Botterill - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Maturity helped earn Jack Eichel Sabres’ captaincy

BUFFALO – Jack Eichel was at home cooking dinner Tuesday night when his coach, Phil Housley, called and said the Sabres’ brass wanted to meet with him.

So Eichel left and drove to KeyBank Center. When he arrived, Housley, general manager Jason Botterill and owner Terry Pegula told the talented center he would be the 19th full-time captain in Sabres history.

“Really humbling moment,” Eichel said Wednesday inside KeyBank Center, where the Sabres open the ... Read the full article

Jack Eichel humbled to be Sabres’ new captain: ‘I feel honored’

BUFFALO – Jack Eichel was at home cooking dinner Tuesday night when his coach, Phil Housley, called and said the Sabres’ brass wanted to meet with him.

So Eichel, 21, left his dinner and drove to KeyBank Center. When he arrived, Housley, general manager Jason Botterill and owner Terry Pegula told the talented center he would be the 19th full-time captain in Sabres history.

“Really humbling moment,” Eichel said this afternoon following practice. “I feel ... Read the full article

Sabres name Jack Eichel captain

BUFFALO – Jack Eichel is the Sabres’ new captain.

The Sabres, who open the season Thursday against the Boston Bruins, announced late this morning Eichel, 21, would wear the prestigious ‘C.’ Coach Phil Housley also appeared to tell his team as practice wound down.

Eichel, the second overall pick in 2015, is beginning his fourth NHL season. The Sabres went without a captain last season.... Read the full article

Sabres claim Remi Elie on waivers, finalize 23-man roster

BUFFALO – Jason Botterill overhauled the Sabres for the 2018-19 season, adding eight new faces and improving their depth. Still, after Scott Wilson suffered a broken right ankle Sunday, the general manager felt they needed another winger for the fourth line.

So on Tuesday, the Sabres claimed Remi Elie on waivers from the Dallas Stars.

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Elie, 23, has played 90 NHL games, compiling seven goals, 21 points and 26 penalty minutes. Last ... Read the full article

Fun-loving Patrik Berglund already one of Sabres’ leaders

BUFFALO – Patrik Berglund’s booming voice echoed throughout HarborCenter.

“Use your stick!” the Sabres center shouted, along with another word that can’t be reprinted, during a practice drill last week.

Some of Berglund’s new teammates then quickly burst out laughing. In the midst of an intense training camp, he provided some much-needed levity.

“This game’s about having fun,” Sabres coach Phil Housley said Monday inside KeyBank Center. “He enjoys coming to the rink and having ... Read the full article

Former Sabres captain Brian Gionta helped change hockey

BUFFALO – Twenty years ago, diminutive players like Brian Gionta – the ones teams list at, say, 5-foot-9 but are clearly much smaller – rarely received a chance in the NHL.

Sure, once in a while an undersized talent would break through. But for the most part, the league coveted size.

Then in the early 2000s, a few small forwards – Gionta, Daniel Briere and Martin St. Louis – started seizing their chances and morphing ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Zemgus Girgensons settles into checking role

BUFFALO – Considering the Sabres drafted Zemgus Girgensons 14th overall and the scoring prowess he once showcased, the forward’s last few seasons could be considered disappointing.

Girgensons scored 15 goals in 61 games in 2014-15, the same season rabid fans in his native Latvia voted him into the NHL All-Star Game.

But that career-high goal total is deceiving. Girgensons, 24, skated on the first line much of his second NHL campaign. In an otherwise dreary ... Read the full article

Sabres implode early, rally in loss to Maple Leafs

TORONTO – Following a three-year AHL apprenticeship, the Sabres expect goalie Linus Ullmark to play around 30 games this season as their new backup.

So watching the Maple Leafs score on their first two shots and three of their first eight in the opening 3:42 of Friday’s preseason tilt had to be concerning.

Then Ullmark, 25, settled down nicely after the Sabres, who opened the scoring 30 seconds in, fell behind 3-1. Over the final ... Read the full article

Sam Reinhart practices, happy to be back with Sabres

BUFFALO – Sam Reinhart’s short time back in Vancouver tested his patience, even made the Sabres winger miserable.

Sitting at home as a contract holdout can do that, especially when your teammates start a training camp filled with so much optimism.

“It was probably one of the most challenging week and a halves that I’ve been a part of,” Reinhart said following Thursday’s session of training camp.

By Tuesday night, as the Sabres played an ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Zach Bogosian being eased along after hip surgery

BUFFALO – The Sabres have a plan for Zach Bogosian. Instead of throwing the oft-injured defenseman right into the fray, they’re easing him into training camp.

Bogosian, 28, underwent hip surgery last winter and hasn’t played a game Jan. 9. So the Sabres held him out of practice earlier this week before letting him skate on his own.

Bogosian practiced with his teammates again Thursday inside HarborCenter.... Read the full article