Leafs make Buffalo Sabres jealous after getting first crack at Bills game

The Buffalo Sabres were invited to watch their local NFL team, the Buffalo Bills, at Highmark Stadium over the weekend. The problem is the invite came a few weeks after the team took care of a few players from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The @BuffaloSabres are in the house!#LetsGoBuffalo | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/YeUuj095MB

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) October 1, 2023

In his latest 32 Thoughts article, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that members of the Sabres were not impressed with the likes of Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly getting the star treatment back on September 17.

“Got a bit of a laugh seeing the Buffalo Sabres on the sidelines last weekend as the Bills hammered the Miami Dolphins,” Friedman wrote. “There were some social media photos of Maple Leaf players getting this excellent experience a few weeks ago and the Sabres were none too pleased.”

Fans were upset by the two rival players being featured too.

“Some friends from the North at today’s game!” the team account posted on their social media pages, posting a picture of the two of them while also sharing a shot of Marner and former Bills linebacker Takeo Spikes, who played for the team from 2003-2006.

Some friends from the North at today's game! 🇨🇦

Top fan photos: https://t.co/RZvecVFuvM@Marner93 | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/ImHcxZ61RD

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) September 17, 2023

While the two Atlantic Division teams are not considered a rivalry, the beef between the Leafs and Sabres has certainly grown stronger in recent months.

Off the football field, there was a ticket sale fiasco that involved Buffalo trying to prevent too many fans from Ontario from attending games.

As per an August article from The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington, the Sabres were “finalizing plans to limit the presale for games, likely by ZIP code, in an attempt to cut down the number of visiting-team fans in the building.”

While they didn’t directly name Toronto in the reasoning, it’s hard to imagine another fanbase they were trying to actively deter.

Buffalo will play the Leafs at Scotiabank Arena in the first of four meetings on November 4.

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