Sabres Factoid of the Day - Read and/or Submit Your Own!

[ScottyMCSS]

7-7-09

Gil Perrault was sidelined for eight weeks with a broken leg at the beginning of 1973-1974. Yes, they missed the playoffs.

After that sub-par 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.

And lost.

Since then, it's been a whole lot of "There's always next year."

[ScottyMCSS]

3-24-2010:

From NHL.com:

Sabretooth is one of the most mysterious mascots in pro sports. No one really knows where this bad cat came from, but rumor has it, he was discovered under the ice at The Aud during 1988-89 season.

While he may be hated by his NHL suit rivals, he is well loved by the Buffalo fans. He is a very popular mascot because he is always ready to give a hug, sign an autograph or take a picture with the Sabre faithful.

Born on January 1,1988, Sabes not only signs autographs southpaw, he also shoots the puck left-handed and is considered to be the AL MacInnis of NHL mascots, as his blasts usually register in the triple digits on the radar gun.

Hmm. I wonder if he can QB the Sabres' power play.

[mintyp69]

Hmm. I wonder if he can QB the Sabres' power play.

Maybe he could QB the Bills

[ScottyMCSS]

Phil "Wowee" Housley* registered 66 points as a defenseman in his rookie campaign with the Sabres back in '82-'83. He practically owns the Sabres media guide in the defensive scoring categories. But, for how long?

Tyler "The Big Easy" Myers finished '09-'10 with 48 points.

While Housley was a more pure offensive talent, he also played in the Wide Open Era of 80's hockey. Myers plays in a more clutch and grab age, (though all that was supposed to stop after the lockout in '05).

Housley played 8 seasons for Buffalo, before being traded over the "flamingo" incident. Depending on how long Myers stays in town, he has the potential to eclipse Housley at the numbers game.

And I don't see Myers pulling a "flamingo" anytime soon.

*Housley was also called "Phil the Thrill" because of the chances he created - for the other team.

[ScottyMCSS]

7-5-10:

Rip Simonick is the longest tenured Equipment Manager in the NHL, having joined the Sabres in the Summer of Love, 1969.

And he loves his team, considering himself a father figure caring for the players: a decent baseball player and junior B and college winger, Simonick realized he'd never make a living as an athlete, "but I was ready to do anything to be involved and I loved team sports."

He's since been the EM for three all star games. He was part of the 1978 game in Buffalo, one starring the Sabres' French Connection of Gilbert Perreault, Rene Robert and Richard Martin. In '89, he was in Edmonton, awed by the Oilers' Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier. He was most recently the all star man in 2007.

Oh, and the name "Rip?" His real first name is Robert, but no one calls him that. "Rip" comes from the fact that he likes to take a lot of naps - "Rip Van Winkle."

But 41 years in and counting with the Blue and Gold, you'll never catch him drifting off during a game.

[ScottyMCSS]

7-7-10:

Not a factoid, but a bit of advice overheard from Marcel Dionne, who was seated in front of a buddy of mine during a game at the HSBC this past season:

"It's a simple game! You pass the puck!!"

Someone please relay this advice to the power play unit.

[ScottyMCSS]

7-08-10:

Talk about rebuilding:

Coming into the 1982 NHL Entry Draft, Buffalo Sabres GM Scotty Bowman owned 3 of the first 16 overall picks.

The #6 pick, (acquired in a trade that sent Jerry Korab to Los Angeles in 1980), was used to select defenseman Phil Housley.

Pick #9, (from Calgary in the Don Edwards trade), was used to select left wing Paul Cyr.

Finally, with their own pick - #16 - the Sabres selected Dave Andreychuk.

Quite a day's work. We'll see if the two Tylers, Myers and Ennis, of the 2008 draft will someday eclipse this as the best 1st round draft the Sabres ever had.

[ScottyMCSS]

7-09-10

Feeling a bit nostaligic today:

NHL '94, highly touted as possibly the best sports video game ever designed, is still popular enough to have a huge following and on-line league.

The Sabres overall rating in that version was 73, which might seem like a low number by today's standards, but it put Buffalo in a tie for 8th overall with the Montreal Canadiens.

Alex Mogilny, Pat LaFontaine, and Dale Hawerchuk lead the team in player ratings (at 96, 91, and 74, respectively). Dominik Hasek was inserted as the #2 behind Grant Fuhr, with the Dominator handed a lowly rating of 53.

But really, did those goaltending #'s really mean a darn when folks tried out that new "goalie control" feature? Ahh, the great evening factor, that made everyone horrible at the game.

Oh, and yea it's all over Youtube. Here's a thrilling-ish OT between Winnipeg and Buffalo. No idea what that soundtrack is, but thankfully the game ends in one OT and it gets cut off.

And anyone remember doing this? If all else fails, attack the fans.

Lastly, it's good to know that even the "Ryan Miller Shutout" exsists in the modern downloads for this game. Gotta' blame Max for holding onto the puck for way too long on that play.

[ScottyMCSS]

7-12-10:

Missing Trophies:

Lord Stanley's Cup is still at the top of Sabres fans' wishlists, but there are a couple other trophies the Sabres have yet to capture.

No Sabre has ever won the Conn Smythe (for the top playoff performer - alsmost always given to a player on the winning side*), and no Sabre has ever won the Norris (for the best defenseman in the regular season).

Expect Tyler Myers to be a strong candidate for the Norris this season, barring a severe rookie slump, and if the Sabres can find the right partner to ride his coat-tails after Tallinder scampered away on July 1st.

What is the trophy the Sabres have won the most? Buffalo has always been strong between the pipes, so it's no surprise that it is the Vezina:

1980 Bob Sauve & Dan Edwards
1984 Tom Barrasso
1994 Dominik Hasek
1995 Dominik Hasek
1997 Dominik Hasek
1998 Dominik Hasek
1999 Dominik Hasek
2001 Dominik Hasek
2010 Ryan Miller

*Hasek would have snagged the Conn Smythe in 99, if not for Brett Hull's illegal goal in game 6 - and if the Sabres took game 7.

[ScottyMCSS]

7-13-10:

Total Domination

Dominik "The Dominator" Hasek wasn't just a master of the Vezina. In his time in Buffalo, he beat his teammates at, well, everything.

Chess. Tennis. Soccer. Backgammon. Even Scrabble.

"I played tennis with him and he kicked my butt," said Sabres teammate Derek Plante. "He kicks our butt in backgammon. He beats everyone in chess. And they must play the same card games over there (in the Czech Republic) because he's very good at cards."

And he certainly beat Reiger's hand to a pulp when he forced a trade to Detroit - but only if "non-quality players" would come back to Buffalo in return, so as not to hurt Hasek's Cup quest. No offense, Vyacheslav Kozlov.

[ScottyMCSS]

7-14-10

Classic Matt Barnaby

Barnaby was one of the most, er, eloquent agitators ever to lace up for the Blue and Gold. His mastery of the snarky retort drew many penalties during his tenure - possibly none of his on-ice chin-wags better than this (even if he was in Pittsburgh at the time):

It was the 1999 playoffs. After a pregame scuffle between New Jersey's Lyle Odelein and Barnaby of the Pens, Barnaby had this to say about Odelein: "Cornelius as we like to call him gets under your skin. Planet of the Apes. Look at him. Seriously. He looks like Cornelious." Odelein responded by saying: "He should take a look at his wife. She is awful to look at."

Eat your heart out, Reggie Dunlop.

Anyway, you be the judge:

Odelein: http://www.hockeyhermit.com/wp-conte...en-daneyko.jpg

Cornelious: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dJ12NGcxQq.../cornelius.jpg

[ScottyMCSS]

7-15-10

Advice from Wayne Gretzky

Truthfully, the only connection the Sabres have to The Great One is the fact that they retired his number, with the rest of the NHL, upon command of the Commissioner.

That, and the fact that they drafted his brother, Keith, with the 56th selection in the 1985 entry draft. (Keith never suited up for the Blue and Gold, so don't bother putting together a "jersey foul." He did play 2 seasons for the Amerks -11 goals, 37 assists, 48 points in 66 games - so there's an option for jersey hounds.)

Anyway, back to Wayne. I love Matt Barnaby's quote because it's hilarious. I lovethis quote even more, because when I heard it, it completely changed the way I watched the game.

"People talk about skating, puck handling, and shooting, but the whole sport is angles and caroms, forgetting the straight direction the puck is going, calculation where it will be directed, factoring in all the interruptions. Basically, my whole game is angles."

Next time you watch a game, pay attention to the physics. Pat Kaleta is a master at this - at least in the checking department. Keep an eye on him, watch him line up a hit from across the rink. It's a beautiful thing to see.

[ScottyMCSS]

7-16-10

Vanek's Theme Song

This factoid comes compliments of Yahoo! Sports' "Puck Daddy."

Yep. TV has an official theme song. Click on the link to hear the track, which was written to accompany Vanek's biography. "Euphoria" is the title of the song. And euphoria is what I am waiting for - when the Sabres finally win that dang Cup.

[ScottyMCSS]

7-17-10

Before the Blue and Gold

Much like the Champion Bills of the AFL have been largely forgotten in the wake of their modern NFL counterparts, so have the Buffalo Bisons been overshadowed by the Sabres.

The Buffalo Bisons of the AHL had a fair share of trophies. They were Calder Cup champions in 1943, 1944, 1946, 1963 and 1970, and runners-up in 1948, 1951, 1955, 1959 and 1962. The 1940's team looks like a dynasty.

Back then, the AHL was stocked with talent. These guys were no hacks. From BisonsHistory.com:

Back then; the game of hockey was much different. The National Hockey League had just 6 teams. Competition was intense for "big league" spots. A player had to be the best to make it to the NHL. The battle for big league positions was often waged on the ice rinks of the American Hockey League teams. Some of the best professional hockey players of all time skated for the Herd.

Those to wear the pepsi-sweater included Dick Gamble, who eventually went on to win the Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens.

[ScottyMCSS]

7-18-10

Y'AR!

The Portland Pirates (founded in 1993) were originally known as the Baltimore Skipjacks. "What the heck is a Skipjack," you ask?

Well, I'll tell you: it's a tuna.

The Baltimore Tunas were originally the the Erie Blades, a name far easier to digest.

And that is how the Pirates came to Buffalo.