WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Offseason Edition
Jack Eichel played three games at the World Cup. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Expect Sabres center Jack Eichel, who just finished a three-game stint at the World Cup, to join his teammates at training camp this weekend.
Eichel, 19, will return to Buffalo today. The second-year star scored one goal and two points before Team North America was eliminated.
“We’ll see him back at the rink the next couple of days and have a conversation about when he’ll get back on the ice,” Sabres coach ... Read the full article
Evander Kane has a court date Oct. 31. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Off-ice incidents like the one at a local bar that resulted in Evander Kane being arrested and charged “happen to athletes or people in a position such as myself,” the Sabres winger said Thursday.
“Those are things you just have to deal with, kind of come with the territory,” Kane said inside KeyBank Center after veterans reported to training camp for physicals. “In saying that, you have to be a little bit more ... Read the full article
Tyler Ennis hasn’t scored a goal since Oct. 27. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – In the more than three months Tyler Ennis spent recovering from a concussion last season, the Sabres’ longest-tenured player learned he needed to approach what he calls a “pretty special job” differently.
“It makes you really not only appreciate what you got, but want to do better the next time,” Ennis said Thursday inside KeyBank Center after veterans reported to training camp for physicals.
That’s probably one reason why Ennis, who’s generously listed ... Read the full article
Phil Kessel has a long history with USA Hockey. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Phil Kessel tweet, a butt-end into the midsection of Team USA, had more than 73,000 retweets and 115,000 likes as of this afternoon.
As the Americans suffered an embarrassing 4-2 elimination loss Tuesday in the World Cup to Team Canada, the Pittsburgh Penguins star, the most notable talent left off a squad that flopped miserably, riled up the hockey universe with the following tweet:
“Just sitting around the house tonight w my ... Read the full article
Tyler Ennis only played 23 games last season. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – In the more than three months Tyler Ennis spent recovering from a concussion last season, the Sabres’ longest-tenured player learned he needed to approach what he calls a “pretty special job” differently.
“It makes you really not only appreciate what you got, but want to do better the next time,” Ennis said this morning inside KeyBank Center after veterans reported to training camp for physicals.
That’s probably one reason why Ennis, who’s generously ... Read the full article
Evander Kane (9) fights Alex Petrovic last season. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Evander Kane sounded guarded. When the Sabres winger was asked about his turbulent summer, which included charges following an incident at a local bar, he offered only a short reply or deflected the question.
“I’m not going to say too much,” Kane said this morning inside KeyBank Center after veterans reported to training camp for physicals. “I’m here, I’m in camp.”
Kane, 25, said he has “always felt” he needs to walk the ... Read the full article
Zemgus Girgensons was all over the ice last season. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres team that will convene today for training camp physicals, the official start of the 2016-17 season, isn’t much different from the one that just finished seventh in the Atlantic Division.
Sure, there were some notable summer additions. Winger Kyle Okposo, who signed a seven-year, $42 million contract July 1, was arguably the best free agent available. Dmitri Kulikov gives the Sabres a sturdy veteran to skate beside No. 1 defenseman ... Read the full article
Richie Dunn was active in Sabres Alumni events. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
Richie Dunn, a popular defenseman who played 327 games over two stints with the Buffalo Sabres, has died, the team announced this morning. He was 59.
The undrafted Dunn played five seasons for the Sabres beginning in 1977-78 before moving to the Calgary Flames and Hartford Whalers. He returned to the Sabres organization in 1985, playing his final 47 NHL games over the next four years.
Mostly, however, Dunn starred for the Rochester Americans, winning ... Read the full article
Hudson Fasching had a hectic spring with hockey and school. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Rookie Hudson Fasching applied a hockey philosophy to his schoolwork when he returned to the University of Minnesota in April following a seven-game stint with the Sabres.
Fresh off his first NHL action, Fasching, 21, had two and a half weeks to complete the semester and his entrepreneurial management degree before leaving school to represent Team USA at the World Hockey Championship in St. Petersburg, Russia.
“I was like, ‘OK, I’m just going ... Read the full article
Linus Ullmark had highs and lows as a rookie. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Almost a year ago, just months removed from double hip surgery, Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark roared into NHL, winning four of his first six starts.
By early November, some fans wanted Ullmark to be the Sabres’ new starter. By January, the rookie was back in the minors. By March, he couldn’t even win an AHL game, losing eight straight decisions.
“My first half of the season was good,” Ullmark said ... Read the full article