Dudley | Buffalo Hockey Beat

Fred Stanfield, member of Sabres’ first Stanley Cup finalist team, dies at 77

When Fred Stanfield joined the Buffalo Sabres midway through the 1974-75 season, Rick Dudley figured the accomplished veteran and two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Boston Bruins deserved to have the No. 17 he had worn throughout most of his NHL career.

So Dudley, who was in his third season, offered Stanfield the number. He graciously accepted and never forgot about the special gesture.

“He was so appreciative that I would give him that number,” ... Read the full article

Rene Robert seized opportunity with Sabres, became legend: ‘Could do it all’

When Mike Robitaille caught up with Rene Robert last year, he was struck by how well his old friend and Buffalo Sabres teammate looked.

Robert, who was approaching his 72nd birthday, had a trim physique and a full head of hair. Robitaille saw the same man he had played with almost 50 years earlier.

“Looked like a young Rene to me, just kind of bouncing along and feeling good,” Robitaille told the Times Herald on ... Read the full article

John Muckler, coach and GM of Sabres in 1990s, dies at 86

John Muckler, the coach and general manager of the Buffalo Sabres for much of the 1990s, died Monday. He was 86.

Glen Sather, who brought Muckler to the Edmonton Oilers as they began their Stanley Cup dynasty in the early 1980s, told the Edmonton Journal his friend had been in failing health.

“John had a heart attack, then he had heart surgery, then he fell in his recovery, then he got COVID,” Sather told the ... Read the full article

Former Sabres star Rick Vaive describes battle with alcohol in new book

In his new book, “Catch 22: My Battles, in Hockey and Life,” three-time 50-goal scorer Rick Vaive, who played four seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, offers a thoughtful account of his struggles with alcohol.

For much of his life, Vaive, a Toronto Maple Leafs legend and former captain, combated his undiagnosed anxiety by drinking. But after a doctor prescribed him medication to treat the anxiety, he kept drinking.

As his 35th birthday approached, ... Read the full article

The quiet superstar: Sabres remember Dale Hawerchuk for humility, greatness

Earlier this week, word began spreading among Dale Hawerchuk’s friends that the Hockey Hall of Famer, whose stomach cancer returned in July, wasn’t doing well.

So around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Pat LaFontaine said he texted his former Buffalo Sabres teammate to say he was thinking about him and praying for him. About a minute later, Hawerchuk messaged LaFontaine, thanking him.

LaFontaine took Hawerchuk’s quick reply as positive news.

But later in the day, as LaFontaine ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jack Eichel switches to No. 9

Get ready to see No. 9 jerseys all over Buffalo. Sabres star Jack Eichel changed his number today, switching from 15 to the digit he wore at Boston University.

Eichel announced his new number on Instagram, first posting a picture of himself skating in a Sabres jersey with an emoji covering his back. The center later posted a photo with the No. 9 showing and the words, “New season, new number.”

No. 9 has been ... Read the full article

Sabres great Dave Andreychuk honored by Hall of Fame election

Dave Andreychuk, of course, knew it was the day. Even though the Hockey Hall of Fame had passed him over in his first nine years of eligibility, the Buffalo Sabres legend still paid attention to the annual vote.

So Monday, as Andreychuk was driving to the Tampa Bay airport to pick up his wife, Susan, who was returning from Buffalo, he noticed someone from 416, Toronto’s area code, was calling him.

“My heart started to ... Read the full article

Sabres sign ECHL affiliation agreement with Cincinnati

For three seasons in the early 1970s, Buffalo Sabres prospects developed with the Cincinnati Swords. Players like Rick Dudley, Bill Hajt and Craig Ramsay graduated to the NHL from the AHL affiliate.

Now, more than 40 years later, Buffalo will again send some prospects to Cincinnati. The Sabres have signed an affiliation agreement with the city’s ECHL team, the Cyclones, the team announced today.... Read the full article

Sabres need to find new GM soon

BUFFALO – Given the speed at which the offseason moves, the Sabres must find a new general manager soon, perhaps in the next month, to replace Tim Murray, who was fired with coach Dan Bylsma on Thursday.

Of course, given owner Terry Pegula’s track record, would the Sabres even hire a GM first?

Remember, Pegula hired Pat LaFontaine as the team’s president of hockey operations in November 2013. LaFontaine lasted less than four months ... Read the full article

Ray Sheppard’s rookie season still one of Sabres’ best

BUFFALO – As Sabres rookies Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart put the finishing touches on two outstanding, high-scoring seasons, one name from the team’s past keeps popping up: Ray Sheppard.

Each week, it seems, the young forwards become the team’s first rookies to reach or approach milestones since Sheppard, who scored 38 goals and 65 points in 74 games in 1987-88 before fizzling out and re-emerging as one of the NHL’s most dangerous scorers.

Sheppard’s ... Read the full article