Buffalo Sabres
From The UCSC Wikipedia Trust Project
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They began playing in the National Hockey League as an expansion team in 1970.
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Franchise history
1970-71 — 1995-96: The original blue and gold
The Buffalo Sabres, along with the Vancouver Canucks, joined the NHL in the 1970-71 season. The Sabres' first owners were Seymour and Northrup Knox, scions of a family long prominent in Western New York. They chose the team's name because the Sabre had long been considered a weapon carried by a leader, as well as the fact that the sabre is both "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 Buffalo Sabres exercised their option to create their own AHL farm team, the Cincinnati Swords.
Buffalo had been a hotbed for minor-league hockey, and the Buffalo Bisons had been one of the pillars of the American Hockey League, winning the Calder Cup in their final year before yielding to the Sabres.
The 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 picked, despite being disputed by the Vancouver Canucks, future Hockey Hall of Fame center Gilbert Perreault first overall in the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft. 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 did not 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 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.Template:Or The chant would be heard again several more times in team history.Template:Fact
Fog and the finals
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 (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 in six games.
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.
Hard times at the Aud
Robert was traded to the Colorado Rockies in 1980, and Martin to the Los Angeles Kings in 1981. Perreault retired in November 1986 after spending sixteen years with the Sabres, including several years as the team's captain. Stars for Buffalo in the 1980s included Perreault, the tough and yet skillful right winger Mike Foligno, defenseman Phil Housley, 1983-84 Vezina and Calder Trophy winner Tom Barrasso, and left-winger Dave Andreychuk. The Sabres of the 1980s missed the playoffs only twice, in 1986 and 1987, however only twice in the decade did they get past the first round of the playoffs. The 1986-87 season saw a new low as Buffalo finished an NHL-worst 28-44-8. This finish gave them the first-overall draft selection. The Sabres snapped up Pierre Turgeon of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Granby Bisons. Turgeon would have a solid rookie season, finishing sixth in team scoring with 42 points, and would later be the key to the package sent by the Sabres to the New York Islanders to acquire Pat Lafontaine.
On June 16, 1990, Buffalo dealt Housley, along with Darrin Shannon and a 1990 first-round pick (Keith Tkachuk), to the Winnipeg Jets for Dale Hawerchuk and a 1990 first-round selection (Brad May). Hawerchuk and May would help form the core of the Sabres through the early 1990s.
In 1989, following the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the top young Soviet player to defect to the NHL was Alexander Mogilny, who signed with the Sabres. Alongside center Pat LaFontaine, Mogilny hit his stride, tying Calder Trophy winner Teemu Selanne of the Jets with 76 goals in 1993. This was the season during which ex-Edmonton Oilers net minder Grant Fuhr was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs — he'd coached Felix Potvin well enough that he was unseated as the Leafs' go-to goalie. The Sabres finally again advanced past the first-round of the playoffs before losing to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Montreal Canadiens. The end of the first-round, against the Boston Bruins, gained long-time radio announcer Rick Jeanneret league-wide fame, with his famous MAY DAY!" call on Brad May's series clincher in overtime of game four.
Also during the 1992-93 NHL season, the Sabres executed what probably was the most important trade in team history, and acquired goaltender Dominik Hašek from the Chicago Blackhawks for Stephane Beauregard and a 1993 fourth-round draft pick (Eric Daze). Hasek had spent the previous two seasons as a backup goalie in Chicago behind Eddie Belfour, however "The Dominator" became the Sabres' starting goaltender the next season, and blossomed into one of the best goaltenders in the history of the game. Grant "furious" Fuhr and Hasek won the 1994 William M. Jennings Trophy for fewest goals allowed. Hasek was the game's pre-eminent goaltender for several years in the NHL and in international competition. He's currently tied for second in the Vezina Trophy race with Bill Durnan with six; the all-time record is seven, set by Jacques Plante. But early in the abbreviated 1995 season, Fuhr was sent to the struggling Los Angeles Kings.
Leaving the Aud
The 1995-96 season was the first season under coach Ted Nolan and the last for the Sabres at the 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". Template:Fact 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. 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, Hasek winning both the Hart and Vezina Trophies, 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 took 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 would not 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 did not 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 enforcer Matthew Barnaby, the Sabres reached the Conference Final in 1998, but lost to the Washington Capitals in six games.
"No Goal!"
In 1999, 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 the Stanley Cup Final, this time against the Dallas Stars.
In the sixth game, Dallas Stars winger Brett Hull's triple-overtime goal — one that still remains controversial, 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 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 "Page 2" staff has ranked the call as the fifth worst officiating call in sports history. [1] Conversely, Al Strachan of the Toronto Daily Sun wrote "There should have been no controversy whatsoever. When Hull first kicked the rebound on to his stick, he had 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." [2] 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 next year, a disappointing season with tired and discouraged players culminated with a 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 scored through a hole in the mesh at the side of the net, which isn't considered a goal. Originally called a goal, the play was reviewed, yet was still inexplicably was allowed to stand. Philadelphia 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 Flyers in six games in the first round of the playoffs (with a resounding 8-0 victory in the series-winning game), but lost in the second round to the Penguins 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 2000-06 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. The Dominator wanted to play for a contender. 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 $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 awhile, there were no interested buyers, 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 had 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.
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 a prospect 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. 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 had 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.
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 Brière and Derek Roy. 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 cancelled 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 moved 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 (MSGN), 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
Main article: 2005-06 Buffalo Sabres season
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. This tied the Ottawa Senators and Carolina Hurricanes for the most wins in the Conference; the Sabres ranked fourth overall behind Ottawa, Carolina and the New Jersey Devils as they dropped their division to the Senators. 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 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