Pegula - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Pat LaFontaine’s phone call to Ted Nolan left Sabres coach speechless

BUFFALO – It was going to be a special weekend trip to New York. Ted Nolan and his wife, Sandra, would celebrate her birthday and watch their son, Jordan, play for the Los Angeles Kings.

Nolan also wanted to see “The Book of Mormon” musical on Broadway. So he recently called Pat LaFontaine, a close friend with a ticket connection.

“I said, ‘Teddy, you better get ready for the show. It’s a pretty interesting show,’” ... Read the full article

Sabres owner Terry Pegula only began showing interest in Pat LaFontaine recently

BUFFALO – Joining the Sabres wasn’t on Pat LaFontaine’s radar. The legendary Hall of Fame center, whose No. 16 hangs in the First Niagara Center rafters, had just settled into a new job with the NHL.

But LaFontaine’s gig as the league’s vice president of hockey development recently brought him to a concussion conference in Florida, where he met with Sabres owner Terry Pegula, whose team has become a laughingstock this season.

Pegula and LaFontaine ... Read the full article

Interim coach Ted Nolan wants to make Sabres work, evaluate new players

BUFFALO – Ted Nolan said he’s a straightforward type of guy. So after taking over as interim coach Wednesday, the 55-year-old requested one thing from the Sabres, whose work ethic has been lacking during their awful 4-15-1 start.

“The only thing I asked is you compete,” Nolan, the Sabres’ coach from 1995-97, said following practice inside the First Niagara Center. “Some guys play 25 minutes. Some guys play three minutes. To work for three minutes, ... Read the full article

Ted Nolan ready to make Sabres compete; players sad to see Darcy Regier and Ron Rolston fired

BUFFALO – Ted Nolan said he’s a straightforward type of guy. So after taking over as the Sabres’ interim coach today, the 55-year-old requested one thing from his new players, whose work ethic has been lacking during their awful 4-15-1 start.

“The only thing I asked is you compete,” Nolan, the Sabres’ coach from 1995-97, said following practice this afternoon inside the First Niagara Center. “Some guys play 25 minutes. Some guys play three ... Read the full article

Sabres fire Darcy Regier, Ron Rolston, hire Pat LaFontaine, Ted Nolan

BUFFALO – Pat LaFontaine was crossing the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge on Tuesday when a customs official realized the former Sabres superstar was in the car.

“He said, ‘You should be running the Sabres,’” LaFontaine said this morning inside the First Niagara Center.

Little did that official know LaFontaine was about to become the Sabres’ new president of hockey operations.

In a stunning move today, the 4-15-1 club fired Darcy Regier, the general manager since 1997, and ... Read the full article

Sabres hoping to finally win at home, earn crowd’s support

BUFFALO – Fifteen days ago, as the Sabres began clawing back from a three-goal deficit against the Dallas Stars, the atmosphere inside the First Niagara Center shifted dramatically.

For one of the few times this trying season, the building buzzed with positive energy. The same fans who had booed and groaned all month cheered the Sabres’ strong effort.

The players felt the crowd’s support.

“That’s how it should be every game. We got to bring ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Matt Moulson endured long road to becoming elite NHL scorer

BUFFALO – Four years ago, Matt Moulson’s career reached what he called “a fork in the road.”

Having spent the final six months of 2008-09 in the minors before Los Angeles let him go, the new Sabres winger began fretting.

At that point, Moulson had six goals in 29 NHL games. But at least the Kings had given him a shot. Pittsburgh, which drafted Moulson 263^rd overall in 2003, never even signed him.

“It ... Read the full article

Cody Hodgson excited by Sabres’ 6-year commitment

BUFFALO – Finally, Cody Hodgson can settle down. The Sabres center had spent his first three professional seasons bouncing around, never staying an entire year in one city.

Now, the 23-year-old, who signed a six-year, $25.5 million deal Wednesday, has some security.

“I’m really happy to have some concrete steps, concrete knowledge of where I’m going to be the next few years,” Hodgson said this morning after the first training camp session inside the ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Ryan Miller ‘not racing out of town’

BUFFALO – Of course, Ryan Miller’s renting. Why would the Sabres goalie, the subject of rampant trade speculation and an unrestricted free agent following the season, purchase another home right now?

Miller’s decision to put his Buffalo townhouse on the market during the spring, just when it appeared his long Sabres career would be ending, certainly raised eyebrows. He understood it wouldn’t look good to locals.

But the 33-year-old insists he wasn’t bailing on ... Read the full article

Sabres bring back Henrik Tallinder from Devils

BUFFALO – Three years ago, Henrik Tallinder sensed his Sabres career was ending. Despite a strong season helping then-rookie Tyler Myers develop into of the NHL’s top defensemen, the Swede knew the team had little interest in awarding him a long-term contract.

So when free agency opened, Tallinder signed a four-year, $13.5 million deal with the New Jersey Devils.

Had the Sabres offered even three years to Tallinder, he said he might’ve considered staying with ... Read the full article