WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Offseason Edition
BUFFALO – Nine days after the Sabres acquired center Cody Hodgson from the Vancouver Canucks in a blockbuster deal at the NHL trade deadline, the 22-year-old rookie finally skated on the First Niagara Center ice Wednesday.
Hodgson had been experiencing a whirlwind acclimation to his new team on the road, and his head hasn’t stopped spinning.
“Has it been that long, really?” Hodgson said Wednesday morning inside the FNC when informed the trade was nine ... Read the full article
The Sabres selected Paul Gaustad 220nd overall in 2000. ©2012, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – If it meant getting better in the future, Darcy Regier said the Sabres would take a minor step back at the NHL trade deadline. Sixty-two games into the season, the Stanley Cup talk for the 12th-place club has ceased. Monday was about utilizing assets and filling a glaring need for a scoring center.
Clearly, the general manager had a plan to fix his underachieving team, which was six points out of eighth place ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Sitting six points out of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot has put the 12th-place Sabres, a high-priced club built to win the Stanley Cup this season, in a precarious spot as today’s 3 p.m. NHL deadline approaches.
What the heck do they do? Are they buying or selling?
Right now, the Sabres are surging again, having won three straight last week. They’re 8-3-3 since their defense corps reached full ... Read the full article
Paul Gaustad should be worth a high draft pick, possibly a first-round choice. ©2012, Janet Schultz, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – In a seller’s market, with bubble teams clamoring for any asset that might buoy their playoff chances and contenders searching for that last piece, Sabres veteran Paul Gaustad should be coveted at the upcoming NHL trade deadline.
The versatile American, an unrestricted free agent in July, has been at his best recently, centering a strong shutdown line with Nathan Gerbe and Patrick Kaleta.
Gaustad has three goals, including the winning score Sunday, and ... Read the full article
Jochen Hecht endured three concussions in a 10-month period. ©2012, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – The symptoms have vanished, Jochen Hecht said. The non-surgical neck procedure the Sabres center underwent last week worked, so now he’s concentrating on returning from his third concussion in 10 months.
An upbeat Hecht, who’s beginning to exercise again, hopes to play this season.
But on Jan. 24 in New Jersey, when Hecht began feeling the effects a collision three days earlier in St. Louis, he lost control of his emotions.
“It was ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – For six years, Patrick Kaleta’s heard calls and insults he’s merely a talentless agitator trying to thump bodies. The Sabres winger bristles at the scorn.
The 25-year-old’s earned a regular shift for several seasons. He scored 10 goals in 55 games two years ago, four of them winners. He kills penalties.
“I know a lot of people have said I’m just a mutt, a fourth-liner; I’m just going to go out and hit,” ... Read the full article
