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

[ScottyMCSS]

7-28-10

King Kong Korab

In keeping with the vintage theme for the day, here's your must know info on Jerry Korab:

Korab patrolled the blueline in Buffalo from 1973 to 1980, where he blossomed into an effective defenseman. Korab was a physical presence while hitting double-digits in goals four times, helping the Sabres reach that first Stanley Cup final in 1975.

He was picked to play in the 1975 and 1976 NHL All-Star Games.

King Kong was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Kings on March 10, 1980, for the first round draft choice that the Blue and Gold used to select offensive defenceman Phil Housley, the exact antithesis of the big bad Korab.

[ScottyMCSS]

7-28-10

Danny Gare's Quick Start in the NHL

Again, in keeping with the vintage theme of the day:

Danny Gare holds team records for most goals by a right winger (267), most game-tying goals (21), and fastest goal scored from start of NHL career (:18 into a game versus the Boston Bruins on 10 October 1974).

Dude was fast.

[ScottyMCSS]

7-28-10

Barnaby's Mother's Day Gift(s)

1998. From the New York Times:

Barnaby celebrated Mother's Day this afternoon with three goals. It was his first N.H.L. hat trick and it helped the Sabres gain a 6-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens and a two-games-to-none lead in the four-of-seven-game Eastern Conference semifinal series.

He said it made him feel like a kid again, when he used to watch the Stanley Cup playoffs on television.

''Jubilation,'' Barnaby said, when talking of his mother's reaction as she sat in the stands in Marine Midland Arena and cheered him on. ''Between her and my brother, they made me the father and husband I am today. I can't wait to see her when I get out of here.''

[Sabres39]

7-28-10

Barnaby's Mother's Day Gift(s)

1998. From the New York Times:

Wow, I was only 7 at the time haha.

[ScottyMCSS]

7-29-10

The Rob Ray Rule

Some of the younger fans out there might not relaize why there is a "fight strap" on the backsides of their team jerseys. From Wiki:

During fights, Ray's helmet, jersey, and pads were often easily torn off by his opponents, giving them nothing to grab on Ray's body. With nothing to hold on to, his opponents would slide backwards on their skates when they threw punches, knocking them off balance and allowing Ray to grab their jerseys and move in with a distinct advantage. This allowed Ray to control nearly every fight he was in.

As a result of this practice, the NHL created a new rule enforcing additional penalties for players who removed jerseys or pads during a fight. Pundits saw this as a direct result of Rob Ray's style of fighting, and nicknamed the rule the Rob Ray Rule. It was after the implementation of the "Rob Ray Rule" that Ray's fighting prowess blossomed, highlighted by lengthy and, at times, bitter rivalries with fellow NHL enforcers such as Tie Domi, Mick Vukota, Stu Grimson, and Dennis Vial.

For your youtube viewing pleasure:

All 13 fights between Rob Ray and Tie Domi.

Rob Ray's ESPN Commercial.

[ScottyMCSS]

7-30-10

Brian "Boom Boom" McCutcheon

Here's a few notes on the Sabres Assitant Coach, from "Legends of Hockey":

Brian "Boom Boom" McCutcheon came up through the junior ranks in Toronto but was not drafted by an NHL team. Following high school he enrolled at Cornell University where he played in the NCAA. In his rookie year the team's goaltender was Ken Dryden, who was then a senior. In 1970 he was a member of Cornell's NCAA championship team and was inducted into the Cornell Sports Hall of Fame in 1986.

In September, 1971 McCutcheon signed a pro contract with the Detroit Red Wings. He played for three teams called the Wings that year, unfortunately none was Detroit. He played with the Fort Worth Wings of the CHL, the Tidewater Red Wings of the AHL and the Port Huron Wings of the IHL and then in 1972-73 it was the Virginia Wings.

In 1973-74 McCutcheon made the decision to play for a season in Britain. He appeared in 71 games with the London Lions, scoring 47 goals and 75 points. Although it was clear the overall talent level was lower than in North America, the strong offensive output did a lot for McCutcheon's lagging confidence in his game.

McCutcheon returned to North America and got his first chance to play in the NHL in 1974-75 with Detroit. He contributed three goals and four points in 17 games. The following year he was called up for another eight games, but saw very little ice time and remained off the scoresheet. He played his final year in the NHL in 1976-77, getting the call for another 12 games as an injury replacement, but again was held pointless.

His other nickname: "Cutch."

[ScottyMCSS]

7-30-10

Rick Dudley Vs. Ray Borque

Who won the fight? Are you kidding me? Dudley got to fight BORQUE.

More on Dudley from Wiki:

Dudley began his playing career with the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL in 1972–73 and played there for three seasons, before switching leagues in 1975–76.

He played four seasons in the WHA for the Cincinnati Stingers. On 4 February 1979, Cincinnati traded him to the NHL's Buffalo Sabres, where he remained until the 1980–81 season. During that season, Dudley was released and picked up by the last place Winnipeg Jets on waivers, where he played the remaining 30 games of the season, wearing the number 99.

He spent the next season, 1981–82, playing seven games for the Fredericton Express in the American Hockey League.

Also, Dudley is a member of the Cincinnati Hockey Hall of Fame.

[ScottyMCSS]

7-31-10

Miller Scores a "Gretzky Goal"

Normally credited for carrying the Sabres to victory on his back, Ryan Miller nearly lost a game against the Minnesota Wild on 10-22-08.

This was the game when Miller scored a goal on himself. To his credit, the goal was from a amazing angle, the type of angle Wayne Gretzky might score from. And it was a backhander. Give it a watch.

From USA Today:

"That was about the most embarrassing thing I've ever done in my life,'' Miller said. "I took my eye off it to see where I could put it, and when I looked back the puck wasn't where I thought it would be. So I tried to backhand it, and a guy kind of hit my stick.

"I figured if I played long enough I'd make the blooper reel.''

At least he could laugh about it.

"He came in after and said, '29 saves and a goal is a pretty good night,''' Ruff recalled. "I told him he has to buy the team dinner for every time you score.''

Derek Roy saved Miller's and the Sabres' day in OT, netting the winner.

[ScottyMCSS]

7-31-10

Derek Plante Give Up Olympics for Buffalo, then Wins the Cup in Ironic Fashion

In 1994, Sabres rookie Derek Plante was asked to join the US Olympic hockey team.

An injury to Pat LaFonatine meant that the Sabres wanted their new center to stay.

From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

Q: Do you regret that you never got to play in the Olympics?

A: Oh, for sure. The Olympics was a big priority growing up. I was in that age where the 1980 Olympic team was big. Corey Millen from Cloquet had played in 1984 and 1988 Olympics. But I had to look into the future. When you're in that position and a rookie in the league, and the bosses tell you to do something, what can you do?

What can you do? Really, Derek? He got his revenge on his former bosses, when he won the Stanley Cup in 1999 with the Dallas Stars. Yea. That Cup.

Most recently, he was hired on June 10, 2010 as a Minnesota Duluth assistant men's hockey coach.

[ScottyMCSS]

8-1-10

Mike "The Kid" Ramsey

Little known fact, especially by younger Sabres fans: at 19 years of age, Ramsey was the youngest member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that won gold in the "Miracle on Ice" (during the 1980 Winter Olympics).

His youth didn't stop him from flattening the Soviet opposition, however - a tenacity that lead the Sabres to draft him 11th overall in 1979, just before the Olympic run began.

[ScottyMCSS]

8-1-10

Tim Horton's "Cursed" Car

Horton was hesitant to sign for his last, tragic year in Buffalo.

His donut empire was growing, and at 43, he was the second oldest player in the league, just months younger than netminder Gump Worsley. But Punch Imlach realized he needed Horton on the blueline, and offered him another one-year contract.

Negotiations were confirmed with Horton receiving a Pantera sportscar as a bonus.

On February 20, 1974, Buffalo was visiting Toronto, hoping to steal two points and help gain enough momentum to propel the team towards a playoff spot. Horton played his typical game, and although the Sabres lost 4-2, Tim was named the game's third star.

"He was hurting too bad to play a regular shift in the third period," recalled Sabre coach Punch Imlach. "We faded without him and lost the game to the Leafs. After the game, he and I took a little walk up Church Street and had what was our last talk."

"He was down in the dumps because he didn't like to miss a shift and he felt he had cost us the game. I got on the bus with the team. Tim drove the "cursed" car back to Buffalo. He didn't make it."

On his way back to Buffalo at 4:30 the morning of February 21, 1974, Horton lost control of his speeding Pantera on the highway near St. Catharines, rolling it several times. Tim Horton was killed instantly.

[ScottyMCSS]

8-2-10

Sabre Killers

By no surprise, Daniel Alfredsson is on the list. From the Sabres 2010 Media Guide:

Most Goals (in One Game) by Opposing Player

4 Goals in One Game:

Rosaire Paiement (2-9-71 atVancouver)
Bob Schmautz (11-19-72 at Vancouver)
Phil Esposito (1-14-73 at Boston)
Mark Napier (12-3-80 vs. Montreal)
Wendel Clark (10-11-86 at Toronto)
Joe Nieuwendyk (12-13-87 vs. Calgary)
Joe Sakic (4-14-92 at Quebec)
Brian Bellows (2-27-93 at Montreal)
Peter Bondra (4-3-96 vs. Washington)
Jaroslav Svejkovsky (4-13-97 vs. Washington)
Daniel Alfredsson (11-2-05 vs. Ottawa)
Martin Havlat (11-2-05 vs. Ottawa)

Honestly. I hate it when Alfredsson has the puck. Hate it, hate it, hate it.

[ScottyMCSS]

8-2-10

The Sabres New Bite

With my head still swirling over the loss of Tim Kennedy, the Sabres have signed Shaone Morisonn. He's a big, 6-4 #1 pairing defender who should fit in right alongside Tyler Myers.

And unlike Kennedy, Shaone has a full set of nasty, nasty teeth. Just ask Brandon Dubinksy.

If anyone comes near Miller now, they better have had their rabies shots.

[ScottyMCSS]

8-3-10

Kevin Maguire's Hockey Quest

For a guy who never played organized hockey through most of his teens (until a shot stint with a Tier II junior club called the Orillia Travelways), Kevin Maguire sure has been making a mark on the NHL for a long, long time.

Maguire suited up for the Sabres from the '87-88 to the '89-90 campaigns, and was a fan favorite for his hard hitting style of play that made those old Aud dasher boards thunder and rattle.

He was also never one to back down from a fight. Here he is trying to knock the socks of Bruce Shoebottom.

Since his retirement as a player, he went on to work in the NHL as a referee, ironically spending 781 games trying to pry enforcers apart.

Since his retirement as a referee, he is far from done with hockey. He is the spearhead of a group (seperate from Jim Balsillie's) to bring a NHL franchise to Hamilton.

All this from a kid who barely ever worked in skates until his late teens. It just goes to prove that it is never too late to get your nose in the game of hockey.

[ScottyMCSS]

8-4-10

Depression Brings Joy

This makes one wonder if Buffalo would ever have had a hockey club if not for the Great Depression. From BisonsHistory.com:

During the mid-1930's, the federal government pumped public works dollars into the national economy in an effort to put a halt to the Great Depression. Employment and construction programs spurred municipal projects across the country. In Buffalo, one such project was the replacement of the aging Broadway Auditorium, Buffalo's only convention hall.

The cornerstone for the Aud was laid on November 30, 1939, funded by this program.

Original seat colors were red, blue and grey.

Makes you wonder if this Great Recession might get WNY some money to replace the crumbling Ralph Wilson stadium.