Everything about Buffalo Sabres totally explained
Buffalo, New York
| media_affiliates =
MSG NetworkWGR (550 AM)WMXO (101.5 FM)
| team_colors =
Midnight Blue,
Maize,
Silver,
White
| head_coach =
Lindy Ruff
| general_manager =
Darcy Regier
| owner =
Thomas Golisano
| captain =
Jason Pominville (Rotating)
| minor_league_affiliates =
Rochester Americans (
AHL)
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs (
CHL)
| stanley_cups = none
| conf_titles =
1974–75,
1979–80,
1998–99
| division_titles =
1974–75,
1979–80,
1980–81,
1996–97,
2006–07
}}
The
Buffalo Sabres are a professional
ice hockey team based in
Buffalo, New York. They are members of the
Northeast Division of the
Eastern Conference of the
National Hockey League (NHL).
History
Founding
The Buffalo Sabres, along with the
Vancouver Canucks, joined the NHL in the 1970–71 season. The Sabres' first owners were
Seymour Knox III and
Northrup Knox, scions of a family long prominent in
western New York. Buffalo had long been a hotbed for hockey. The
Buffalo Bisons had been one of the pillars of the
American Hockey League, winning the
Calder Cup in their final season.
Wanting a different name other than "bison" that was so common among Buffalo sports teams, the Knoxes immediately commissioned a name-the-team contest. The winning choice, "Sabres," was chosen because Seymour Knox felt a sabre was a weapon carried by a leader. He also noted that a sabre is swift and strong on offense as well as defense. The Knoxes had tried twice before to get an NHL team, first when the NHL expanded in 1967, and then unsuccessfully attempting to buy the
Oakland Seals with the intent of moving them to
Buffalo. At the time of their creation, the Sabres exercised their option to create their own AHL
farm team, the
Cincinnati Swords.
French Connection
The Sabres, playing their first of many seasons at the
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, got off to a good start before they even hit the ice when they, despite being disputed by the Vancouver Canucks, and by spinning a
roulette wheel, won the NHL draft lottery, and picked future
Hockey Hall of Fame center Gilbert Perreault first overall in the
1970 NHL Amateur Draft. Perreault was available to the Sabres, as this was the first year that the
Montreal Canadiens didn't have a priority right to draft
Québécois junior players. Perreault scored 38 goals in his rookie season of
1970–71, at the time a record for most goals scored by a rookie in the NHL, and was awarded the
Calder Memorial Trophy as Rookie of the Year. Despite Perreault's star play, the Sabres didn't make the playoffs.
In the team's second season,
1971–72, rookie
Rick Martin, drafted fifth overall by Buffalo in
1971, and
Rene Robert, acquired in a late-season trade from the
Pittsburgh Penguins, joined Perreault and would become one of the league's top forward lines in the 1970s. Martin broke Perreault's record at once with 44
rookie goals. They were nicknamed "
The French Connection" after
the movie of the same name and in homage to their
French-Canadian roots. The Sabres made the playoffs for the first time in
1972–73, just the team's third year in the league, but lost in the quarterfinals in six games to the eventual
Stanley Cup champion
Montreal Canadiens. Game 6 at
the Aud ended with the fans serenading their team in a chant of "Thank you Sabres! Thank you Sabres!", a moment many consider to be the greatest in team history.
Fog and the bat
After a subpar year in
1974 that saw them miss the playoffs, the Sabres finished in a tie for the best record in the NHL in the
1974–75 regular season. Buffalo would advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in team history to play against the rough
Philadelphia Flyers (who had been recently nicknamed the "Broad Street Bullies"), a series which included the legendary Fog Game (game three of the series). Due to unusual heat in Buffalo in May 1975, portions of the game were played in heavy fog. Players, officials, and the puck were invisible to many spectators. During a face-off and through the fog, Sabres center
Jim Lorentz spotted a
bat flying across the rink, raised his stick, and killed it. Many
superstitious Buffalo fans considered this to be an "
Evil Omen," pertaining to the result of the series. It was the only time that any player killed an animal
during an NHL game. The Sabres won that game thanks to Rene Robert's goal in overtime. However,
Philadelphia would wind up taking the Cup Final to six games, winning the series 4 games to 2.
The French Connection, joined by 50–goal scorer
Danny Gare, continued to score prolifically for the Sabres in
1975–76, but the team lost in the quarterfinals to the
New York Islanders. The Sabres continued to coast through the late 1970s behind the French Connection of Perreault, Martin, Robert, and Gare, but they were unable to return to the Final despite a regular season Conference championship in
1980 and being the first team to beat the Soviet Olympic team when they toured the
United States.
Leaving the Aud
The
1995–96 season was the first season under coach
Ted Nolan and the last for the Sabres at
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, or the Aud. Nolan brought an exciting brand of hockey to Buffalo. During his coaching tenure, his Sabres were referred to as the "hardest-working team in hockey". Even though the Sabres failed to have success in the win column and played before an average of only a little over 13,000 fans, fourth-fewest in the history of the team at the Aud, the fans had a special love affair with the team.
Brad May,
Rob Ray and
Matthew Barnaby became the 1990s version of the characters from the movie
Slap Shot, "The Hanson Brothers." This season also featured the debut of "walk-on" veteran player
Randy Burridge. After attending training camp on a try-out basis, Burridge earned a spot on the roster. He scored 25 goals that season and was second in team scoring to Pat LaFontaine. Burridge also earned the
Tim Horton Award for being the unsung hero and was voted team
Most Valuable Player.
1996–97—2005–06: Black and red era
New arena and new attitude
Nolan and the Sabres rebounded in
96–97, their first at
Marine Midland Arena, by winning the Northeast Division (their first division title in sixteen years), with Nolan winning the
Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top coach,
Dominik Hasek winning both the
Hart and Vezina Trophies (the first goaltender to do so since Montreal's Jacques Plante in 1962),
Michael Peca taking home the
Frank J. Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward in the NHL, and general manager
John Muckler honored as Executive of the Year.
However, the regular season success was all overshadowed by what had taken place during the playoffs. Tensions between Nolan and Hasek had been high for most of the season, however, after being scored upon in game three of the first-round against the
Ottawa Senators, Hasek left the game, forcing backup
Steve Shields to step in. Hasek claimed he felt his knee pop, and the team doctor pronounced him day-to-day. Buffalo News columnist
Jim Kelley wrote a column that night for the next day's newspaper that detailed the day's events, which irked Hasek. After the Senators won game five, Hasek came out of the Sabres' training room and physically attacked Kelley, tearing his shirt. Despite issuing an apology, things went downhill afterwards. Shields starred as the Sabres rallied to win the series against
Ottawa. But before the next series against the
Philadelphia Flyers, the NHL announced that Hasek had been suspended for three games — with the Sabres informing the league that Hasek was healthy (Hasek most likely wouldn't have been suspended had he not been cleared to play). Set to return in game four with the team down by three games in the series, Hasek told the Sabres' coaching staff he felt a twinge in his knee and left the ice after the pregame skate. Shields turned in another season-saving performance as Buffalo staved off the almost inevitable sweeping elimination with a win. Again before the fifth game, Hasek declared himself unfit to play and Buffalo lost 6–3, losing the series in five games.
New owners
Despite the infighting, the season was a fitting tribute to Seymour Knox, who died on
May 22,
1996. During the season, his brother Northrop sold the team to
Adelphia Communications.
Timothy Rigas, son of Adelphia founder
John Rigas, took over as team president. His first act was to fire general manager
John Muckler, who had a noted feud with Nolan. All-Star goaltender Hasek, who supported Muckler, openly told reporters at the NHL Awards Ceremony that he didn't respect Nolan, placing new GM
Darcy Regier in a tough position. He offered Nolan just a one-year contract for a reported $500,000. Nolan refused on the grounds that his previous contract was for two years,
before he was Coach of the Year. Regier then pulled the contract off the table and didn't offer another one, ending Nolan's tenure as Sabres coach. Nolan was offered several jobs from the
Tampa Bay Lightning and
New York Islanders, which he turned down, and was out of the NHL until June 2006 when he was named coach of the Islanders. After Nolan, former Sabres captain
Lindy Ruff, Buffalo's current bench boss, was hired as head coach on
July 21,
1997, agreeing to a three-year deal.
Seemingly in the blink of an eye, the Sabres organization, after having their most successful season in nearly two decades, had now rid itself of both the reigning NHL Executive (Muckler) and Coach of the Year (Nolan).
Behind Hasek, left-winger
Miroslav Satan (who led the team in scoring), right-winger
Donald Audette, center Michael Peca, and several role-playing journeymen including
pest Matthew Barnaby, the Sabres reached the Conference Final in
1998, but lost to the
Washington Capitals in six games.
"No Goal!"
In
1999, Miroslav Satan scored 40 goals. The Sabres would add centers
Stu Barnes from the
Pittsburgh Penguins and
Joe Juneau from the
Capitals.
Michal Grosek had the best season of his career, and the team finally returned to the Stanley Cup Finals, this time against the
Dallas Stars.
In the sixth game,
Dallas Stars winger Brett Hull's triple-overtime goal — as Hull's skate was visibly in Hasek's
crease — ended the series, and the Stars were awarded the Cup. In 1999, it was illegal to score a goal if an offensive player's skate entered the crease before the puck did. At the time, even
Dallas Morning News hockey writer
Keith Gave(a lifelong Red Wings fan who had just been employed by Dallas) questioned the legality of the goal. NHL officials, however, maintained that Hull's two shots in the goal mouth constituted a single possession of the puck since the puck deflected off Hasek, and their ruling stood, citing that they "were going to change the rule the following year anyway." It is widely speculated that, by the time the Sabres mentioned the foul, the
red carpet had already been unrolled at center ice, and the officials refused to acknowledge the
non-call.
ESPN's "
Page2" staff has ranked the call as the fifth worst officiating call in sports history. Conversely, Al Strachan of the
Toronto Sun wrote "There should have been no controversy whatsoever. When Hull first kicked the rebound on to his stick, he'd neither foot in the crease. At the instant he kicked the puck, he became in control of it. It was only in the follow-through of that kick that his left foot moved into the crease." Buffalo sports fans, who have suffered through some of the biggest misfortunes in sports history (such as "
Wide Right" and "
Music City Miracle"), refer to the game as "
No Goal," a phrase still used in western New York to this day. The rule was changed for the following season, allowing players to be inside the goaltender's crease as long as they don't interfere with the goalie.
The next year was a disappointing season. The team struggled in the regular season, due to injuries to Hasek as well as other tired and discouraged players.
Doug Gilmour was acquired from the
Chicago Blackhawks at the trade deadline and sparked the Sabres to a playoff berth. However, Gilmour was stricken by stomach flu during the post-season and even the return of Hasek couldn't prevent their first-round playoff series loss to the Flyers. Like the previous season, there would be another officiating controversy. In game two high-flying Flyers' winger
John LeClair put the puck in the net through a hole in the mesh. While replays appeared to showed the puck going in through the
side of the net, the goal was allowed to stand. The Flyers would win the game 2–1 and go on to win the series 4–1.
Captain Michael Peca sat out
2000–01 due to a contract dispute, and eventually was traded to the Islanders in June 2001 for
Tim Connolly and
Taylor Pyatt. Even so, the Sabres still defeated the high-seeded Flyers in six games in the first round of the playoffs (with a resounding 8–0 victory in the series-winning game). In the second round, they faced the underdog Penguins led by rejuvenated superstar
Mario Lemieux and captain
Jaromir Jagr, who had won his 5th
Art Ross Trophy that season, losing on a seventh-game overtime goal scored by defenseman
Darius Kasparaitis.
Third jersey
The first
third Jersey of the Buffalo Sabres was created in 2000. The primary color was Sabre red, with black and gray stripes on the sleeves. It also featured the word "Buffalo" written on a black stripe outlined by gray near the waist. The logo was a black circle with two sabres crossing each other. The third jersey ran from 2000–2006 when the red jersey was retired. With the return to blue and gold came the return of the original Sabres Jersey which was worn from 1970–96. The Sabres in 2006 made the original blue jersey their new third jersey.
Missing the playoffs
After lengthy, and failed, negotiations with their star goaltender, the Sabres traded Hasek to the
Detroit Red Wings in the summer of 2001. Without Hasek and Peca, the Sabres missed the
2002 playoffs.
In the summer of 2002, John Rigas and his sons were arrested for bank, wire, and securities fraud for embezzling more than $2 billion from Adelphia (Rigas eventually was convicted and presently is appealing a sentence of 15 years in prison). The league took control of the team, though the Rigas family remained owners on paper. The affair came as something of an embarrassment to the NHL. Only five years earlier, it had tightened its standards for vetting prospective owners after seeing
John Spano buy the
New York Islanders only to discover he'd grossly inflated his net worth and committed massive bank and wire fraud.
For a while, there were no interested buyers. Attendance sagged, and it looked like the Sabres would either move or fold. The leading candidate was
Mark Hamister, a local businessman who owned the
Arena Football League's
Buffalo Destroyers. Hamister was the personal choice of NHL Commissioner
Gary Bettman. However, over time it became obvious that Hamister's financial assets were highly suspect and that his bid was heavily dependent upon government financing. It also became known that Hamister had won an expansion
af2 team in
Dayton, Ohio and got numerous concessions from local government, but moved them to
Cincinnati before they'd ever played their first game in Dayton. He was also considering moving the Destroyers (and as it turned out, did — to
Columbus, Ohio). Under pressure from fans concerned that Hamister might move the Sabres, state officials scuttled a critical incentive package, effectively killing his bid.
Another group who showed interest in the Sabres was headed by
Sherry Bassin, co-owner of the Ontario Hockey League's Erie Otters, and included Alain Maislin, a Montreal trucking magnate, and Frank DuRoss, owner of the Rochester Raging Rhinos USL soccer team. Former Sabres coach
Ted Nolan was a friend of Bassin, and there was speculation that he'd be rehired as Sabres coach if Bassin assumed ownership. However, this partnership dissolved without ever making a formal offer to the NHL.
2002–03 and new ownership
With the season beginning under league control, general manager
Darcy Regier would make minimal moves that could bolster the last placed Sabres. However, with the consultations of impending new ownership, the team began their rebuilding process around the trade deadline of
March 10,
2003 by clearing out veteran players. The first to go was long-time winger
Rob Ray who was sent to Ottawa. The team then sent center and team captain
Stu Barnes to the
Dallas Stars for young winger
Michael Ryan and a draft pick. The third deal that was completed at that time sent center
Chris Gratton to the
Phoenix Coyotes with a draft pick for a younger center,
Daniel Briere and a draft pick. The trade of Barnes was widely believed to be a show of gratitude, to get him to a team that was a playoff contender. However, the move was a surprise to Barnes, who had become a fan favorite with the help of Sabres' broadcaster
Rick Jeanneret's calls of "Stuuuuuuuuuu Barnes...top shelf where momma hides the cookies!", and variations of that call after Barnes would score for the Sabres. Barnes stated that he'd wanted to stay in Buffalo and broke down in tears in front of the assembled media after receiving word of his trade.
After the two year period of uncertainty that left the Sabres franchise in limbo, the team was sold to
Rochester, New York billionaire and former New York gubernatorial candidate
Tom Golisano, whose bid included no government funding. Golisano was introduced as team owner on
March 19, 2003. Golisano immediately drew the attention of fans with lowered ticket prices. This shrewd move to attract a larger fanbase, however, proved to be under false pretenses. Over the past few years Golisano has proved he's a cheapskate who refuses to pay superstars the monies they deserve. Danielle Briere, Chris Drury and Brian Campbell were not given new contracts by Golisano becasue he didn't want to pay market value. These three players bitterly left the Sabres. After losing their three most highly skilled players, the Buffalo Sabres failed to make the 2007-08 NHL post-season. While it's clear Golisano is in it for the money, not for winning Lord Stanley's Cup, the kool-aid-drinking fans of Buffalo continue to love the team's owner because he brought former team president
Larry Quinn back to the team as managing partner and gave him day-to-day control over franchise operations.
2003–04
The team emerged from its struggles, and the Sabres narrowly missed the playoffs, which saw the debuts and/or development of prominent young players such as
Daniel Briere. One memorable moment in 2003–04 was on
New Year's Eve 2003, when
Maxim Afinogenov and
Miroslav Satan both scored
hat tricks against the
Washington Capitals at home. The Sabres won a sound 7–1.
2004–05
The NHL canceled the
2004–05 NHL season due to a
labor dispute; however, the league and the
NHL Players Association were able to devise a new Collective Bargaining Agreement in the summer of 2005, thus enabling NHL hockey to return for the
2005–06 season.
On
January 19,
2005, the Sabres lost their main cable television broadcaster, as the
Empire Sports Network (which had been on the air from 1991 to 2005) ceased operations as a cost cutting move during the Adelphia scandal and reorganization (Empire, like the Sabres, had been owned by Adelphia). Adelphia sold their rights to Sabres telecasts to accommodate that move. For the 2005–06 campaign, the
Madison Square Garden Network (MSG), a
New York City-based channel which mostly broadcasts
New York Rangers games, took the rights to broadcast Sabres games to television viewers in
western New York. The agreement has since been re-upped through 2016.
2005–06
In 2005–06, the Sabres raced to a hot start and stayed near the top of the standings all season long, finishing with their best season in over twenty years. On
April 3, they clinched their first Eastern Conference playoff spot since the 2000–01 season. The team finished the regular season with 52 wins, surpassing the 50–win mark for the first time in franchise history. They also finished with 110 points, their first 100–point season in 23 years and tied the 1979–80 club for the second-best point total in franchise history. The Sabres tied the
Ottawa Senators and
Carolina Hurricanes for the most wins in the Eastern Conference. They finished with the fifth-best record in the league, behind Detroit, Ottawa, Dallas and Carolina. However, the Sabres were seeded fourth in the Eastern Conference playoffs--behind Ottawa, Carolina and the
New Jersey Devils--as they dropped their division to the Senators. The Sabres also finished with 25 road wins, another franchise record.
Buffalo defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in the first-round of the
2006 Playoffs in six games. The Sabres on two occasions, showing their
offensive prowess, scored seven or more goals in the series. In the second round of the playoffs, the Sabres defeated the top-seeded Sens in five games. Three of the victories came in overtime, including the series-clinching game five, which was won on a
short-handed goal by
Jason Pominville(External Link
)Video] to send Buffalo to the Eastern Conference Final against the
Carolina Hurricanes. It was the first time in NHL history that a series had been decided on a short-handed goal.
Despite being without some or all of their four top defensemen (
Teppo Numminen,
Dmitri Kalinin and
Henrik Tallinder), and their top
power play scorer,
Tim Connolly, for much of the series, the Sabres fought back from a three-games-to-two deficit to force a seventh game by way of a 2–1 OT win in game six. In the deciding game, the Sabres were without their number one shot blocker (
Jay McKee).After Jochen Hecht scored from behind the net with 4 seconds left in the 2nd period, They led the Hurricanes 2–1 going into the final period. But blew the lead early in the third and gave up two more late goals for a 4–2 final score. The game-winning goal was scored on the power play by Hurricanes captain
Rod Brind'Amour after
Brian Campbell was called for a delay of game penalty.Injuries took their tool on the sabres, as their 4 regular defensman were out with injuries. The 'Canes went on to defeat the
Edmonton Oilers in seven games, winning the
Stanley Cup. The Sabres finished the playoffs with the most last-minute goals in the 2006 playoffs.
The Sabres' better-than-expected season was recognized on
June 22,
2006 at the NHL Awards Ceremony, when
Lindy Ruff edged Hurricanes coach
Peter Laviolette 155 votes to 154 to win the
Jack Adams Award as Coach of the Year. It was the closest vote in the award's history. After Nolan, Ruff is the second Sabres coach to win the award.
2006–07
On
September 16, the Sabres unveiled new home and away jerseys featuring midnight blue, maize(gold), silver, and white colors, along with third jerseys featuring the Sabres original blue jersey at an open practice at HSBC Arena. The new logo, a stylized bison, has been compared to
Donald Trump's hair,
Pikachu, a
hamster or more commonly a
banana slug, with some in the area even giving it the name "Sluggalo" or "Buffaslug". An online petition against the new logo had eclipsed the 30,000 signature mark by that point, indicating that growing numbers of Sabres fans hadn't accepted the logo. Despite that, the team's jersey featuring the new logo topped sales of NHL merchandise. Sabres Managing Partner
Larry Quinn (hockey), when asked about the reaction of the fans said, "I can make a promise to our fans, if we're in the deciding game of the Stanley Cup, that old blue and gold jersey is going to be worn if we're at home, so we'll have the opportunity to win the Cup with it. And I've also asked the league if we can wear our white vintage and they're looking to see if we can."
The new jerseys also featured numbers on the front of the jersey, which hadn't been seen in the NHL since the
1949–50 NHL season.
Dallas, the
New York Islanders,
San Jose, and
Tampa Bay would also add front numbers in the
2007–08 NHL season.
The jersey's unveiling overshadowed the beginning of the team's training camp, opening with the most expensive group of Sabres to date. The team's payroll was over the league salary cap of $44 million US. Even at that price tag they were forced to let some key figures (
Jay McKee,
J.P. Dumont and
Mike Grier) from their 2006 playoff run, and move on.
On
October 20,
2006, the Sabres defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in a 5–4 win, to set a new franchise record with their 12th consecutive regular-season victory. The previous record was held by the 1974–75 team that won 11 straight games at the end of that season.
The Sabres started 10–0, not only setting a new franchise record for consecutive wins to start a season, but becoming just the second team in NHL history to open a season with a winning streak of ten games. The streak was ended on
October 28,
2006, in a 5–4 shoot out loss to the
Atlanta Thrashers. The only other team to start a season with as many consecutive victories were the
Toronto Maple Leafs in
1993–94, who also started 10–0.
On
November 5,
2006 the Sabres defeated the New York Rangers in New York to set a new NHL record for consecutive road wins to start a season (eight), which was extended to ten games (tying the team record for consecutive road wins) with a 7–4 win over the 2005–06 Stanley Cup Champion Hurricanes on
November 13,
2006. It ended on
November 18,
2006 with a 4–1 loss at Ottawa to the Senators.
Three Buffalo Sabres were voted by fans to be starters at the 2007
NHL All-Star Game in Dallas: goalie Ryan Miller, forward Daniel Briere, and defenseman Brian Campbell. Forward Thomas Vanek also participated in the NHL YoungStars Game. Briere won the All-Star MVP Award, tallying 1 goal and 4 assists. Lindy Ruff was the head coach for the Eastern Conference, who lost the game 12–9.
On
February 22,
2007, in a 6–5 shootout win over the
Ottawa Senators, the team was involved in a brawl after Senators winger
Chris Neil hit Sabres captain
Chris Drury, who was injured on the play. Some consider that the hit was late and from behind, though neither the referees nor the league penalized Neil. Despite Senator's coach Bryan Murray's insistence that his team was innocent, the melee was actually started with Heatley cross-checking Buffalo's
Patrick Kaleta before the puck was dropped. The two had a minor scuffle, and were broken up by the officials. Both combatants remained on the ice. When the puck dropped, the main brawl began. The fight included
Adam Mair immediately engaging
Jason Spezza,
Andrew Peters going after
Dany Heatley, and both goalies,
Martin Biron and
Ray Emery fighting each other. Peters then went after the Senators goalie Emery, while head coach
Lindy Ruff argued with Senators coach
Bryan Murray through the glass, with former Sabres enforcer
Rob Ray's MSG microphone picking up Ruff telling his counterpart "don't go after my fucking captain". Over 100 penalty minutes were distributed and Ruff was fined $10,000 by the league. In an interesting turn of events, Sabres fans offered to raise money to pay Ruff's fine. Ruff thanked the fans for their support, but paid the fine on his own. Drury returned a few games later. The teams went back and forth for the remainder of the game, with
Drew Stafford scoring the shootout winner for Buffalo. On a related note,
Clarke MacArthur, called up from Rochester due to injury, scored his first NHL goal in this game.
On
March 30,
2007, in a 6–4 defeat of the
New York Islanders, the team won 50 games for the second time in franchise history. The Sabres scored 5 goals on the special teams, 3
power play goals by
Chris Drury,
Drew Stafford, and
Dainius Zubrus, and 2
short handed goals by Drury and
Derek Roy.
On
April 3,
2007, in a 4–1 defeat of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Sabres clinched the Northeast Division crown and the best record in the Eastern Conference.
On
April 7,
2007, in a 2–0 defeat of the Washington Capitals, the Buffalo Sabres won the
President's Trophy for the first time in franchise history, giving the team the home ice advantage for their entire run in the 2006–2007 NHL playoffs. They also tied the 1974–75 team's franchise record for points in a season.
In the
April 9,
2007 issue of
ESPN the Magazine, the Buffalo Sabres ranked first of 122 major professional sports franchises in North America. Buffalo was cited for its player accessibility, low ticket prices, and exciting brand of hockey. Buffalo fans seem to have noticed, as the Sabres sold out every game for the 2007 season.
The Sabres defeated the
New York Islanders and then the
New York Rangers to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. On
May 19,
2007 the Buffalo Sabres were eliminated by the
Ottawa Senators after five games. The winning goal was scored in the first overtime by Ottawa captain
Daniel Alfredsson at the 9:32 mark. Coincidentally,
Jason Pominville had beaten Alfredsson to score the clinching overtime goal over Ottawa in game five of the previous year's Eastern Conference Semi-finals.
2007–08
The Sabres lost both of their co-captains,
Daniel Briere (who went to the
Philadelphia Flyers) and
Chris Drury (who went to the
New York Rangers) during the free agency period. The Sabres nearly lost
Thomas Vanek to the
Edmonton Oilers who offered him a seven-year, $50 million offer sheet, but the Sabres matched the offer on
July 6. After these events, the team changed its policy of not negotiating contracts during the regular season. On
October 16,
2007, they signed
Jochen Hecht to a 4 year $14.1 million dollar contract.
Long-time Sabres broadcast color commentator
Jim Lorentz announced his retirement during the 07–08 preseason.
Hockey Night in Canada's
Harry Neale took over the position in October of 2007.
The Sabres'
January 1 home game against the
Pittsburgh Penguins was played outdoors at
Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the
National Football League's
Buffalo Bills. Officially, the game was called the
AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic, but in Buffalo and the surrounding areas it was referred to as the "Ice Bowl". The Sabres lost 2–1 in a shootout.
The Sabres, like all of the NHL teams updated their jerseys as part of the league-wide switchover to Rbk Edge jerseys. The team didn't make radical changes to the jersey design, adding an NHL crest below the neck opening. There will be no 'third jersey' this season, although the team wore the 1970s design for the
January 1 outdoor game.
The Sabres may be looking at options to replace the
Rochester Americans as their farm team following the
2007–08 season due to the Amerks' financial issues and the difficulties with sharing the team with the
Florida Panthers. Sources said recently that the
Portland Pirates in Portland, Maine were a likely destination .
With a 3-1 loss to the
Montreal Canadiens on
April 3,
2008 that eliminated the Sabres out of playoff contention, they became only the third team in
NHL history to go from finishing first overall in the regular season standings to finishing out of the playoffs the following year. Both of the previous two teams to do so ended up winning the Stanley Cup the following year.
Broadcasters
Rick Jeanneret TV Play-by-Play
Harry Neale TV Color Analyst
Rob Ray Studio Host
Kevin Sylvester Studio Host
Mike Robitaille Studio Host
Season-by-season record
This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Sabres. For the full season-by-season history, see Buffalo Sabres seasons
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Records as of April 12, 2008.
| 2003–04 |
82 |
37 |
34 |
7 |
4 |
85 |
220 |
221 |
1289 |
5th, Northeast |
Did not qualify |
| 2004–05 |
Season cancelled due to 2004–05 NHL lockout |
| 2005–061 |
82 |
52 |
24 |
— |
6 |
110 |
281 |
239 |
1144 |
2nd, Northeast |
Lost in Conference Finals, 3–4 (Hurricanes) |
| 2006–07 |
82 |
53 |
22 |
— |
7 |
113 |
308 |
242 |
1177 |
1st, Northeast2 |
Lost in Conference Finals, 1–4 (Senators) |
| 2007-08 |
82 |
39 |
31 |
— |
12 |
90 |
255 |
242 |
1040 |
4th, Northeast |
Did not qualify |
» 1 As of the 2005–06 NHL season, all games tied after regulation will be decided in a shootout; SOL (Shootout losses) will be recorded as OTL in the standings.
2 Won Presidents' Trophy for best overall league record.
Players
Current roster
As of April 3, 2008. (External Link)
| Forwards |
| # |
| align=left |
Player
| Position |
Shoots |
Acquired |
Place of Birth
|
| 9 |
|
Derek Roy – A |
C |
L |
2001 |
Ottawa, Ontario
|
| 12 |
|
Ales Kotalik |
C/W |
R |
1998 |
Jindrichuv Hradec, Czechoslovakia
|
| 19 |
|
Tim Connolly |
C |
R |
2001 |
Baldwinsville, New York
|
| 20 |
|
Daniel Paille |
LW |
L |
2002 |
Welland, Ontario
|
| 21 |
|
Drew Stafford |
RW |
R |
2004 |
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
|
| 22 |
|
Adam Mair |
C/RW |
R |
2002 |
Hamilton, Ontario
|
| 26 |
|
Thomas Vanek |
LW |
R |
2003 |
Baden, Austria
|
| 28 |
|
Paul Gaustad |
C/LW |
L |
2000 |
Fargo, North Dakota
|
| 29 |
|
Jason Pominville – C |
RW |
R |
2001 |
Repentigny, Quebec
|
| 36 |
|
Patrick Kaleta |
RW |
R |
2004 |
Angola, New York
|
| 37 |
|
Michael Ryan |
C |
L |
2003 |
Boston, Massachusetts
|
| 55 |
|
Jochen Hecht – A |
LW |
L |
2003 |
Mannheim, West Germany
|
| 56 |
|
Steve Bernier |
RW |
R |
2008 |
Quebec City, Quebec
|
| 61 |
|
Maxim Afinogenov |
RW |
L |
1997 |
Moscow, U.S.S.R.
|
| 76 |
|
Andrew Peters |
LW |
L |
1998 |
St. Catharines, Ontario |
Team captains
- Floyd Smith, 1970–71
- Gerry Meehan, 1971–74
- Jim Schoenfeld, 1974–77
- Danny Gare, 1977–81
- Gilbert Perreault, 1981–86
- Lindy Ruff, 1986–89
- Mike Foligno, 1989–90
- No captain, 1990–91
- Mike Ramsey, 1991–92
- Pat LaFontaine, 1992–97
- Alexander Mogilny, 1993–94
- Michael Peca, 1997–2000
- Donald Audette, 1998
- No captain, 2000–01
- Stu Barnes, 2001–03
- Rotating captains, 2003–04
- No captain, 2004–05 (Lockout)
- Daniel Briere & Chris Drury, 2005–07 (co-captains)
- Rotating captains, 2007– present
Honored Members
Hall of FamersPlayers
Dick Duff, C, 1970–72, inducted 2006
Grant Fuhr, G, 1993–95, inducted 2003
Clark Gillies, C, 1986–88, inducted 2002
Tim Horton, D, 1972–74, inducted 1977
Gilbert Perreault, C, 1970–87, inducted 1990
Dale Hawerchuk, C, 1990–95, inducted 2001
Pat LaFontaine, C, 1991–97, inducted 2003
Builders
George "Punch" Imlach, Head coach/GM, 1970–78, inducted 1984
Scotty Bowman, Head coach/GM, 1980–87, inducted 1991
Seymour H. Knox III, Owner (team co-founder), 1970–96, inducted 1993
Roger Neilson, Assistant/Head coach, 1979–81, inducted 2002
Broadcasters
Ted Darling, 1970–92, inducted 1994
Retired numbers
2 Tim Horton, D, 1972–74, number retired January 15, 1996
7 Rick Martin, LW, 1971–81, number retired November 15, 1995*
11 Gilbert Perreault, C, 1970–86, number retired October 17, 1990*
14 Rene Robert, RW, 1972–79, number retired November 15, 1995*
16 Pat LaFontaine, C, 1991–97, number retired March 3, 2006
18 Danny Gare, RW, 1974–81, number retired November 22, 2005
99 Wayne Gretzky, C, number retired league wide February 6, 2000
SHK III and NRK (team founders Seymour H. Knox III and Northrup R. Knox. Two banners bearing their initials and the Sabres blue and gold reside in HSBC Arena's rafters.)
* When Rene Robert & Rick Martin were retired, Gilbert Perreault was present, as the entire "French Connection" line was given retirement together. Today, each linemate's banner is next to one another at HSBC Arena, with a banner above indicating their line's nickname.
First-round draft picks
1970: Gilbert Perreault (1st overall)
1971: Rick Martin (5th overall)
1972: Jim Schoenfeld (5th overall)
1973: Morris Titanic (12th overall)
1974: Lee Fogolin (11th overall)
1975: Bob Sauve (17th overall)
1976: None
1977: Ric Seiling (14th overall)
1978: Larry Playfair (13th overall)
1979: Mike Ramsey (11th overall)
1980: Steve Patrick (20th overall)
1981: Jiri Dudacek (17th overall)
1982: Phil Housley (6th overall), Paul Cyr (9th overall), & Dave Andreychuk 16th overall)
1983: Tom Barrasso (5th overall), Normand Lacombe (10th overall), & Adam Creighton (11th overall)
1984: Mikael Andersson (18th overall)
1985: Calle Johansson (14th overall)
1986: Shawn Anderson (5th overall)
1987: Pierre Turgeon (1st overall)
1988: Joel Savage (13th overall)
1989: Kevin Haller (14th overall)
1990: Brad May (14th overall)
1991: Philippe Boucher (13th overall)
1992: David Cooper (11th overall)
1993: None
1994: Wayne Primeau (17th overall)
1995: Jay McKee (14th overall) & Martin Biron (16th overall)
1996: Erik Rasmussen (7th overall)
1997: Mika Noronen (21st overall)
1998: Dmitri Kalinin (18th overall)
1999: Barrett Heisten (20th overall)
2000: Artem Kryukov (15th overall)
2001: Jiri Novotny (22nd overall)
2002: Keith Ballard (11th overall) & Daniel Paille (20th overall)
2003: Thomas Vanek (5th overall)
2004: Drew Stafford (13th overall)
2005: Marek Zagrapan (13th overall)
2006: Dennis Persson (24th overall)
2007: None
Franchise scoring leaders
These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Sabres player
NHL awards and trophies
Presidents' Trophy
2006–07
Prince of Wales Trophy
1974–75, 1979–80, 1998–99
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
Don Luce: 1974–75
Pat LaFontaine: 1994–95
Calder Memorial Trophy
Gilbert Perreault: 1970–71
Tom Barrasso: 1983–84
Frank J. Selke Trophy
Craig Ramsay: 1984–85
Michael Peca: 1996–97
Hart Memorial Trophy
Dominik Hasek: 1996–97, 1997–98
Jack Adams Award
Ted Nolan: 1996–97
Lindy Ruff: 2005–06
King Clancy Memorial Trophy
Rob Ray: 1998–99
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy
Gilbert Perreault: 1972–73
Lester B. Pearson Award
Dominik Hasek: 1996–97, 1997–98
Lester Patrick Trophy
Pat LaFontaine: 1996–97
Scotty Bowman: 2000–01
NHL Plus/Minus Award
Thomas Vanek: 2006–07
Vezina Trophy
Don Edwards & Bob Sauve: 1979–80
Tom Barrasso: 1983–84
Dominik Hasek: 1993–94, 1994–95, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2000–01
William M. Jennings Trophy
Tom Barrasso & Bob Sauve: 1984–85
Dominik Hasek & Grant Fuhr: 1993–94
Dominik Hasek: 2000–01
Franchise individual records
Further Information
Get more info on 'Buffalo Sabres'.
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