Buffalo Sabres: 3 takeaways from hiring Seth Appert as Amerks coach

3) Appert an advocate of community and charitable work

If Appert’s past is anything to go by, Buffalo and Rochester will embrace him in a major way. He full appreciates the importance of charity work within the community.

As per City of Troy, NY, Appert was honoured in 2013 by the Autism Society of the Greater Capital Region of New York. The award was given for his support of an RPI Engineers Men’s Varsity Ice Hockey Game.

Appert put his money where his mouth was, by sponsoring the event. As per RPI Athletics, the game was organized to facilitate the attendance of children with autism and special needs.

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This meant no music or goal horn, fewer flashing lights and the public address announcer’s microphone being lowered. The evening proved to be a success, as the Albany Autism Society were able to raise awareness and money.

The following year, Appert also ran the Adirondack Marathon to raise money for a charity called Defending the Blue Line. The organisation aims to give children of military members the chance to play hockey.

From a personal perspective, Appert had a good reason to run the marathon due to his connection with Luke Curadi, a former member of the RPI Men’s Varsity Hockey Team. As reported by Times Union, Curadi’s father was a solder with the army for 32 years, who passed away two months before the marathon.

Overall, it seems like Appert is a well-rounded, stable person who can inspire people both on and off the ice. (Consider that he was also President of the American Hockey Coaches Association.)

Now, it remains to be seen how this benefits the Amerks moving forward. In theory, Appert has the tools necessary to succeed, but now comes the hard work of turning this into a reality.

What is your opinion of the reported decision to hire Appert to coach the Amerks? Are you confident his addition will help the Buffalo Sabres organisation overall? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.