Sabres fan rips organization, team owners in passionate radio rant

Duane Alan Steinel is now a hero in Buffalo.

The lifelong Sabres fan went viral after unleashing an incredible rant while calling into a local sports radio show Wednesday.

Here's the call he made to "Schopp and the Bulldog" on WGR 550:

(Audio courtesy: WGR 550)

Steinel took the Sabres organization and, specifically, co-owner Terry Pegula to task during the diatribe. He called out the team for its in-game ineptitude, but also cited a series of off-ice missteps involving the club's legends during its 50th season.

He referenced the embarrassment he felt seeing former Buffalo forward Danny Gare being forced to wear an unlicensed jersey at a fundraising event, as well as the organization giving former Sabres Dave Andreychuk and Mike Robitaille jerseys with their surnames misspelled.

"I don't need a Jerry Jones-type of owner," Steinel said, before beginning to yell. "I need (an) owner who's going to answer the fans when they misspell names on jerseys and have Chinese knockoffs on alumni. What is going on? What are we doing?"

Steinel lamented the fact that no one from the organization has taken responsibility by publicly commenting on the mishaps or answering questions from fans amid another disappointing season.

"I don't need a damn camera in front of Terry Pegula every single day, but address our concerns," he said. "Be there when you screw up. Answer for the mistakes. Be accountable."

The rant resonated locally, blowing up on social media and even resulting in the creation of "We Are All Duane" T-shirts. But it also made the rounds on a national scale.

A representative of Pegula Sports and Entertainment - the team's parent company - subsequently "berated" WGR management, leading to the deletion of a tweet promoting the audio and increased attention around it as a result, The Athletic's John Vogl reported Thursday.

Pegula and his wife, Kim, bought the team in February 2011. The Sabres made the playoffs later that spring, but they lost in the first round and haven't returned to the postseason since.