WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Offseason Edition
Rick Dudley had two stints with Buffalo as a player. handout/promotional photo
Rick Dudley never wanted to leave that special group of Sabres. He was loving life in Buffalo and living a dream that felt unreachable just a few years earlier. But the money – 10 times what he was earning in the NHL – and the security it offered him became too much to turn down. He couldn’t say no.
So early in what he called a “magical” 1974-75 season, Dudley agreed to a five-year, no-trade, ... Read the full article
Rob Ray usually provides color analysis from ice level. ©2025, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Forget about all of those fights. In his prime, legendary Sabres tough guy Rob Ray often impacted games with more than his fists.
Ray, who was inducted into the Sabres Hall of Fame in an emotional ceremony prior to Friday’s 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators, played a fearless and heavy style as a winger. He could be relentless and wear opponents out.
“Robby was a really good skater,” said John Van Boxmeer, ... Read the full article
Rob Ray would take on any heavyweight. ©2025, Janet Schultz
BUFFALO – John Muckler’s voice cut through the din of the crowd that night 32 years ago as Sabres tough guy Rob Ray squared off with hulking Philadelphia Flyers heavyweight Dave Brown.
Muckler, having coached Brown with the Edmonton Oilers, knew him well. He feared Ray could be in way over his head.
The 6-foot-5 Brown, after all, ranked among the NHL’s most feared and punishing fighters. Few dared to challenge him.
So from the ... Read the full article
James Reimer has played 501 NHL games. ©2024, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Having decided to utilize two young goalies next season, the Sabres needed to find a veteran to provide depth at the critical position.
So on Tuesday, they signed James Reimer, 36, to a one-year, one-way contract worth $1 million.
That salary, of course, is hefty for a No. 3 goalie who will likely play in the minors. Still, general manager Kevyn Adams, who recently said the Sabres plan to have Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, 25, ... Read the full article
Fred Stanfield skates in a Sabres Alumni game in 2004. ©2021, Janet Schultz
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 (14) earned the respect of teammates like Mike Robitaille (clapping) during his career in Buffalo. ©2021, Janet Schultz
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 helped the Sabres establish themselves as an NHL power again. ©2021, Janet Schultz
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
Rick Vaive was still a 30-goal scorer when he joined the Sabres. ©2020, Janet Schultz
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
Dale Hawerchuk is one of the NHL’s all-time greats. ©2020, Dan Hickling, Hickling Images
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
Jack Eichel has worn No. 9 with Team USA. ©2018, Hickling Images
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