On Oct. 10, 1970, hockey was born in Buffalo. The Sabres played their first regular-season game in team history at Pittsburgh’s Civic Arena. The Sabres defeated the Penguins, 2-1, behind a game-winning goal by Gilbert Perreault. The rest of the season didn’t go so well. The team finished 24-39 and missed the final playoff spot by nine points.
You got it right. And I’m pleased I got you all wrong. When I learned of our plans to have fans vote on the best team in Sabres history, it stood to reason that recency bias might prevail. It was easy to write off the final result, figuring the beloved 2005-06 team or the 2006-07 Presidents’ Trophy squad would
In recognition of the team’s 50th anniversary season, The Buffalo News reached out to readers to help compile a photo gallery featuring pictures of Sabres fans with their favorite player or players over the years. Send photos to qliu@buffnews.com for consideration. Please include the name/names of those in the photo, including player/players, and hometown for caption
In the moment when the band paused, the speeches were halted and the crowd held its collective breath, Gilbert Perreault, the greatest player in Buffalo Sabres history, stood in the chute where he had stood countless times and made a simple declaration. “My turn,” he said. With just two words, one of the greatest players ever to play the
“One of the biggest things I cautioned myself against was not to play favorites, but take the best players, you know?” Floyd Smith said.
“It was 50 years ago Thursday – Dec. 9, 1971 vs. the Chicago Black Hawks, as they spelled it back then – that I attended my first Sabres game in Memorial Auditorium,” Mike Harrington writes.
A dream 20 years in the making came true for Ryan Miller on Thursday night, as the longtime Buffalo Sabres goaltender had his No. 30 jersey retired by the team in a 45-minute ceremony prior to the Sabres’ game against the New York Islanders.
Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame member Milt Northrop has seen a lot in his 52-year career at The Buffalo News and even before that. Occasionally he will share some of the events that have left a lasting impression on him. Today, it’s a memorable time in April 1973 when the Sabres were in their first Stanley Cup playoff
It was an important game, a chance to gain two points on the second-place Boston Bruins, and keep the four-point margin over the Hartford Whalers in the Adams Division. But none of the Buffalo Sabres had their hearts and minds on playing hockey after goalie Clint Malarchuk was seriously injured in the first period of Wednesday night’s 2-1 loss
Three powerful men rode into town Friday, stood before the microphones and flashed their biggest smiles, secure in the knowledge that they had helped rescue a community treasure. The Buffalo Sabres have been saved. Two of the men — National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman and Erland E. Kailbourne of Adelphia Communications Corp. — had pretty much rid themselves
THE 20TH Sabres’ season gets under way tonight, kicking off a year of celebration and nostalgia and, hopefully, exciting hockey as well. Buffalo Sabre hockey players first laced up their skates in 1970. They have been making memories ever since. Here are some of them. Top regular season scorers Player GP G A Pts Gil Perreault (71-87) 1191 512
John Rigas said his first step as the new owner of the Buffalo Sabres will be to stabilize the economic fortunes of the National Hockey League franchise. “Our posture is that now that we are in control of the team, that we will begin the process of interviewing and analyzing every aspect,” Rigas said. “We have no predisposition to
The wrong call by the NHL on the spin of the wheel for Gilbert Perreault kicked off the Sabres’ first draft on a strange
It might be the most famous fight in Buffalo Sabres history, even today. Those who don’t even like boxing mixed with hockey remember it. The Sabres were an up and coming team that season, putting aside the misery of the first two years as an expansion franchise. The team had added another very good player with its first round
Rick Jeanneret, the legendary play-by-play voice of the Buffalo Sabres who became one of the franchise’s biggest icons over his 51-year career behind the microphone, died Thursday night, the Sabres announced.
From playoff overtime winners that will stand the test of time to some long-ago plays that still resonate in franchise annals, here’s our list of the 50 most memorable goals in Sabres
“The call gives the whole thing color and defines the moment,” Brad May says of Rick Jeanneret’s iconic cries following the goal that gave the Sabres a 6-5 OT victory and a sweep of the Bruins – Buffalo’s first playoff series victory in 10
From the setting up of the outdoor rink in the Ralph to the action on the ice, take a look back at the NHL’s first outdoor matchup featuring the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins, held in Buffalo on Jan. 1, 2008, at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard
Phil Housley’s NHL career came full circle Friday when he was named head coach of the Buffalo Sabres, the franchise that selected him sixth overall in the 1982 entry
With standouts like Rasmus Ristolainen, Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel all taken in the first round the last three years, the Buffalo Sabres’ recent draft history has provided some immediate dividends. While the career paths of those three players have yet to be written, the Sabres have flourished over the years with selections both at the top of the draft and in lower rounds. Here’s Mike Harrington’s look at the best draft choices in Sabres