Buffalo Sabres In February 2011, Pegula purchased Hockey Western New York LLC (the holding company that owns the Buffalo Sabres and the
Buffalo Bandits of the
National Lacrosse League) from previous owners
Tom Golisano,
Larry Quinn, and Dan DiPofi for $189 million. Pegula's purchase made an immediate positive impact, with players, fans and alumni invigorated by his investment in the team, the then
First Niagara Center and the building of
Harborcenter across the street. Pegula was quoted as saying, "Starting today, the Buffalo Sabres' reason for existence, will be to win a
Stanley Cup." However, in the decade that followed, the Buffalo Sabres posted a 281–354–94 record and held the
longest active NHL post-season drought. Pegula and his wife have been heavily criticized for meddling in the Sabres' hockey operations. Many fans and critics alike have attributed the team's firing of six head coaches and four general managers since 2013 to this, as well as other controversial moves such as the trades of
Ryan O'Reilly,
Jack Eichel, and
Sam Reinhart, who would each go on to win a Stanley Cup with the
St. Louis Blues,
Vegas Golden Knights, and
Florida Panthers, respectively.
Buffalo Bandits Included in the Sabres purchase was their
National Lacrosse League (NLL) counterpart, the
Buffalo Bandits, which have won seven NLL championships. The Bandits won the NLL championship in
2023, giving Pegula his first championship under his ownership of the team. The Bandits would repeat as NLL champions in
2024, and would win a third consecutive league championship in
2025 which was the franchise's 7th overall championship.
Rochester Americans In May 2011, Pegula began negotiations on behalf of the Sabres to re-purchase the
Rochester Americans, which had served as the Sabres'
American Hockey League affiliate from 1979 to 2008 (and had been owned by the Sabres from 1979 to 1996); the deal was completed in late June 2011. As part of the deal the Americans had to be split off from its NLL counterpart the
Rochester Knighthawks since Pegula owned the Bandits due to ownership rules at the time. Along with the purchase of the Americans came upgrades to the team's arena, the
Blue Cross Arena.
Buffalo Bills On September 9, 2014, it was announced that Pegula had placed the winning binding bid to purchase the
National Football League (NFL)'s
Buffalo Bills, a team that was placed up for sale after the death of the original owner and team founder,
Ralph Wilson. Pegula was a favorite among most local Bills fans and local politicians to buy the team due to his commitment to the Western New York area and local connections. He competed against future U.S. President
Donald Trump and musician
Jon Bon Jovi, the latter of whom was backed by principals of the
Toronto-based
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, for purchase of the team. It was reported that the Pegulas made a $1.4 billion bid, all in cash. On September 17, 2014, the Pegulas were unanimously approved by the NFL's finance committee and were then scheduled to be presented at the NFL owners' meeting on October 8, 2014, for final owner approval; the Pegulas received unanimous approval from the league's owners on October 8 and closed the deal on October 10. Pegula's first major order of business was to end the
Bills Toronto Series, which he did in an agreement reached on December 3, 2014. Upon the purchase of the Bills, Pegula and his wife Kim introduced
One Buffalo, a marketing campaign which has since evolved into a brand used across all of their sports teams and associated products. On March 28, 2022, it was announced that a deal had been reached between New York State, Erie County and the Pegulas for a
62,000 seat, $1.4 billion new stadium for the Bills in
Orchard Park across the street from the current stadium. New York State will contribute $600 million in funding with Erie County contributing $250 million, the Pegulas contributing $350 million and the NFL via a G-4 loan $200 million. In addition the Pegulas signed the Bills to a 30-year ironclad lease. The stadium would be owned by New York State, a change from the current stadium which is owned by Erie County. It was set to be the largest taxpayer contribution ever for a National Football League facility.
Buffalo Beauts On December 21, 2017, it was announced that Pegula had acquired the
Buffalo Beauts of the now-defunct league then known as the National Women's Hockey League and later as the
Premier Hockey Federation. This made the Beauts the first NWHL team not owned by the league, the first professional women's hockey team in North America owned by the same person that owned the market's NHL team and got Pegula into women's hockey. Pegula divested the Beauts in 2019.
Rochester Knighthawks In 2018, Pegula reached an agreement to purchase the intellectual property of the
Rochester Knighthawks of the
National Lacrosse League in autumn 2019. Curt Styres orchestrated the sale as he planned on moving his staff and roster to a
new Halifax NLL team set to debut in the winter of 2020. On June 23, 2025, it was announced that Pegula would divest ownership of the Knighthawks franchise. It was later announced on August 5, 2025 that the
Seneca Nation of New York had purchased the team. ==Investments==