In a rare “interview,” the Sabres owner fielded questions on his team’s radio program, “Sabres Hockey Hotline,” this morning, chatting 25 minutes by phone with hosts and team employees Kevin Sylvester and Andrew Peters.

Most notably, Pegula defended general manager Darcy Regier, whose teams have missed the playoffs the last two seasons, asking, “What’s he done wrong?” Pegula said he wants Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek, two franchise cornerstones likely on the trading block, ...]]> BUFFALO – Terry Pegula has finally spoken again.

In a rare “interview,” the Sabres owner fielded questions on his team’s radio program, “Sabres Hockey Hotline,” this morning, chatting 25 minutes by phone with hosts and team employees Kevin Sylvester and Andrew Peters.

Most notably, Pegula defended general manager Darcy Regier, whose teams have missed the playoffs the last two seasons, asking, “What’s he done wrong?” Pegula said he wants Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek, two franchise cornerstones likely on the trading block, to stay with the Sabres, although he understands the stars have a say.

Listen to the entire interview here.

Here are a few highlights.

Pegula on why he’s so confident in Regier and why he’s his guy:

“I’ve built a pretty good company (East Resources) in my life, and one of my main theories in life is you start with a good person, good people, and you work from there. Darcy is in that category. He is a very qualified person. I don’t want to talk about prior ownership. I have a different management style, and Darcy has a chance to flourish under our management style. … I’m giving him, I believe, more latitude in the way we operate the team with less financial restrictions. It’s not my way of doing things. I’m not saying it’s the right way. I think if you probably talk to other owners around the league, they might find me spending too much money. You may hear that or whatever. But that’s my style.

“So I’m going to do things my way, and one of the things that I like that I see is he’s been a very capable person there, a lot of knowledge, grew up (with the  New York Islanders) under Al Arbour, very knowledgeable person who … helped train him. It’s a long history there, and when you look at the history, even with the Sabres, what’s he done wrong? Help me out here. I’m going to ask a question. Do you not talk about some of the fast deals? Maybe someone was holding the painter’s hand when he was doing the painting. I don’t know.”

Pegula added later: “I probably talk to Darcy more than I talk to my wife.”

On Miller and Vanek, who each have one year left on their contracts:

“I can tell the fans I’m concerned, too. Yes, we want them here. They have a say in that decision. What that decision is, it’s no one’s been re-signed yet so we’re still working.”

On taking the interim label off of new coach Ron Rolston (Lindy Ruff’s Feb. 20 dismissal wasn’t discussed):

“One of the reasons was Ron didn’t give us much choice last year after he came in. I don’t think when you trade your captain (Jason Pominville) you deal him the best hand.”

Pegula added later: “Ron’s a teacher. There’s going to be a lot of young players coming in.”

In other news, the Sabres announced today they will hold an intrasquad scrimmage and a fan fest on July 12 at the First Niagara Center and the waterfront to conclude summer development camp.

“It had never even crossed my mind that it was a possibility, and so I said, ‘Call me back in five minutes and reconfirm this, would you?’ an emotional Neale said Tuesday inside the ...]]> BUFFALO – Harry Neale said he couldn’t believe the news, so when Chuck Kaiton informed the longtime NHL color analyst the Hockey Hall of Fame would be honoring him with the 2013 Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, Neale told the Carolina Hurricanes’ play-by-play announcer to ring him again.

“It had never even crossed my mind that it was a possibility, and so I said, ‘Call me back in five minutes and reconfirm this, would you?’ an emotional Neale said Tuesday inside the First Niagara Center, “because I thought he might be pulling my leg.”

It wasn’t a joke, though. Neale, the quick-witted broadcaster for CBC’s “Hockey Night in Canada” and the Toronto Maple Leafs before joining the Sabres in 2007, will be honored Nov. 11 in Toronto.

“It was a glorious moment my family has really enjoyed,” Neale said about receiving the news Monday.

Immediately, Neale’s mind flashed to the Sabres’ Rick Jeanneret, last year’s Hewitt honoree, and CBC’s Bob Cole, the two legendary play-by-play men he has spent the most time calling games beside.

“It makes it even a more glorious occurrence to share it with the people you admire,” Neale said. “I can’t ever remember feeling as different as I did when I got the call, thinking, ‘Are you kidding? Is this one of my friends that likes to play jokes?’ So it was a humbling moment to be in a group as celebrity-filled as the Foster Hewitt Award.”

Neale added: “To go in the year after Jeanneret doubles the pleasure because I know how thrilled he was.”

For Neale, an NHL coach and general manager before moving to the broadcast booth in 1985-86, receiving an award with Hewitt’s name is surreal. As a boy in Sarnia, Ont., Neale did whatever he could to listen to Hewitt, a Canadian icon.

“I can remember begging my father, ‘Can I stay up and at least listen to the first period of the 8:30 game?’” Neale said as he became choked up and his eyes filled with tears. “And then sometimes I’d sneak the radio upstairs and have that radio to listen to Foster Hewitt. So to be a winner of the Foster Hewitt Award is even more special.”

The 76-year-old, who moved to a pregame analyst role this season, was quick to credit his producers, directors and the television crews for his honor, saying, “This award has got all kinds of fingerprints on it. It’s not just mine.”

Neale fell into broadcasting. He coached Ohio State before moving to the World Hockey Association, where he led the Minnesota Fighting Saints and Gordie Howe and the New England Whalers in the 1970s.

He coached the Vancouver Canucks for four years, including most of their 1981-82 Stanley Cup final season, before moving to a management role in the organization. But when the Detroit Red Wings fired him in 1985-86, he knew his coaching career was likely over.

Within days, CBC Sports’ Don Wallace called Neale, who went to Montreal to watch how a broadcast worked. He started analyzing “Hockey Night in Canada” games shortly after.

“I just wanted to make sure I did a good enough job to get the next game,” Neale said.

Neale began working on CBC’s second or third game. When John Davidson joined the New York Rangers, he moved to the top broadcast team beside Cole. The two became synonymous with each other, spending 20 years together.

Clearly, Neale’s everyman personality resonated with viewers. One-liners and those colorful stories – he said he researched them and joked “about 98 percent of them are stolen” – filled each telecast.

“I didn’t think it was nuclear physics I was involved in, so we had to have a few laughs … and make it an enjoyable situation,” Neale said. “And I remember hearing John Madden say once 15 years ago, he said, ‘I want to the people around to make it feel like we’re in a bar and I’m the only guy that knows anything about what’s going on. But they’re here having a good time, and so I’m pointing some things out.’

“So I could never get the people I work for to bring the beer up so I could get the same feeling.”

Neale believes no sport in the world has better people than hockey. He said his words during a telecast have never angered a player.

“They might not have liked it, but they understood, or most of them did, and the ones that didn’t, they never came up and talked to me because they know how tough I am,” Neale cracked.

Neale, who called the Stanley Cup final until 2007, acknowledged the “sin of envy showed up big time” whenever he watched the trophy being awarded.

“I knew what the players must be thinking when I watched the New York Islanders beat my Vancouver Canucks in 1982 in the finals,” he said.

He added: “Any of the Stanley Cup final games where they presented the Cup was really a glorious moment, especially when I knew some of the people involved.”

Neale had been living in Buffalo about 20 years – “Once I found out you could get 30 beers for $18.95, I moved very quickly from Toronto,” he joked – when the Sabres recruited him to be their color analyst. He called himself a Sabres fan and said he had always wanted to do a game with Jeanneret.

“It’s like working for the home team,” Neale said. “How can you possibly beat that?”

Jeanneret and Cole gave Neale congratulatory phone calls. You can bet they’ll both be in Toronto when Neale accepts his honor.

“Nov. 11 is Remembrance Day,” Neale said, “and it sure as hell will be for me.”

Related: Sabres’ Jeanneret still going strong as Hall honor arrives

“It had never even crossed my mind that it was a possibility, and so I said, ‘Call me back in five minutes and reconfirm this, would you?’ Neale said this afternoon inside the First ...]]> BUFFALO – Harry Neale said he couldn’t believe the news, so when Chuck Kaiton informed the longtime NHL color analyst the Hockey Hall of Fame would be honoring him with the 2013 Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, Neale told the Carolina Hurricanes’ play-by-play announcer to ring him again.

“It had never even crossed my mind that it was a possibility, and so I said, ‘Call me back in five minutes and reconfirm this, would you?’ Neale said this afternoon inside the First Niagara Center, “because I thought he might be pulling my leg.”

It wasn’t a joke, though. Neale, the quick-witted broadcaster for CBC’s “Hockey Night in Canada” and the Toronto Maple Leafs before joining the Sabres in 2007, will be honored Nov. 11 in Toronto.

“It was a glorious moment my family has really enjoyed,” Neale said.

Neale will be joining the Sabres’ Rick Jeanneret, who was honored last year, and CBC’s Bob Cole, the two legendary play-by-play men he has spent the most time calling games beside. Both have sent their congratulations.

“It makes it even a more glorious occurrence to share it with the people you admire,” Neale said. “I can’t ever remember feeling as different as I did when I got the call, thinking, ‘Are you kidding? Is this one of my friends that likes to play jokes?’ So it was a humbling moment to be in a group as celebrity-filled as the Foster Hewitt Award.”

For Neale, an NHL coach and general manager before moving to the broadcast booth in 1985-86, receiving an award with Hewitt’s name is surreal. As a boy in Sarnia, Ont., Neale did whatever he could to listen to Hewitt, a Canadian icon.

“I can remember begging my father, ‘Can I stay up and at least listen to the first period of the 8:30 game?’” Neale said as his voice cracked and his eyes filled with tears. “And then sometimes I’d sneak the radio upstairs and have that radio to listen to Foster Hewitt. So to be a winner of the Foster Hewitt Award is even more special.”

Check back later for a full story!

Ruff, arguably the best veteran coach on the market, recently spoke to Dallas and also talked with Tampa Bay shortly after his Feb. 20 firing after more than 15 years leading the Sabres.

The Sabres technically possess Ruff’s “rights” since they’re still paying him.

The Rangers fired coach John Tortorella days after ...]]> BUFFALO – The New York Rangers have received permission to talk with former Sabres coach Lindy Ruff about their vacancy, according to ESPN.com and “Hockey Night in Canada” analyst Glenn Healy.

Ruff, arguably the best veteran coach on the market, recently spoke to Dallas and also talked with Tampa Bay shortly after his Feb. 20 firing after more than 15 years leading the Sabres.

The Sabres technically possess Ruff’s “rights” since they’re still paying him.

The Rangers fired coach John Tortorella days after their second-round playoff ouster late last month.

It’s believed Ruff, whose NHL playing career ended with the Rangers in 1991, covets that job. While he spent less than three full seasons in New York, he always seemed to remember his days there fondly. He even began his “coaching” career there as a player, leading the Rangers’ extra skaters through workouts.

Alain Vigneault, who led Vancouver to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, is also considered a top candidate. NHL legend Mark Messier, who captained the Rangers to the 1994 Stanley Cup, has expressed a strong interest in the job.

The Rangers are currently holding their organizational meetings at general manager Glen Sather’s California home.

In other Ruff news, the 53-year-old will be one Team Canada’s three assistant coaches at the 2014 Sochi Olympics under Detroit’s Mike Babcock, according to ESPN.com. Ruff won a gold medal with Babcock at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Ruff recently led Team Canada’s world championship entry.

Related: Report: Stars have spoken to former Sabres coach Ruff about opening

Yzerman insists Ruff wasn’t on Lightning’s radar

Sabres’ regression ultimately doomed Ruff

The visor bothered Ott. It cut him, fogged up and splashed water in his face. Playing without one made him feel more comfortable hitting.

But at the same time, he said it wasn’t a big deal wearing one.

“You get used to it,” Ott said by ...]]> BUFFALO – Like just about every hockey player, Steve Ott wore a visor as a youngster developing through the junior ranks. But the gritty Sabres winger ditched the facial protection when he cracked the NHL in 2002.

The visor bothered Ott. It cut him, fogged up and splashed water in his face. Playing without one made him feel more comfortable hitting.

But at the same time, he said it wasn’t a big deal wearing one.

“You get used to it,” Ott said by phone Wednesday. “So it’s not really a big change. It’s been a thing for myself where … coming out of junior it probably would’ve been a lot easier for me to keep it on and I wouldn’t have ever even noticed, you know what I mean?”

Now, young players won’t enjoy the option Ott had 11 years ago. The NHL’s competition committee voted Tuesday to grandfather in visors. Use will be mandatory next season for players with less than 26 games of big league experience.

“I think the No. 1 thing is they always want to keep the players as safe as possible,” Ott said.

Ott believes players should be able to choose if they wear a visor. Still, he understands why change is coming. Some high-profile eye injuries over the years, including an ugly March incident in which a puck hit New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal, prompted action.

“I think it swayed everybody,” Ott said about Staal’s gruesome injury. “I’ve played with teammates that have lost eyesight and everything else.”

While Staal has returned to the ice, his vision will likely never be the same.

With more players wearing a shield – usage is already at a reported 73 percent – Ott expects stick play will become looser.

“That’s where I think the biggest issue (is) falling in with the guys that don’t have one on,” Ott said. “ … When you don’t have a visor on, obviously you show a little bit more respect. You try not to bring your stick up or you wouldn’t have it up because it’s in the back of your mind.”

Ott, one of four Sabres who doesn’t wear a visor – Adam Pardy, John Scott and Mike Weber are the others – isn’t sure if he’ll starting wearing one again.

He put one on for about 30 games after a scary incident at the end of the 2010-11 season.

“I got hit with the puck below my eye and the top of my cheekbone really bad,” Ott said.

But Ott shed it early the next season after only about 30 games. He said it was too hot wearing one.

“It was too much of a bothersome for me,” he said. “So I don’t know (about wearing one again). I’d have to really look at it to decide.”

Lepkowski, a Buffalo native, just finished his fourth season in the Ontario Hockey League.

The fifth-round pick had zero goals, nine points and 78 penalty minutes in 60 games this season with the Barrie Colts.

“I think some things have changed,” amateur scouting director Kevin Devine said this afternoon during a break at the NHL Scouting Combine inside the International Centre. “The fact we moved some defenseman (at) the trade deadline, around there, two or three kids that are entry-level contracts are ...]]> MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – If you’re expecting the Buffalo Sabres, a team with a dearth of proven scorers up front, to focus solely on a forward early during the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, think again.

“I think some things have changed,” amateur scouting director Kevin Devine said this afternoon during a break at the NHL Scouting Combine inside the International Centre. “The fact we moved some defenseman (at) the trade deadline, around there, two or three kids that are entry-level contracts are up in Rochester. So I don’t think there’s any specific position. I think they’re all in play this year.”

Devine added: “This year, with the exception of maybe goaltender, I think the first pick will come down to a defenseman or forward.”

The rebuilding Sabres own four of the first 55 picks, including eighth and 16^th selections, for the June 30 draft in Newark.

With so many early picks in what some observers believe is one of the most talented draft classes ever, the Sabres could have some nice trade options. Devine said general manager Darcy Regier has “talked to everybody, all the teams that are out of the playoffs.”

“Everybody knows we’ve got all kinds of picks, we’ve got assets,” Devine said. “There’s conversations going all the time. Nothing really will happen until we get close to the draft.”

The triumvirate of superstar talent – defenseman Seth Jones and forwards Jonathan Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon – won’t last until the Sabres’ first selection. Moving up could be an option, though.

The Sabres interviewed all three this week and 75 of the 100 prospects invited.

“I probably say this every year,” Devine said. “It’s the toughest draft ever. … With a lot of things in play, a lot of players are very close. It’s a deep draft. It probably goes into the low 20s where a team’s going to get a very good player. A player at 20 might be as good as a player at 11. The fact we need time to move up in the draft. We’ve got some assets to do that. We’re still digging on that.”

The Sabres will host 70 prospects next week at their own combine.

June should be an interesting month for Devine and the Sabres.

“There’s still a lot of work to do, and we got an initial list to go,” Devine said. “If there’s a significant difference in the player, then we’ll probably just go best available.”

Related: Sabres draft two centers during wild first round

Sabres leave draft excited about early picks

The 20-year-old compiled 25 goals, 53 points, 98 penalty minutes and a minus-27 rating in 66 games with the Western Hockey League’s Prince George Cougars this season.

The Sabres officially inked Jacobs late tonight, two days before the deadline for signing players drafted in 2011.

Defenseman Alex Lepkowski, a Buffalo native selected 137th, remains unsigned. The 20-year-old just finished his fourth season in ...]]> BUFFALO – The Sabres have signed forward Colin Jacobs, the 107^th overall pick in 2011, to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The 20-year-old compiled 25 goals, 53 points, 98 penalty minutes and a minus-27 rating in 66 games with the Western Hockey League’s Prince George Cougars this season.

The Sabres officially inked Jacobs late tonight, two days before the deadline for signing players drafted in 2011.

Defenseman Alex Lepkowski, a Buffalo native selected 137^th, remains unsigned. The 20-year-old just finished his fourth season in the Ontario Hockey League.

Jacobs joined the Rochester Americans on an amateur tryout in March, compiling one goal and three points in 11 games with the AHL club.

The Texan played with the Seattle Thunderbirds for parts of four years prior to joining the Cougars in 2011-12, registering 44 goals, 89 points and 234 penalty minutes in 252 games.

Related: Amerks sign Sabres pick Jacobs to tryout

Ruff, arguably the best veteran coach on the market, could speak with Nill more formally soon, the News reported. The 53-year-old Ruff also talked with Tampa Bay not long after his Feb. 20 firing.

The Stars also plan on interviewing Alain Vigneault, who likely won’t be out of work long following his recent ...]]> BUFFALO – Not surprisingly, new Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill recently spoke to former Sabres coach Lindy Ruff about his club’s vacancy, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Ruff, arguably the best veteran coach on the market, could speak with Nill more formally soon, the News reported. The 53-year-old Ruff also talked with Tampa Bay not long after his Feb. 20 firing.

The Stars also plan on interviewing Alain Vigneault, who likely won’t be out of work long following his recent dismissal from Vancouver, and Willie Desjardins, their AHL coach, the News reported. The team plans on taking its time searching.

Whether it happens in the coming weeks, later this summer or even the fall or winter, Ruff will almost certainly land another gig. The respect for him around the NHL is just too high. Right now, there are very few proven coaches available. The market basically ends after Ruff and Vigneault.

Now, could you imagine Ruff, whose Stanley Cups dreams were dashed by the Stars with the infamous 1999 “No Goal,” coaching Dallas?

Buffalo collectively trembles.

Related: Ruff will have plenty of options at his disposal

Sabres’ regression ultimately doomed Ruff

Richards, a former Conn Smythe winner with Tampa Bay in 2004, had already been relegated to the fourth line in the Eastern Conference semifinal, a series he has scored zero points.

Believe it or not, less than two years ago, the center was a coveted free agent. Teams lined up ...]]> BUFFALO – Incredibly, tonight in the New York, with the Rangers down 3-0 to Boston, coach John Tortorella will make alleged star Brad Richards and his $60 million contract a healthy scratch.

Richards, a former Conn Smythe winner with Tampa Bay in 2004, had already been relegated to the fourth line in the Eastern Conference semifinal, a series he has scored zero points.

Believe it or not, less than two years ago, the center was a coveted free agent. Teams lined up at his agent’s office outside Toronto on July 1, 2011 to meet with him.

Not surprisingly, the Sabres, then at the height of their spending frenzy, wanted Richards. The brain trust planned to go up and meet with Richards as free agency opened.

But their chances of landing Richards appeared slimmed. They had to make a quick decision on Ville Leino.

So the Sabres canceled their visit and signed Leino to a six-year, $27 million contract.

We all know how that has turned out.

Now, it’s very likely both players will be bought out this offseason.

Here’s an excerpt from my July 2, 2011 article on Leino’s signing and the Sabres’ interest in Richards:

Following the season, the Sabres, with only one top scoring center under contract, quickly moved the 27-year-old free agent to the top of their want list. When the market opened Friday, they had a long conversation with Leino. It turns out he played center until he was about 24 years old.

With their chances of landing Brad Richards, the only elite center on a thin market, iffy, the Sabres rolled the dice with Leino, signing him to a huge six-year, $27 million contract, an annual $4.5 million salary cap hit.

Right now, the Sabres plan to use the 6-foot, 182-pound Leino at center.

“I talked to him about all three positions, and he’s comfortable at all three,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said late Friday afternoon inside HSBC Arena. “But his position that he likes the most is playing center, which is really a bonus, an ideal fit for us. We feel like, initially, that’s exactly where we want to utilize him.”

Many expected the Sabres, who have been wildly aggressive this offseason, to chase Richards, and they contacted his agent and planned to visit the 31-year-old in Mississauga, Ont., about a 90-minute drive from Buffalo. But as the day progressed, general manager Darcy Regier said, time became a factor. Several clubs still wanted to speak with Richards. If they wanted Leino, they had to act.

“We felt very strongly about Ville, and we felt it was important to make sure we didn’t allow a quality player to slip by us,” Regier said.