"What a beautiful, wonderful dump."

That was one of my many thoughts while walking the floor of the soon-to-be-demolished Memorial Auditorium, a building torn apart by time, vandals and deconstruction, but not ruined. Not ruined because you can't spent a minute in the Aud without thinking about what it means to the city.

There are a lot of things in this world that bring back memories of your childhood, but few legitimately recall the feeling of being that age, holding your mom or dad's hand on the way up the ramps to the Blues. Peering up at the scoreboard and wondering how in the world they changed the road team's name every night when it was so high up (Hey, I was a dumb kid).

So, Nov. 10 is the target date for demolition, and I'm not going to be too emotional about it. Instead of typing out some wisftul pseudo-wisdom, I'll pass along some sentiments Congressman Brian Higgins told me after the tour:

"(Buffalo) has an old urban environment with a lot of remnants of the past," he said. "Industrial uses dotted the landscape. Neighborhoods were interspersed with industry."

"The city is going to be a vibrant destination city again. I'm convinced of this, but what we salvage from this is great memories. They can't be destructed. They can't be demolished, and that's what keeps people reminiscient of the past."

Hope you enjoy:

The familiar stone front.


The Blues have been removed.



Everything that made me love Sabres hockey started in two places: my living room in Tonawanda, and the Memorial Auditorium.



I remember looking up at this during my time skating on the ice in one of the Sabres "Mini-mite Intermission" games. I was No. 3 on the gold team, and then Pierre Turgeon won the actual game in overtime.



The hallways that gave you a glimpse of the scoreboard.



All that remains in the entrance of the word "Sabres" is the final "S."



Remember when the Canadian Exchange was 35 percent? That made the allowance go far during family vacations in Sauble Beach, Red Bay and Wiarton, Ontario.



Let's Go Buffalo!



No, this isn't a scene from "Saw IV." I think.




There are easier ways to order beer.



Think about the fact that this chair was the epitome of comfort at the Aud. One cushion in a bolted-down folding chair. That's classy!

Jokes aside, this was our home... Where my grandmother, uncle and cousins had season tickets...

Where my Aunt Kim took me to see the Oilers so I could get to know the lady who was marrying my Uncle Larry...

Where my favorite player, Mike Foligno, missed a penalty shot against Detroit on my birthday and my sister tried to get the family to leave after two periods...

Where Foligno flipped my dad and me a puck during warm-ups at my first Sabres game...

Where I saw Gretzky, Neely, Yzerman and Perreault.... and Patrick Ewing...

Where I fell out of my seat moments before Gilbert Perreault scored his 500th, and my parents missed it while looking for their four-year old kid, who was tumbling down the steps of the golds.

It\\\'s corny, but this is how sports become an integral part of family. When I think of hockey, I think of my Gram, and my Godparents, and my cousins. When I think of my family, I think of sitting on the floor in front of the TV at family birthday parties, rooting for Randy Burridge, Daren Puppa and Uwe Krupp.

This is my city. The Aud is my building: nick@wgr550.com