WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
October Edition
Brian Gionta scored his 289th NHL goal Monday. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – In the days leading to Brian Gionta’s 1,000th NHL game, the Sabres were a little nervous, even “walking on eggshells,” coach Dan Bylsma said.
No one wanted to talk about their captain’s milestone.
“Didn’t want to jinx it, so to speak,” Bylsma said after Gionta fittingly scored the winning goal in Monday’s 4-2 win against the Florida Panthers.
But the Sabres loosened up, and following an emotional pregame ceremony honoring Gionta’s achievement, ... Read the full article
Brian Gionta (left) receives a silver stick from Sabres general manager Tim Murray on Monday. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres winger Tyler Ennis said undersized NHL players – a “brotherhood,” he called them – share “an unspoken bond.”
Small players, of course, have the odds stacked against them. Only they can truly understand what they endured to make the league.
Fifteen or 20 years ago, it was even tougher for them to crack the NHL. That’s why Ennis, who’s listed at 5-foot-9, grew up idolizing diminutive stars, including 5-foot-7 Sabres captain Brian ... Read the full article
Tyler Ennis loved watching Brian Gionta growing up. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres winger Tyler Ennis said undersized NHL players – a “brotherhood,” he called them – share “an unspoken bond.”
Small players, of course, have the odds stacked against them. Only they can truly understand what they endured to make the league.
Fifteen or 20 years ago, it was even tougher for them to crack the NHL. That’s why Ennis, who’s listed at 5-foot-9, grew up idolizing diminutive stars, including 5-foot-7 Sabres captain Brian ... Read the full article
Thomas Vanek began this season in Detroit. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – If you’re counting, former Sabres star Thomas Vanek just joined his fifth team – yes, the number’s really that high – since leaving town early in 2013-14.
The Panthers acquired Vanek, 33, as a rental from the Detroit Red Wings prior to the trade deadline, making Florida the latest stop in what has become a crazy four seasons.
After nine seasons here, the Austrian has morphed into the NHL’s most well-traveled star, also ... Read the full article
Brian Gionta (12) isn’t afraid to go to the net. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – As another trying season winds down, the Sabres finally have something special to celebrate. Captain Brian Gionta will play his 1,000th NHL game tonight, and his teammates couldn’t be more excited.
“That’s a huge, huge honor in this league, a huge milestone and accomplishment,” Sabres winger Marcus Foligno said. “A thousand games in the NHL is rare.”
Tonight is all about Gionta, the 38-year-old Greece native who has enjoyed a long and unlikely ... Read the full article
Brian Gionta played his first NHL game Dec. 30, 2001. ©2017, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Over his 15 NHL seasons, Sabres captain Brian Gionta has seen plenty of players hit the prestigious 1,000-game mark, one of hockey’s toughest milestones.
But one time still stands out vividly.
As a member of the Montreal Canadiens, Gionta’s teammate, defenseman Hal Gill, played his 1,000th game early in 2011-12. Apparently, Gionta, then a 32-year-old in his 10th season, thought his friend was ancient.
“At the time, I thought, ‘Holy crap, that guy’s ... Read the full article
Marcus Foligno had an odd fight Tuesday. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres winger Marcus Foligno has a simple explanation why he fixed his hair at a bizarre time – during a heavyweight scrap against Shawn Thornton, the NHL’s dean of fighters – in Tuesday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Florida Panthers.
“Just try to get readjusted and get ready for round two of the first fight,” a smiling Foligno said this morning inside KeyBank Center.
The bout was a fight lover’s dream, the 6-foot-3, ... Read the full article
oalie Anders Nilsson makes a save through traffic during second period Saturday afternoon. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Early in the Sabres’ 3-0 victory Saturday afternoon, as Dan Bylsma watched Anders Nilsson gobble up puck after puck, the coach had an ill-timed thought about his goalie’s strong performance against the Florida Panthers.
“I don’t like it when I have thoughts like this,” Bylsma said after the Sabres’ first home win ended their four-game losing streak. “He just looked so solid, so confident in net you thought it was going to be ... Read the full article
Sam Reinhart smiles after scoring Saturday afternoon. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – As the seven-game mark approached, Sabres forward Sam Reinhart figured after all his missed opportunities, his first goal would be fluky.
“The way the year has been going, that’s the way the first one had to go in, because the chances have been there,” Reinhart said after scoring a power-play goal late in Saturday afternoon’s 3-0 win against the Florida Panthers inside KeyBank Center.
Sure enough, 8:48 into the third period, Reinhart tried ... Read the full article
Mark Pysyk was a first-round pick in 2010. ©2016, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Being back here felt “weird,” Mark Pysyk, clad in Florida Panthers workout gear, said Saturday morning as he took a break from preparing for his first game as a visitor at KeyBank Center.
Pysyk, 24, grew up with the Sabres, developing from a first-round pick in 2010 into an NHL defenseman.
“The last six years I’ve been coming here for … everything,” Pysyk said prior to the Sabres’ 3-0 win against ... Read the full article