WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
March Edition
Dan Bylsma took over the Sabres on May 28. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
PITTSBURGH – There are no hard feelings, Buffalo Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said. For five and a half seasons, he enjoyed a heck of a ride leading the Penguins, winning a Stanley Cup just months after taking over the job in 2009.
That they let him twist in the wind at the end of another disappointing season, refusing to fire him for three weeks after letting general manager Ray Shero go, doesn’t matter.
“I don’t ... Read the full article
Sabres goalie Chad Johnson pokes the puck away from Toronto’s Nick Spaling on Oct. 21. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
PITTSBURGH – Buffalo Sabres goalie Chad Johnson embraces a simple philosophy following poor outings: Don’t panic, just stick with it.
“I think when you start sitting down and being like, ‘OK, I got to change this, change that, get out here and do this,’ now you’re overthinking instead of saying it was one of those days,” Johnson said Wednesday inside the Consol Energy Center.
Johnson, 29, experienced one of those days Friday, looking shaky in ... Read the full article
Robin Lehner struggled during the preseason. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – As a Swedish import, Sabres newcomer Robin Lehner isn’t a big football fan. But after arriving here in August, the goalie started following the Buffalo Bills a little bit.
“A lot of people talk about their defense and how good their defense and stuff are, but people start questioning the quarterback a little bit,” Lehner said this morning prior to the season opener. “I feel like I’m a little bit in the same ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel often talks about earning his spot with the Sabres. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
TORONTO – The Summer of Jack is almost over. Believe it or not, in 10 days, Jack Eichel will be in a Buffalo Sabres uniform for a rookie camp prospects game against the New Jersey Devils, officially ending what the phenom called a “whirlwind” offseason.
“I think it’s starting to get real,” Eichel, the second overall pick, said Tuesday at the NHLPA Rookie Showcase inside Mattamy Athletic Centre, site of the old Maple Leaf Gardens.... Read the full article
Jack Eichel has heard great things about Matt Moulson. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
TORONTO – Shortly after the Buffalo Sabres drafted Jack Eichel second overall June 26, veteran winger Matt Moulson, his future teammate, congratulated the 18-year-old and then asked the center a surprising question.
The 31-year-old Moulson, one of the most experienced and accomplished Sabres, asked Eichel if he wanted to live with his family during his rookie season.
Eichel hadn’t made any living arrangements yet, so he decided moving in with the Moulson clan – his ... Read the full article
Dan Bylsma’s team has 10 afternoon home games. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
SUNRISE, Fla. – If slick center Jack Eichel joins the NHL next season, Buffalo fans will get a long look at the second overall pick October. The Sabres open the season with three straight home games for the first time in 40 years.
That’s just one highlight of the 2015-16 schedule the NHL released Thursday.
Six of the opening eight games are at the First Niagara Center, so Eichel, the phenom the Sabres will select ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel had a lot of media interest Friday. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Jack Eichel, of course, never expected his words would leak out. The superstar was simply expressing some confidence in his special abilities during pre-draft interviews this week.
Eichel told teams, including the Sabres, who will select the 18-year-old second overall on June 26, he plans on being a better player than Connor McDavid, arguably the biggest prospect in decade.
Was it cocky? Sure. But the slick Boston University center wasn’t taking a dig ... Read the full article
From left, Sabres general manager Tim Murray, coach Dan Bylsma and owner Terry Pegula hold up a No. 15 Bylsma jersey Thursday. ©2015, Margaret Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – There was a time before the Sabres hired Dan Bylsma on Thursday that the coach and general manager Tim Murray both represented the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.
Back in the early 2000s, as Bylsma finished up his journeyman playing career, Murray was the team’s director of player personnel.
“I complained about him a lot,” Murray cracked Thursday during a news conference to introduce Bylsma as the Sabres’ 17th coach in franchise history. “That’s ... Read the full article
Dan Bylsma is the 17th coach in Sabres history. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The Sabres finally have a new coach. The rebuilding team today named Dan Bylsma, a 2009 Stanley Cup winner, the 17th coach in franchise history.
The 44-year-old Bylsma, who spent Wednesday visiting with the Sabres, will be formally introduced at a 4 p.m. news conference at the First Niagara Center.
Update: Bylsma has a five-year contract, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.
Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula went big again, bringing in ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel would likely be the No. 1 pick in any other year. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
TORONTO – With only a 20 percent chance of winning, Tim Murray expected the Sabres would lose the NHL Draft Lottery tonight. The general manager was right. Sorry, Buffalo, Connor McDavid is going to the Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers, with only an 11.5 percent chance, snagged hockey’s most coveted prospect.
The Sabres, of course, received a pretty nice consolation prize, slick Boston University center Jack Eichel. The 18-year-old Boston native would likely be the No. ... Read the full article