Thanks to a financial dispute between two cable media giants, the younger generation in Western New York is missing out on the opportunity to watch their local sports heroes and develop a passion for hockey, Buffalo style.

It has been six weeks since an impasse regarding programming fees has resulted in Time Warner Cable not airing the MSG network, provider of live broadcasts of Buffalo Sabres both at home and on the road.

During that stretch, the Sabres played some of the most electrifying teams in the National Hockey League. The team visited Edmonton and Winnipeg, plus Detroit and Chicago. Two games were available locally, but only because they were carried by the NBC Sports Network, formerly known as Versus.

What this means is that kids who want to see their Sabres play are being left at the curb. They are missing out on evenings spent seeing younger players hone their skills against some of the best teams in the league. They are being robbed of the jaw-dropping sight of a spectacular save or a slick passing play by members of the team that represents their own hometown.

Sabres President Ted Black is sympathetic to the issue.

“We realize that fans have been in a tough spot since Jan. 1, and we are hopeful that Time Warner Cable will engage in meaningful negotiations with MSG so that a deal can be reached to bring MSG’s networks and our games back to Time Warner Cable customers,” Black has been quoted as saying.

Time Warner claims MSG demanded a 53 percent increase in rates after reneging on an alleged agreement to accept a 6.5 percent increase. MSG says it wants the cable company to pay what MSG considers fair value for its programming, according to the Buffalo News.

Perhaps saddest of all is that Sabres fans — young and old — are being denied the opportunity to hear a legend in sports broadcasting. The voice of Rick Jeanneret is symbolic of Buffalo hockey. Who knows how long he will continue in that role? When he worked strictly in radio, many fans turned down the volume on their televisions in order to get his play-by-play version of what was happening visually. The current cable dispute has thrown Sabres hockey broadcasts back into the Stone Age, and with it, a big part of their fan base. “Out of sight, out of mind” fits here like a well-worn glove.

Fans are also missing the real-life perspective of former Sabre Mike Robitaille, who chose to live here after his playing days ended. Instead, we have NBC broadcasters calling games from Philadelphia or Pittsburgh or wherever. Their best skill is talking amongst themselves instead of describing the action. It’s not how Buffalo hockey is done.

MSG suggests Time Warner subscribers switch providers, which is not easy for those who have bundled their Internet, phone and cable service together in an attempt to save money. Time Warner replies in strictly checkbook terms.

“Every year, we negotiate new agreements with TV stations and cable networks. Most of the time, you never hear about them. But sometimes, a station or network demands too much and we have to take a stand to protect our customers and our business. “We’ve saved our customers literally hundreds of millions of dollars by standing tough during negotiations with programmers — some asking for increases of as much as 300 percent for a single channel. Forty percent of your cable video bill is already paid directly to the programmers. So if your monthly video charge is $80, you’re paying $32 to the programmers. If every programmer succeeded in getting a 300 percent increase, that means your cost just for the programming would rise by $96 to $128 each and every month … and we don’t think that’s right,” Time Warner said.

Fans can still see Sabres games at local restaurants and bars that are eager to capture a frustrated audience. That does nothing for elementary and middle school kids still trying to learn to skate backwards.

That’s exactly what Time Warner and MSG are doing.

(David F. Sherman is managing editor of Bee Group Newspapers and a columnist for the Weekly Independent Newspapers of Western New York. Opinions expressed here are those of the author. He can be reached at dsher man@beenews.com.)