WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
March Edition
Darcy Regier speaks to the media Saturday. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Given their 12th-place standing with Wednesday’s trade deadline approaching, the Sabres must listen to “anything and everything” available to them, general manager Darcy Regier said Saturday after trading veteran defenseman Jordan Leopold.
Yes, that means Regier could envision himself dealing franchise cornerstones like goalie Ryan Miller and captain Jason Pominville.
“I am listening. I have talked to all 30 GMs over the last, if I say week, it certainly ... Read the full article
Jordan Leopold signed with the Sabres in July 2010. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Given their weak standing as Wednesday’s trade deadline approaches, the Sabres must listen to “anything and everything” available to them, general manager Darcy Regier.
“I am listening. I have talked to all 30 GMs over the last, if I say week, it certainly takes in all of them,” Regier said tonight prior to the Sabres’ tilt against the Washington Capitals inside the First Niagara Center. “I’ll continue to try to figure out ways ... Read the full article
Robyn Regehr acknowledged he has thought about his future with the trade deadline looming. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – A stone-faced Ryan Miller was in no mood to dissect his team’s season-long struggles. The 13th-place Sabres still have 14 games left in what has again become a forgettable year. Technically, they’re not finished yet. When and if the time comes, the goalie will breakdown what went wrong.
“We’re trying to figure it out and battle,” Miller said Friday after the Sabres prepared for the Washington Capitals inside the Northtown Center ... Read the full article
Robyn Regehr (24) waived his no-trade clause in 2011. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
AMHERST – The trade rumors, Buffalo Sabres defenseman Robyn Regehr said, don’t bother him. They’re part of being an NHL player around the trade deadline, which hits Wednesday.
“If you want to know any more about them, I think you’re asking the wrong Regehr right now,” the 32-year-old veteran, an unrestricted free agent this summer, said this afternoon after the Sabres practiced inside the Northtown Center.
Of course, Regehr was referring to Sabres general manager ... Read the full article
John Scott (32) declares victory after bloodying Toronto’s Frazer McLaren during the first period Thursday. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO –For 65 wildly entertaining minutes Thursday, the Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs fought, traded goals and battled for every inch as they zoomed up and down the ice before a noisy bipartisan crowd of 19,070 fans inside the First Niagara Center.
The Sabres’ 5-4 shootout victory was NHL hockey at its fiercest and most exciting.
“They got their money’s worth tonight,” interim Sabres coach Ron Rolston said about the capacity crowd.
Fittingly, Sabres agitator ... Read the full article
Steve Ott said he wanted to “earn” his Sabres jersey. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Not surprisingly, Steve Ott jelled with his new Sabres teammates immediately after nine seasons with the Dallas Stars. Having Mike Weber, a friend so close he calls him a brother, helped the transition. And Ott’s infectious personality would probably make the 30-year-old fit in quickly anywhere.
Still, back in January, Ott felt a bit like an outsider. In his mind, he had to earn his Sabres jersey following the offseason trade. The ... Read the full article
Thomas Vanek (26) will be skating with Tyler Ennis (63) tonight. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
In reality, the Buffalo Sabres’ top trio – Thomas Vanek, Cody Hodgson and Jason Pominville – should’ve been broken up or tweaked weeks ago.
Since roaring out of the gate as the NHL’s best line in January, the line has cooled off considerably.
Vanek, once hockey’s most lethal scoring threat, has only three goals and eight points in the last 15 games. Pominville has three goals and eight points in the last 19 contests.
Not ... Read the full article
Darcy Regier wants to focus on the current season and build for the future. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – With the trade deadline hitting April 3 and the Sabres mired in 14th place, general manager Darcy Regier said he has no plans to blow the team up and start fresh.
“I’m not in a blowing-up mindset,” Regier said late Friday afternoon inside the First Niagara Center. “Blowing up to me means blowing up. I mean, nothing left.”
It appears goalie Ryan Miller and wingers Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek, the team’s ... Read the full article
Brad Richards has played twice since Patrick Kaleta hit him. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Don’t expect huge fireworks tonight in the wake of Patrick Kaleta’s scary hit from behind on Rangers star Brad Richards last Sunday in New York.
Kaleta’s still on the sidelines, only four contests into his five-game ban. The Rangers may want to punish the Sabres’ agitator when they visit the First Niagara Center again April 19.
Besides, the eighth-place Rangers, a big disappointment this season, need to concentrate on winning a game.
Richards, ... Read the full article
Ville Leino struggled last season. ©2013, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Last season, in the first year of a six-year, $27 million contract, Ville Leino bombed. For a cool $6 million, the Sabres received eight goals and 25 points in 71 games, paying out $240,000 a point.
The Sabres initially tried converting Leino into a center again, an experiment that failed miserably. Leino was back on the wing after just a few weeks, generating little as a third- or fourth-liner.
Before the season ended, ... Read the full article