WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Calder Cup Playoffs Edition
Mikhail Grigorenko (left) and Tyler Myers entered the NHL as teenagers. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The fun part, slick Sabres prospect Mikhail Grigorenko said, comes when he touches the puck and makes a play on NHL ice.
“You realize you’re in (the) NHL and you did something good,” the 18-year-old said Monday after the Sabres prepared for tonight’s tilt against the Toronto Maple Leafs inside the First Niagara Center.
Grigorenko set his sights on the NHL as a child growing up in Khabarovsk, Russia, a city just 19 ... Read the full article
Ville Leino had a good 20-minute skate Friday. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Right now, Sabres winger Ville Leino has no plans to undergo surgery on the injured right hip that sidelined him a fourth straight game Friday.
Leino enjoyed a strong 20-minute skate Friday morning inside the First Niagara Center before he began feeling tired and the hip tightened up, he said. Still, that represents progress.
“It feels better,” Leino said prior to the Sabres’ 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. “Today it felt a ... Read the full article
Mike Kostka played two seasons with the Sabres’ old affiliate in Portland. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
TORONTO – Mike Kostka was one day away from ditching his NHL dream, all set to take a gig playing overseas.
The 27-year-old Maple Leafs rookie couldn’t find any good work in North America. Despite two solid seasons with the Buffalo Sabres’ top affiliate in Portland, the team hadn’t tendered the defenseman a contract in 2010, making him a free agent.
Then Kostka’s friend, an AHL player named Marco Rosa, stopped over Kostka’s home a ... Read the full article
Mikhail Grigorenko skated 15 shifts during his NHL debut Sunday. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Ten minutes after the Sabres’ 5-2 opening-day win over the Philadelphia Flyers had ended, Steve Ott was still thinking about that nifty chance beside the net slick rookie center Mikhail Grigorenko had created for him.
Sure, Ott was excited about his power-play goal that opened the scoring just 11:07 into his Sabres debut. But the opportunity that had gotten away was still playing inside his head at bit.
“I kind of feel bad. ... Read the full article
Marcus Foligno poses for a photo with a fan this morning inside the First Niagara Center. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – All seems forgiven. The hockey-deprived Sabres fans look amped for this afternoon’s season opener against the Philadelphia Flyers. Thanks to the NHL 113-day lockout, it’s been 288 days since the Sabres last played a game.
Right now, however, it feels like the NHL never left. The First Niagara Center will be packed and jumping today. Fans spent the week gobbling up discounted merchandise and wondering if 18-year-old Mikhail Grigorenko could crack the lineup ... Read the full article
Mikhail Grigorenko could make his NHL debut Sunday. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres first planted the seeds almost seven months ago inside the Consol Energy Center. Mikhail Grigorenko, the slick center that had just fallen to them 12th overall at the NHL Entry Draft, would be given every chance to play in the big leagues immediately, they said.
The strong words from the team’s brass that June night in Pittsburgh resonated. The Sabres hadn’t had an 18-year-old play regularly for them since center ... Read the full article
The Sabres invited Joe Finley to training camp last season. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The New York Islanders claimed hulking Rochester Americans defenseman Joe Finley, who played five games with the Sabres last season, off waivers Monday.
“Actually, it was disappointing, but I understand it,” Sabres general manager Darcy Regier said Monday inside the First Niagara Center following an intrasquad scrimmage. “(Isles general manager) Garth Snow called me just before waiver time to give me a courtesy call to let me know they were going to take ... Read the full article
Joe Finley’s hulking size makes him an intimidating presence. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The New York Islanders claimed Rochester Americans defenseman Joe Finley off waivers today, according to Newsday’s Arthur Staple.
Finley, a training camp invite last season, played five games with the Sabres in 2011-12, compiling 12 penalty minutes and a minus-3 rating.
The 6-foot-8, 249-pound American first earned an AHL contract, then a two-way deal after impressing the Sabres.
Finley’s size earned him a cult following among Sabres and Amerks supporters, with fans ... Read the full article
The Sabres said in June prospect Mikhail Grigorenko would have a chance at an NHL roster spot. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Thanks to the agonizingly long NHL lockout, 281 days have passed since the Sabres last played a game. Thankfully, the team will finally start an abbreviated training camp today. The season opens in just a week.
So what’s changed in the last nine months? How’s this group different from the high-priced, ninth-place team that was built to win the Stanley Cup in 2011-12?
The Sabres got tougher, acquiring Steve Ott to be the ... Read the full article
Lindy Ruff spent much of the NHL lockout monitoring prospects. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Lindy Ruff had already endured 113 days of the NHL lockout, so waiting another 60 minutes to find out the work stoppage was over wouldn’t have bothered the Sabres coach.
“My phone had gone off while I was sleeping,” Ruff said Wednesday about how he heard the lockout had ended. “It was one of these, somebody had texted me at 6 a.m., ‘Congrats, it’s over.’ And (you think), ‘Wait an hour to ... Read the full article
