Sabres News

Sabres sign defenseman Montador; Spacek to Montreal
Comment
July 1
Buffalo News
 
"Darcy Regier said at the NHL entry draft that his Buffalo Sabres team was looking for players who will compete on a daily basis. The general manager found one on the opening day of free agency. The Sabres have signed defenseman Steve Montador to a two-year, $3.1 million contact. The 29-year-old unrestricted free agent started last season with Anaheim before being traded to Boston at the deadline. He played 78 games, recording four goals, 17 assists, a plus-17 rating and 143 penalty minutes. Montador added one goal, two assists, a plus-5 rating and 18 penalty minutes in 11 playoff games. The top unrestricted free agent who played in Buffalo last season was Jaroslav Spacek. He signed a ..."
Free agents in NHL prepare to cash in
Comment
July 1
Buffalo News
 
"Sometime this afternoon, someone who doesn't deserve a boatload of money will get enough cash to buy a fleet of yachts. Within an hour, it will happen again. It's Christmas in July in the NHL. The frenzy that is free agency begins at noon, and owners and general managers have their checkbooks and balance sheets ready. Ridiculous dollar amounts will fly across computer screens and phone lines as teams try to find that missing star who can lead them to the Stanley Cup. Once again, there are plenty of organizations with cash to spend and needs to fill. Teams such as Montreal, Anaheim, Los Angeles and Vancouver have up to $20 million in salary cap space and open stalls in their dressing rooms. ..."
Sabres expect to avoid holiday shopping
Comment
June 30
Buffalo News
 
"Darcy Regier, a native of Saskatchewan, surely has nothing against July 1. It is, after all, Canada Day, a chance for those from north of the border to celebrate the founding of their beloved country. But as far as shopping on July 1, Regier hates it. The Buffalo Sabres general manager sees inflated prices and deals that run too long, so he prefers to stay out of the way until the holiday rush is over. Expect the same this week. The NHL free agency period starts at noon Wednesday, and the festive season is once again sure to raise eyebrows and player salaries. Just don't expect the Sabres to gift-wrap a big- name player for the folks who watch games in HSBC Arena. Regier hinted again ..."
NHL salary cap traps teams in free agency market
Comment
June 30
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
"Over the last three summers, the salary cap in the NHL has jumped $17.7 million. The individual increases from year to year were $5 million, $6.3 million and $6.4 million. Teams looking to add help through free agency had a little extra allowance, and many clubs bettered themselves over cash-strapped franchises by spending that allowance. In 2007, Daniel Briere signed an eight-year, $52 million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. In 2008, the Chicago Blackhawks inked Brian Campbell to an eight-year, $56.8 million deal. But with the NHL's announcement last week that the salary cap in 2009-10 will increase only $100,000, to $56.8 million, some upper-echelon clubs are expecting a ..."
Sabres select Kassian with top pick
Comment
June 27
Buffalo News
 
"As Zack Kassian posed for pictures, standing taller and wider than the Buffalo Sabres' draft gurus who had just selected him, it was hard to envision him wearing Mickey Mouse ears and spinning on the ice in figure skates. But that's exactly how his career got started. Luckily for the Sabres, the cartoon character was dropped years ago. Now the only thing animated about Kassian is his hitting. For a team looking for toughness, it seems like a perfect fit. The Sabres used the 13th overall selection in the NHL entry draft Friday night on Kassian, an 18-year-old forward who was widely considered the toughest player available. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder should eventually fill a need the smallish ..."
Sabres' Myers helped foe grow
Comment
June 26
Buffalo News
 
"Evander Kane is almost can't-miss material. He is the third-ranked skater in North America, which is a sign he has a chance to play right away for whichever team selects him in tonight's NHL entry draft. But the rating by Central Scouting isn't what has Kane excited about his opportunity. What showed Kane he has the ability to play in the NHL is how he competed against the Buffalo Sabres' top prospect. Kane is a forward for the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League. His biggest rival in the WHL was Kelowna's Tyler Myers, who was selected 12th overall by the Sabres last June. The 6-foot-8 defenseman recently signed a contract with Buffalo and is expected to be on the roster this ..."
Part of top exec's job is getting out of the way
Comment
June 21
Buffalo News
 
"Larry Quinn, meet Thomas Paine. When we talk about the minority owner of the Sabres, let's invoke the Founding Father's famous words: Lead, follow or get out of the way. With majority owner Tom Golisano's stake in this franchise largely run in absentia these days, Quinn is unquestionably the top dog at One Seymour H. Knox III Plaza. And he's got plenty of business-related areas in which to lead the way. But I want him to merely follow along as Darcy Regier builds the Sabres back into a playoff team. And, most important, he must get the heck out of the way. Quinn is a brilliant businessman. He was a brilliant arena designer. There is no HSBC Arena without him. Period. In his second tour of ..."
Coach for day: Tough guys on first line will set tone for Sabres
Comment
June 21
Buffalo News
 
"There's one surefire way for athletes to alienate this town. It's when they sum up their games like this: "We came out flat. The effort wasn't there. We just weren't ready to play." Of all the sentences from the Buffalo Sabres during the past two playoff-free seasons, three stick out. "We came out flat. The effort wasn't there. We just weren't ready to play." That's going to stop. The first-period sleepwalk (which occasionally carries into the third) is going to end. The best part is, this Coach for a Day doesn't need new personnel to do it. The answer is already sitting in the dressing room. So, I present to you the Sabres' starting lineup each and every night, three guys about whom those ..."
Fix hockey department, bring on Bouwmeester and the kids
Comment
June 21
Buffalo News
 columnist Bucky Gleason
"The Buffalo Sabres reached the conference finals in back-to-back years after the 2004-05 lockout, so it's easy to say they were Stanley Cup contenders twice in the past four seasons. People often draw different conclusions based on standards. Take the Red Wings, who won 11 division titles and four Cups in the last 14 seasons. You could view them as a dominant franchise or one that failed to reach its goal of winning it all 10 times in that span. Sabres minority owner Larry Quinn has repeatedly made it clear that the franchise's goal is winning the Cup. That is a bold but refreshing approach for a region that learned how to settle for less. Say what you will about Quinn, but he's a Buffalo ..."
The goal that wasn't, 10 years later
Comment
June 19
Buffalo News
 
"No Goal. Still stings a little doesn't it? Even though the calendar continues to flip away from the most controversial moment in Buffalo Sabres history, some folks just read those first two words and grimaced or shook their heads. It's been exactly 10 years since the conclusion of the 1999 Stanley Cup finals, a full decade since Brett Hull deposited the winning goal with his foot firmly - and illegally - planted in the crease. And while time moves on, it fails to erase the image of Dallas' star sniper slipping the puck past Dominik Hasek and breaking hearts throughout Sabreland. "I can't believe 10 years have passed," Jay McKee said by phone Thursday. "It feels like yesterday." Indeed, ..."
Coyotes will stay where they are
Comment
June 16
Buffalo News
 
"The Buffalo Sabres will not be getting a new neighbor. A bankruptcy judge decided Monday night to deny Jim Balsillie's bid to bring the Phoenix Coyotes to Hamilton, Ont. Balsillie's haste in bringing the Coyotes to Southern Ontario proved to be his downfall. Balsillie had issued a June 29 deadline to close the sale, but Judge Redfield T. Baum wrote in his ruling that the deadline was unfair to the NHL, which was opposed to the relocation attempt. "The court assumes that this is one of the more important time periods of the year for the NHL and its members," wrote Baum, who noted that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman had to leave last Tuesday's bankruptcy hearing in Phoenix early in order to ..."
Bylaws provide escape clause
Comment
June 14
Boston Herald
 
"As part of the NHL's ongoing legal struggle to prevent the Phoenix Coyotes from moving to Hamilton, Ontario (the NHL apparently told the Hamilton group it would have to pay a $100 million fee to make the transfer, plus another $100 million or more for indemnification payments to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres, whose business could be hurt by a neighboring team), certain documents were recently made public and obtained by the Toronto Star. The paper published both the NHL bylaws and constitution - which, believe it or not, actually make somewhat interesting reading. For instance, one of the first items in the bylaws is the so-called, "Emergency Rehabilitation Plan," which deals ..."
Sabres to hold draft party at Albright-Knox
Comment
June 10
Buffalo News
 
"Drafting NHL players is more of a science than an art, but the Buffalo Sabres will mix both this year. The Sabres and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery are teaming to host an NHL Entry Draft Party on June 26 at the Elmwood Avenue museum. The free event, which also features free parking at Buffalo State College, will run from 3 to 10 p.m. The draft, being held in Montreal, will be broadcast beginning at 7 p.m. Sabres players will be in attendance to sign autographs, and the Sabres Store will conduct a sidewalk sale. Street hockey games will be set up for children in the gallery's front parking lot; players must bring their own sticks, and those 12-and-under need to wear a helmet. There also ..."
Sabres' Lalime recovering from two surgeries
Comment
June 4
Buffalo News
 
"Patrick Lalime's season ended early because of injuries that resulted in two surgeries, the Buffalo Sabres goaltender said Wednesday. Lalime, appearing on the "Sabres Lunch Express" on the team's Web site, said he had a sports hernia procedure after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his hip. "A couple surgeries back-to-back, but we're doing good now," Lalime told Sabres.com. "We're two months in, basically, and we're looking at another month before we can play and feel good again." Lalime missed the final three weeks of the season with the injuries. Wednesday's comments were his first since coach Lindy Ruff ruled Lalime out for the year. Lalime went 5-13-3 in his first season in Buffalo, ..."
Sabres sign prospect Paul Byron
Comment
June 2
Buffalo News
 
"The Buffalo Sabres have signed prospect Paul Byron prior to today's 5 p.m. deadline for losing him back to the NHL draft. Byron, the Sabres' sixth-round pick in the 2007 draft, has agreed to a three-year, entry-level deal with the team. The 20-year-old forward had 33 goals and 99 points in 64 games with Gatineau of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Byron told Sportsjuniors.com, the official site of the QMJHL, he isn't sure if he will be in the Sabres' organization next season or return for his final year of juniors. Byron's offensive talents are offset by his size. He was listed last September in the Sabres' media guide at 5-foot-8, 135 pounds. Reports now have him at 5-9, 165."
Sabres draftee heads to Russia
Comment
June 2
Buffalo News
 
"It's all but certain Marek Zagrapan has joined Barrett Heisten and Artem Kruikov on a very dubious list. All three forwards were first-round picks of the Buffalo Sabres under General Manager Darcy Regier, and it appears none ever will play a game with the team. The Severstal Cherepovets of Russia's Kontinental Hockey League announced they have signed Zagrapan to a two-year contact. The 23-year-old center was the 13th overall selection by Buffalo in the 2005 NHL entry draft. He spent the last three seasons with the Sabres' American Hockey League affiliate but never got a call to the big club. He apparently believed none was coming. Nathan Gerbe, Tim Kennedy and Mark Mancari have passed ..."
Salary cap issues could drag Blackhawks down
Comment
May 31
Buffalo News
 columnist Bucky Gleason
"Two years ago, the Buffalo Sabres became a cautionary tale, a reminder of how it takes a long time for an organization to build a contender but only a few seconds for a team to fall apart. They were in the conference finals two straight seasons before a few missteps led to a nasty spill. Buffalo is still trying to regain its feet and brush off its knees, a fact the Chicago Blackhawks need to remember as they proceed through the offseason. The Blackhawks reached the conference finals with a young team. With that success come the same decisions that led to the Sabres' downfall. And it gets very tricky. The Blackhawks have 11 regulars who were 23 years or younger, giving them a strong core ..."
Orpik gets second shot at the Cup
Comment
May 29
Buffalo News
 columnist Bucky Gleason
"Not many people get a second once-in-a-lifetime chance, but Brooks Orpik did. He had his crack at the Stanley Cup finals last season, and the timing couldn't have been better. He was coming off his best NHL season and was hitting the open market as an unrestricted free agent. Orpik grew up in East Amherst before hockey took him to Massachusetts when he was 15. He spent two years playing for Thayer Academy and three more for Boston College. He spent six seasons in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. Last summer, he entertained thoughts about coming home and playing for the Sabres. It would have been neat to return to his roots and play for the organization he grew up watching. His younger ..."
Ex-Leaf Moore deals with broken wrist
Comment
May 20
Toronto Star
 
"Dominic Moore, like most NHLers, is watching a lot of playoff hockey. But he's one of the few watching with a cast on his wrist. Moore suffered a fracture of the trapezium bone in his right wrist shortly after he was traded from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Buffalo Sabres at the March 9 deadline. Such pain is common to a hockey player, and since he never thought it was anything but possibly a re-aggravation of an old injury, he played on."
Kane is learning the tricks of the trade
Comment
May 19
Buffalo News
 
"The greatest game of his life came after a miserable morning. Patrick Kane woke up to the telephone ringing at 9:47 a.m., having slept through a 9:30 team meeting before Game Six against the Canucks. It was the Blackhawks' biggest game in more than a decade, and he hadn't scored in three games. Ugh. He was so tardy that his teammates had enough time to concoct just punishment. They grabbed milk cartons and taped a picture of him on the back, as if he were a missing child. They teased him endlessly about getting fined for being late. The coaches sneered at him for being irresponsible and immature with the stakes so high. And then it got worse. He was driving home from the United Center when ..."
Team taking Detroit along for the ride
Comment
May 18
Buffalo News
 columnist Bucky Gleason
"Buffalo has its flaws with its inability to get routine projects completed, with its politics and its economy, with its shrinking population and sports teams that positively break your heart. But no matter how bad things get back home, it's heaven compared to Detroit. Motown was a depressing place long before the auto industry began crumbling, and it's only getting worse. Just the other day, General Motors announced it was chopping 1,100 dealerships across the United States. People who spent their lives making an honest, middle-class living are now struggling to put food on the table. Virtually everyone in southeast Michigan has a neighbor, friend or relative who has lost their job or ..."
Sabres sign Myers to three-year pact
Comment
May 12
Buffalo News
 
"It's fair to say the Buffalo Sabres liked Tyler Myers from the start. They traded up to select him 12th overall in last June's NHL entry draft, and General Manager Darcy Regier said he was happy to pay the price to get him. On Monday, the Sabres proved their admiration again. They signed their top prospect to a three-year contract potentially worth more than $2.6 million. The big question for the 6- foot-8 defenseman is when will he start making that money. The 19-year-old has one year of junior hockey eligibility remaining. That leaves the Sabres with two options for next season: Play him in Buffalo or send him back to the Kelowna Rockets. Players with junior eligibility cannot play in ..."
Sabres sign Myers to 3-year contract
Comment
May 11
Buffalo News
 
"Tyler Myers is one of the hottest prospects in junior hockey. He's also one step closer to the NHL. Myers, the Buffalo Sabres' top pick in the 2008 draft, signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the team today. The 6-foot-8 defenseman was taken 12th overall. Myers, a smooth-skating 19-year-old, capped a great week with the deal. The Houston native and Calgary resident was named Most Valuable Player of the Western Hockey League playoffs Saturday for putting up five goals and 20 points in 22 games. Myers led his Kelowna Rockets to the WHL title over the Calgary Hitmen and put them in the Memorial Cup. He had nine goals and 33 assists in 58 regular-season games for the Rockets this ..."
Commissioners of the big four sports gather to discuss 'The Future of Sports'
Comment
May 7
New York Daily News
 
"They are portrayed as having the job security of a Supreme Court justice or the president of North Korea, but even the commissioners of the four major North American sports have to occasionally answer questions about the future of their sports at a time when, as one of them said, the economy is in the greatest downturn since the Great Depression. Wednesday, Bud Selig of Major League Baseball, Roger Goodell of the National Football League, David Stern of the National Basketball Association and Gary Bettman of the National Hockey League assembled at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Midtown Manhattan to discuss some of the issues facing an enterprise with a combined revenue of $21.2 billion. ..."
Torts haunted by inability to keep feelings bottled up
Comment
May 4
Buffalo News
 Bucky Gleason
"If it were the first time, there might have been a chance John Tortorella would be given the benefit of the doubt. Heckling was one thing, he could have argued, but this went too far. Or he could have explained how he reacted in the heat of the moment, how he was merely cooling down the situation. Only this wasn't a first. It was a first in a long time, a first since Tortorella became a head coach. It was a first since March 1995, when he was involved in an altercation with a Buffalo Sabres fan after ganging up with former coach and General Manager John Muckler back in Memorial Auditorium. Fourteen years ago, Tortorella was suspended for three games after he joined Muckler in a ..."
Sabres' Tellqvist signs to play in Russia
Comment
May 4
Buffalo News
 
"The Buffalo Sabres acquired Mikael Tellqvist at the trade deadline as a short-term insurance policy. Turns out that's exactly what he was. The goaltender's career in Buffalo lasted just six games, as the pending unrestricted free agent has signed to play with Ak Bars of Russia's KHL. A report out of Sweden said Tellqvist signed for about $1.3 million, up from this season's NHL salary of $800,000."
Versus gives NHL the old Heidi ho
Comment
April 30
Buffalo News
 columnist Bob DiCesare
"The year was 1968 and the game is legend. And not because the Oakland Raiders scored 14 points in the last 65 seconds to beat the New York Jets, 43-32, in a late November regular-season NFL contest. That game lives on because NBC, desiring to maintain its programming schedule, broke away in most of the country to air a movie. If you're under 45 and were clueless on the subject of the "Heidi Game," now you're in the fold. Pro sports receive much more respect nowadays. Most of them anyway. Because there's still the NHL. The league had its fans, old fans and new fans, in a vise grip Tuesday night. The Washington Capitals had just beaten the New York Rangers in a riveting Game Seven. A goal by ..."
Sabres prospect Enroth shines in net
Comment
April 28
Buffalo News
 
"The season is over for the Buffalo Sabres' minor leaguers, who were silenced by one of the top goalie prospects in hockey. That goaltender, however, may get a little attention taken away by one of the Blue and Gold's hopefuls. Boston Bruins prospect Tuukka Rask lived up to the hype during a first-round playoff win over the Portland Pirates. Rask, rated as the 11th overall prospect and top goalie in the Hockey News' annual "Future Watch," held Portland to just one goal in each of the final four games. Providence clinched the 4-1 series win over the weekend, with Rask turning aside 142 of 148 shots in the five games for a .959 save percentage. But Jhonas Enroth was far from overshadowed at ..."
Rivet still hurting from Sabres season
Comment
April 24
Buffalo News
 
"Craig Rivet skated into a tough spot. He knew the Buffalo Sabres needed leadership, toughness and defensive prowess. He knew that's why they traded for him. He also knew he wasn't healthy enough to give them everything they needed. The San Jose Sharks' end-of-year injury list in 2008 read like a long-winded novel. There were 14 guys banged up, with three needing surgery, six scheduled for MRIs and five in the "other" category, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Rivet was in the MRI group, with ailments to his wrist, knee and elbow. He was traded to the Sabres in July, and just six games into the season he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery. "Right from Day One when I stepped on the ..."
Connolly does number of things for Sabres
Comment
April 23
Buffalo News
 
"There's no doubt what number stands out from Tim Connolly's season: 9 million. That's how many dollars the Buffalo Sabres center will earn the next two years, thanks to a contract extension he signed last month. It's a large number, certainly capable of casting a shadow over a lot of others. By comparison, digits such as 1, 12, 18 and 42 seem inconsequential. For Connolly's career prospects, however, those smaller numbers could loom large. In many ways, Connolly recently completed his best season. Though he played just 48 games because of early season ailments, he dressed for the Sabres' final 42. That was his longest run of appearances since 2005-06. He also was productive more often than ..."
Season no joke for Hecht
Comment
April 22
Buffalo News
 
"Buffalo Sabres fans had to live with Jochen Hecht's poor season for 60 minutes per night. Hecht had to live with it 24 hours a day. He didn't handle it well. "I was never happy about my game," Hecht said. "It just kept dragging down." While Hecht was cleaning out his locker last week, he was trying to clean out his mind, too. The forward had the worst season of his life. About the only thing worse than his numbers was the toll they took on his psyche. Hecht tends to keep to himself in the Sabres' dressing room, but when he does open up it's usually with a grin. There were few smiles this season. His performance led to frowns, and the frowns affected the performance. "I had mostly lows," he ..."
Silence deafening for Sabres
Comment
April 20
Buffalo News
 
"Talk is usually cheap. Not in the Buffalo Sabres' dressing room. This season, talk — along with the absence of it — was costly. The Sabres, by management's design or maybe by happenstance, are a team full of quiet guys. It runs from the low-key veterans (Teppo Numminen, Jochen Hecht and Jason Pominville) to the toned-down younger guys (Daniel Paille, Andrej Sekera and Clarke MacArthur). One longtime announcer and former NHL player, while watching the Sabres practice in his team's arena on game day, remarked, "I've never, ever been to such a quiet morning skate. Nobody's saying anything." No one is saying the Sabres need a loudmouth like Sean Avery in the room. But too many quiet players ..."
Sabres sign two prospects
Comment
April 19
Buffalo News
 
"The Buffalo Sabres may not be getting playoff experience, but two of their defensive prospects are. The Sabres have signed T. J. Brennan and Drew Schiestel to three-year, entry-level contracts that begin next season. Brennan has begun skating with the Portland Pirates, and Schiestel was expected to join the Sabres' minor league affiliate Saturday. Both defensemen were selected in the second round of the 2007 NHL entry draft. Brennan, taken 31st overall, recently finished his season with the Montreal Juniors. The 20-year-old was the team's top-scoring defenseman, recording 34 points in 59 games. The 6- foot, 204-pounder had five goals and 29 assists."
Scratch Ruff from Oilers' coach search
Comment
April 19
Edmonton Sun
 
"Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff and general manager Darcy Regier aren't going anywhere. The team announced on its website yesterday that both will be back for next season despite the Sabres missing the playoffs for a second straight year. The decision came less than a week after Buffalo completed its regular season by finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference for a second straight season."
Sabres retaining Regier, Ruff
Comment
April 18
Buffalo News
 
"This past week wasn't spent learning about Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff. Larry Quinn and his fellow owners of the Buffalo Sabres already know all about them. Regier and Ruff have been with the team since 1997, so secrets are few and far between. What Quinn wanted to know during his meetings and evaluations was whether Regier and Ruff still have the vision to end the Sabres' two-year playoff drought. He wanted to know if the duo has the ability to generate new ideas despite being on the job for 11 seasons. He wanted to know if Ruff and Regier could admit to their share of mistakes on a team that has gone from the Presidents' Trophy in 2007 to two long offseasons. It appears Quinn found the ..."
Sabres retain Regier, Ruff
Comment
April 17
Buffalo News
 
"The Buffalo Sabres have decided to keep their organization intact. In a one-paragraph release on the team Web site, the Sabres announced that General Manager Darcy Regier and head coach Lindy Ruff will remain with the organization that hired them in 1997. "Tom Golisano and Larry Quinn today announced that General Manager Darcy Regier and head coach Lindy Ruff will return next season in their current roles with the organization," the statement read. "Ownership is very excited to have these two individuals return to help lead the organization back to the playoffs next season.""
Sabres' Butler played like a veteran
Comment
April 17
Buffalo News
 
"It was clear to anyone watching that Chris Butler was staying in Buffalo. Andrew Peters saw it. So in a gesture of kindness and teammate kinship, Peters plucked the Sabres rookie from his lonely days in a hotel and invited Butler to live with him and his wife. It didn't take long for Butler to go from house guest to family member. Butler is a smart, thoughtful guy whose etiquette floored his hosts. Whenever Erin Peters would get up from the kitchen table or prepare to leave a room, Butler would rise from his seat in a show of chivalry and respect. The respect immediately flowed both ways. "He's as mature as they get for a 22-year-old," Andrew Peters said. "He's a professional in every ..."
Absence of repeated success is Ruff's downfall
Comment
April 16
Buffalo News
 
"Only two coaches have missed the NHL playoffs five times in seven seasons and kept their jobs. Two, since 1917. Two, in the entire lifetime of the league. Is Lindy Ruff's run with the Buffalo Sabres so historic that he should become the third? Ruff's stay behind the Buffalo bench has been remarkable. He has 438 victories, four conference finals appearances and one trip to the Stanley Cup finals. He's stood as a pillar of solidarity since 1997, watched from his perch as 130 of his brethren have moved on from their teams. He's certainly a good coach. But he knows as well as anyone that success is what matters. And once again, the Sabres are sitting home while more than half the league ..."
Should Ruff stay or should he go?
Comment
April 16
Buffalo News
 columnist Bucky Gleason
"You want Lindy Ruff kicked to the curb? He has been behind the bench for 11 seasons, missed the playoffs for two straight years, five out of seven, and has failed to win the Stanley Cup. In any other town with any other team, he would have been gone longer than Ozzy Osbourne. Yeah, I know, good coaches have been fired for less. It's why there have been 130 changes and counting since Ruff took over in 1997. Eight coaches have been sent packing this season alone, including Edmonton dumping Craig MacTavish on Wednesday. Another, Minnesota's Jacques Lemaire, stepped down this week. The fact Ruff has been in one place for this long is an accomplishment in the nomadic world of NHL retreads. What ..."
Roy to see another side of Ruff at worlds
Comment
April 14
Buffalo News
 
"Derek Roy insists his relationship with Lindy Ruff is fine. And the Buffalo Sabres' leading scorer said he's looking forward to playing for his coach again when Team Canada heads to the World Championships in Switzerland. Roy led the Sabres in scoring this year with 70 points but took plenty of heat from Ruff late in the season in games and in practices as both he and Thomas Vanek went into scoring slumps. "We definitely get along OK. He just wants some of his top players to do well and he's hard on them so it can reverberate throughout the team," Roy said Monday. "The younger guys can take notice of that and try to work harder. "He's pushing us to be better players and individuals. He ..."
Sabres record against also-rans tells tale
Comment
April 14
Buffalo News
 
"The final record was 41-32-9. As it turns out, flipping just one of those 32 regulation losses into a win would have been enough for the Buffalo Sabres to claim a playoff spot and keep the Montreal Canadiens home in their 100th anniversary season. You can play plenty of numbers games with the 11th non-playoff campaign in the Sabres' 38-season history. The what-ifs are all over the place. Injuries, especially to Ryan Miller, were certainly a factor but the team's woeful record against fellow non-playoff teams will probably be the biggest footnote on the team's second straight silent spring. A look at some of the numbers: Bad losses The Sabres were 0-4 against Philadelphia but didn't have a ..."
Miller wants 'swagger' back
Comment
April 14
Buffalo News
 
"The questions echoed off the empty locker stalls over and over Monday. What went wrong? What needs to be fixed? How can the Buffalo Sabres return to the playoffs? The more Ryan Miller talked, the more obvious the answer became. The Buffalo Sabres need to be more like Ryan Miller. Or, at the very least, they need to write down what he said, tape it to their walls and read the words daily during this second long summer in a row. The franchise goaltender stood in front of his stall in HSBC Arena on locker-cleanout day and started with a caveat. He said it was too soon to make a list of what went wrong because the season ended just days ago. He said he needed time to digest things. Then, for ..."
NHL Draft drawing to be conducted Tuesday
Comment
April 14
NHL.com
 
"The National Hockey League Draft Drawing, a weighted system to determine the order of selection for the first 14 picks of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, will take place Tuesday, April 14, at 8 p.m. ET at the NHL's New York City office. The League will unveil the results of the Draft Drawing live during a 30-minute program produced and televised by TSN in Canada and simulcast on VERSUS in the U.S. The show also will be streamed live on NHL.com and TSN.ca. NHL Network will re-broadcast the Draft Drawing in the U.S. only at 9 p.m., ET. Clubs that did not qualify for this season's Stanley Cup Playoffs, or clubs that acquired the first-round picks of those non-playoff clubs, will participate. Under ..."
Sabres' Ruff to coach Team Canada at worlds
Comment
April 13
Buffalo News
 
"In 10 months, the world will gather at the Vancouver Olympic Games for the most anticipated hockey tournament of all time. The auditions for it are this month, and Lindy Ruff has earned a tryout. Hockey Canada has selected Ruff to coach its national team at the world championships this month in Switzerland. Sources told The Buffalo News two weeks ago that Ruff was a front-runner if the Buffalo Sabres failed to make the playoffs, and the official announcement came Sunday. Ruff will be the head coach, and his assistants will be Dallas' Dave Tippett and Nashville's Barry Trotz. Ruff is the longest-tenured coach in the NHL, but this is his first chance to be involved in international ..."
Sabres' Ruff to coach Canada at World Championships
Comment
April 13
TSN.ca
 
"Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong has selected the coaching staff for the upcoming World Hockey Championship in Switzerland. Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff will lead Canada's coaching staff and his assistants will be Nashville Predators' Barry Trotz and Dallas Stars' Dave Tippett. "As a management group, we are very pleased with the coaching staff that we have been able to assemble," said Armstrong in a media release. "This coaching staff brings great professional and international experience that will serve us well as we strive to win a gold medal in Switzerland." "In one sense, it's an opportunity that you hope you don't have very often," Ruff told the Canadian Press on ..."
Stanley Cup Playoffs to begin Wednesday night
Comment
April 13
NHL.com
 
"A pair of rematches, Broadway and a grueling goaltending battle highlights the Eastern Conference storylines. A first-timer, a resurgent franchise, "The Kid Line," the Presidents' Trophy winners and the defending Stanley Cup champions reign in the West. From coast to coast, the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs promises to nourish any hockey lover's soul as soon as the puck is dropped. It begins Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET when the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals open at Verizon Center on TSN, while the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins do the same at Mellon Arena on VERSUS, CBC and RDS. The Detroit Red Wings begin defense of their 2008 Stanley Cup championship Thursday against ..."
Peeking ahead, Bruins trounced by Sabres
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April 12
Boston Globe
 
"The Bruins booted away any shot at the Presidents' Trophy - the prize for finishing with the best record in the regular season - yesterday in an emotional flatline of a loss, 6-1 at the hands of the going-nowhere-but-summer-vacation Sabres. Their dispirited effort also booted backup goalie Manny Fernandez, scorched for four goals in the first period, directly in the backside of his padded pants, allowing him little chance of winning what might have been his final start in a Black-and-Gold uniform. Fernandez stopped only 28 of 34 shots, but his greatest opposition without a doubt was the halfhearted effort in front of him, Boston's attention clearly fixed on the start of the playoffs (Game ..."
Numminen savors his 1,372nd game
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April 12
Buffalo News
 
"It was about an hour after the season finale when Teppo Numminen and his family gathered at the end of the Buffalo Sabres' bench. Numminen's wife, Ann-Maarit, worked a video camera while their three children circled their father. The 40-year-old defenseman hasn't made an announcement about his future, but the family time spent at rinkside looked like the man was saying goodbye. Numminen played the 1,372nd game of his career Saturday, and he assisted on the fourth goal of a 6-1 win over Boston. If Numminen's 20th season was his last, he went out with a winning grin. "I really enjoyed myself," Numminen said. "There's a thought it might be the last game, and maybe it was, I don't know. It was ..."
Quinn vows 'top-to-bottom' review
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April 12
Buffalo News
 
"Buffalo Sabres minority owner Larry Quinn said Saturday that he will scrutinize every part of the organization before deciding whether major changes will be made during the offseason. Quinn met with reporters briefly after the Sabres put the finishing touches on a 6-1 victory over the Boston Bruins in HSBC Arena. Quinn would not say whether General Manager Darcy Regier or coach Lindy Ruff would be retained or fired after the Sabres missed the playoffs for the second straight season. "It's probably going to be the most thorough top-to-bottom evaluation ever done here," Quinn said. "We're going to do it and it's going to involve a lot of people. When it's done, we'll have a pretty good idea ..."