR 550 AM. Despite impressive credentials on the Buffalo sports scene—Bills reporter and host for the Bills radio network, radio talk show host, golf shows and a call-in show with Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, color commentator for UB Bulls football and a two-year stint with a news radio outlet in Charlotte, Sylvester was now home full-time with his wife Donna and their two children.

A lot has changed in a year, and since joining the Sabres this spring, Sylvester is fast becoming a well-known fixture here in Buffalo. He has landed in one of the highest-profile media assignments in this area, piloting the entire Sabres production as lead host.

Sabres fans have probably noticed some differences to this year’s telecasts. No, not a total overhaul. First of all was the move from the defunct Empire to MSG. But the biggest change is that the “Sabres GameNight” pregame, “Shootout” postgame and the intermission clips are now presented live from the 200 level of HSBC Arena. Fans at the game have the unique opportunity to watch the production up close and get a chance to mingle with the on-air personalities.

Sylvester insists that doing the telecasts live from the arena doesn’t pose a distraction. “I love the energy of the crowd, and the fans sure get a kick out of it,” he says. He added that for road games the crew assembles at the West Seneca studios. “One thing we can do more with there is technology, using highlight packages, telestrators and the like. Plus, we can take viewer calls there, which we can’t do at the arena.”

Joining Sylvester on the show are former Sabres Rob Ray (above, center) and mainstay Mike Robitaille (right), who provide analysis from a player’s perspective. “I’m not there to be an analyst. I’m there to set those guys up and get them to share their in-depth knowledge with the viewers,” Sylvester says, adding that he’s not afraid to mix it up with the guys on occasion, sometimes with funny results. “Once we were arguing a point and after the break, my producer was sending a message into my earpiece, which I perceived to be ‘ramble.’ So I continued belaboring the same point while Robie is just glaring at me. I kept getting the same message, ‘ramble, ramble.’ Eventually I got it right—‘Randall’ was the next caller on the line!”

Sylvester also serves as the team’s Director of Amateur Athletics, the biggest task of which is planning for the 2007 NCAA men’s basketball subregional. This event drew packed houses in 2000 and 2004 and Western New York got glowing reviews from visiting schools, fans and the NCAA.

But, most of all, Sylvester is tackling his game-day assignment with a vengeance. He admires CBC “Hockey Night In Canada” host Ron McLean (“The marker when it comes to hockey, just like Bob Costas when it involves baseball”), and says he also loves working side by side with Ray and Robitaille. “Kids come up to the studio, they really don’t know me but they get Razor and Robie to sign autographs during the game,” he says.

When you meet Kevin Sylvester, you get a sense that he is just one of the guys, and that all the newfound fame and attention won’t go to his head. If you need proof, just check out his office. That cardboard box sits there, in the corner. A reminder that humility is never far away.

TARO SEZ…

• Props to the Sabres event staff for a job well done putting together Danny Gare’s banner ceremony on November 22. The nostalgic video clips were entertaining, the presence of many past Sabres greats added much to the affair, and Gare’s emotional comments and the banner raising itself left few dry eyes in the building.

• Don’t be surprised to see defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick in the lineup for future overtime shootouts. “He’s our best breakaway scorer and everyone on the team knows it,” confessed coach Lindy Ruff.

• The Sabres are auctioning off the blue and gold jerseys worn by the players during the Gare retirement ceremony, with proceeds benefiting the Sabres Foundation. All jerseys are autographed by that player and Danny Gare and also bear a special patch. The auction concludes on Monday, December 5 at 9pm on the Sabres Web site—www.sabres.com.