WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
December Edition
Craig Anderson started his NHL career slowly. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – It was the late 1980s, and Craig Anderson was sitting at the end of the bench in a chilly rink in Chicago on the verge of tears.
Anderson had finally had enough of playing defense. His team was getting blown out, and he told his coach he did not want to play unless he was the goalie.
The youngster, then 7 or 8, had been rotating between defense and the net. But 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
Mike Ramsey spent 14 seasons with the Sabres. ©2019, Janet Schultz
BUFFALO – Former Sabres captain Mike Ramsey usually offers the same answer when someone asks him what he’s up to these days.
“I tell people I’m writing a book, because everybody wants to know what I’m doing,” Ramsey said during Saturday’s Sabres Fan Fest at KeyBank Center, an event that celebrated the team’s 50th anniversary season. “‘What do you do with your time? I’m writing a book.’ And it stops them right away.”
So, what’s ... Read the full article
Jeff Skinner has scored 28 goals this season. ©2019, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Sabres captain Jack Eichel’s upper-body injury doesn’t appear to be serious.
Eichel, 22, missed Thursday’s 4-3 win against the Florida Panthers inside KeyBank Center and will also sit out Saturday’s road tilt against the Boston Bruins, Sabres coach Phil Housley said.
The slick center, who earned a spot in the NHL All-Star Game on Wednesday, will be reevaluated early next week, Housley said.
“It’s very encouraging,” Housley said of the news. “Obviously, Jack’s ... Read the full article
Steve Smith won three Stanley Cups during his playing career. ©2018, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – Despite finishing dead last in 2017-18, the Sabres kept their entire coaching staff. There will, however, be one addition to Phil Housley’s crew next season.
The Sabres have hired former NHL defenseman Steve Smith, a three-time Stanley Cup winner, as an assistant coach, the team announced this morning.
Other than Housley, a Hall of Fame defenseman, the only former NHL defender on staff, Chris Hajt, played six games. Given the Sabres just drafted ... Read the full article
Despite a hot stretch during the winter, Chad Johnson ended this season with some weak statistics. ©2018, Hickling Images
BUFFALO – If Chad Johnson had known the Sabres would struggle so much this season, the goalie likely would’ve looked for work elsewhere.
“I wouldn’t have put my career in a situation like that after having a lot of success and doing well,” Johnson said Monday as the Sabres cleaned out their lockers and held exit interviews inside KeyBank Center.
Thanks to two strong seasons, Johnson, 31, enjoyed some options during free agency last summer. ... Read the full article
Cody McCormick battles Los Angeles’ Mike Richards earlier this season. ©2015, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Sabres forward Cody McCormick has been hospitalized with a blood clot in his calf muscle, coach Ted Nolan said Sunday.
McCormick will be out indefinitely.
“I’m quite sure it’s somewhat serious if he’s still in the hospital,” Nolan said following practice inside the First Niagara Center.
McCormick blocked a shot earlier this month and missed some practice time last week. He went to the hospital Saturday after team medical personnel examined him.
“I ... Read the full article
Dominik Hasek will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame tonight. ©2014, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – It was the dawn of the 1992-93 season, and the Sabres had just acquired Dominik Hasek, a raw, relatively unknown goalie from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Right away, Sabres coach John Muckler gave Mitch Korn, his goalie coach, a message about the unorthodox Czech netminder.
“He said, ‘This guy’s a little unique, so just leave him alone, and if he wants your help, he’ll just come to you, just work with the other ... Read the full article
Dominik Hasek shuttled between the NHL and the minors for two seasons. ©2014, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
It was 1992, and Dominik Hasek was beginning to regret his decision to play in North America. After leaving his native Czechoslovakia, he was a 27-year-old backup goalie shuttling between the Chicago Blackhawks and the International Hockey League, stuck behind Ed Belfour, one of the NHL’s best.
“I was thinking about going back to Europe because I was in the minors, I was playing for (the) Indianapolis Ice,” Hasek recalled Monday, hours after being named ... Read the full article
John Scott (right) fights George Parros during the second period Sunday. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – A bruised foot sidelined Sabres defenseman Andrej Sekera for Sunday afternoon’s 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers. Rookie T.J. Brennan replaced him, making his second appearance this season.
Sekera blocked Alexei Emelin’s shot shortly into his first shift Saturday, went to the dressing room and returned for several shifts before leaving the Sabres’ 6-1 loss in Montreal again after the first period.
Ruff hopes it’s a short-term injury.
“He took a pretty hard ... Read the full article