WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Offseason Edition
Jack Eichel will almost certainly stop wearing No. 41 early next month. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – To rookie Jack Eichel, he hasn’t secured a spot on the Sabres yet.
That’s why the slick center, one of the biggest prospects in recent memory, initially hesitated to accept teammate Matt Moulson’s invitation to live with his family. That’s why Eichel, 18, hasn’t switched from No. 41, a development camp number he was given by the equipment staff, to No. 15, a number he picked.
Everyone in Buffalo seems to be ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel wore No. 41 again today. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – To rookie Jack Eichel, he hasn’t secured a spot on the Sabres yet.
That’s why the slick center, one of the biggest prospects in recent memory, initially hesitated to accept teammate Matt Moulson’s invitation to live with his family. That’s why Eichel, 18, hasn’t switched from No. 41, a development camp number he was given by the equipment staff, to No. 15, a number he picked.
Everyone in Buffalo seems to be wearing ... Read the full article
Cody McCormick had blood clots last season. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres forward Cody McCormick, who was hospitalized with blood clots in January, failed his training camp physical and is out indefinitely, the team announced this morning.
McCormick, 32, blocked a shot Jan. 3 and played three more games before doctors found blood clots had spread to his lungs. He couldn’t skate the final months of last season because he was taking medication.
In other news, the Sabres also announced an upper-body injury will ... Read the full article
Evander Kane wants to score 40 or 50 goals. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The way Sabres winger Evander Kane sees it, after scoring 30 times four seasons ago, he firmly established his goal-scoring prowess.
“Thirty is just kind of a set number,” Kane said Thursday after training camp opened inside the First Niagara Center. “I’ve already scored 30. So maybe I want to score 40 or 50.”
Yes, Kane, seven months removed from shoulder surgery, has set the bar extremely high for his first season with ... Read the full article
Brian Gionta sees the Sabres progressing. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – In Denver, a city with almost 400,000 more people and four major league teams, Ryan O’Reilly blended in. Fans rarely recognized the new Sabres center on the street.
“I guess the market wasn’t the same as it is here, the excitement around,” O’Reilly said Thursday inside the First Niagara Center after the Sabres reported to training camp for physicals.
In hockey-mad Buffalo, O’Reilly, a June 26 acquisition from the Colorado Avalanche, keeps getting ... Read the full article
Ryan O’Reilly gets stopped by fans around Buffalo. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – In Denver, a city with almost 400,000 more people and four major league teams, Ryan O’Reilly blended in. Fans rarely recognized the new Sabres center on the street.
“I guess the market wasn’t the same as it is here, the excitement around,” O’Reilly said this morning inside the First Niagara Center after the Sabres reported to training camp for physicals.
In hockey-mad Buffalo, O’Reilly, a June 26 acquisition, keeps getting stopped by fans.... Read the full article
Zemgus Girgensons could switch positions again this season. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – For a team that just endured a brutal 54-point season and might have nine new faces in the lineup opening night, the Sabres should enjoy a remarkably quiet training camp, their first under new coach Dan Bylsma.
There are, of course, still some intriguing storylines to follow. Second overall pick Jack Eichel’s first days in the NHL promise to be exciting. Sam Reinhart, the franchise’s other top prospect, will be fighting for a ... Read the full article
Sabres coach Dan Bylsma (left) and general manager Tim Murray speak at a news conference in June. ©2015, Margaret Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres veterans report for training camp physicals Thursday and have their first on-ice session of the 2015-16 season – aka, “The Jack Eichel era” – Friday. Here’s the complete schedule for the first week the team released today.
A roster is below. All sessions are at the First Niagara Center unless noted.
Thursday
Players testing and physicals.
Friday
Session one: 9-9:45 a.m.
Scrimmage: 10-10:45 a.m.
Session two: 11-11:45 a.m.
Session three: 12-1:30 p.m.... Read the full article
Jack Eichel gave Boston fits all night. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Jack Eichel had just played about half of the final 25 minutes of regulation and overtime, and following a long shift in his own zone, coach Randy Cunneyworth asked the Sabres rookie if he had anything left. The 18-year-old phenom figured he could muster one final skate.
“I figured I could go out there and see what I could do,” Eichel said modestly following his highlight-reel winning goal with 37 seconds left in ... Read the full article
Patrick Kaleta wore his Sabres jersey inside out before he signed a contract Saturday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Instead of sporting a black NHLPA jersey or turning his Sabres sweater inside out again to conceal the crest, Patrick Kaleta dressed properly for his informal skate Monday, with the logo he has worn so proudly for nine seasons displayed on his chest.
A one-year AHL contract brought Kaleta, a free agent for 10 weeks, back to the organization he loves dearly on Saturday. The Sabres also gave the popular winger a professional ... Read the full article
