Rolston - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres coach Ted Nolan excited about contract extension: ‘This is a city that deserves a championship’

BUFFALO – Tim Murray has been watching Sabres coach Ted Nolan closely for months. In trying times, the general manager said, he’s liked Nolan’s work.

The Sabres, despite the NHL’s weakest roster and worst record, still compete most nights. Murray likes Nolan’s work with the youngsters and his popularity with the veterans.

“All I’ve heard is positives,” Murray said this afternoon in announcing a three-year contract extension and removing Nolan’s interim tag.

For Nolan, who ... Read the full article

Sabres remove interim tag from Ted Nolan, sign coach to contract extension

BUFFALO – The Sabres removed the interim tag from Ted Nolan today, signing the coach to a reported three-year contract extension.

While the rebuilding club is 16-30-8 under Nolan, the culture around the Sabres has changed dramatically. Nolan’s straightforward approach has connected with many players, most notably center Tyler Ennis and winger Drew Stafford, who have been thriving in recent months.

“We are very happy to get this deal done and have Ted Nolan ... Read the full article

Former Sabres star Thomas Vanek happy to be with Canadiens

BUFFALO – Back in the summer, Thomas Vanek had a simple, straightforward question for the Sabres. The slick winger wanted to know what direction the team was going.

“No one really had an answer,” Vanek said Sunday prior to the Montreal Canadiens’ 2-0 win against Sabres, his first game back here. “That’s when I kind of made up my mind July 1 (unrestricted free agency) was probably a goal of mine.”

The Sabres, of course, ... Read the full article

Sabres ready to see what new roster and youngsters can do

BUFFALO – About 15 Sabres gathered at a Tampa Bay restaurant Wednesday and nervously watched TSN’s coverage of the NHL trade deadline, unsure what their futures held.

“It was definitely a little stressful, a little anxiety involved,” said Sabres winger Drew Stafford, one veteran rumored to be on the block.

Stomachs churned and filled with butterflies staring at the screen. Everything can change in an instant.

“You’re watching and you’re seeing these guys on ... Read the full article

Sabres insist Pat LaFontaine wasn’t fired; Ted Nolan upset over departure

BUFFALO – A Sabres icon bolted less than four months after returning to the team he loved. The franchise goalie and captain got traded.

The Sabres just endured perhaps the most trying weekend in their 43-year history. That was before the popular coach sounded like he might want to leave.

“It’s a lot for our fans to swallow in a short amount of time,” Sabres president Ted Black said Sunday, a day after Pat LaFontaine ... Read the full article

Stunner: Pat LaFontaine resigns from Sabres

BUFFALO – In a stunning development, Sabres legend Pat LaFontaine, the team’s president of hockey operations less than four months, resigned today.

LaFontaine will return to the job he had with the NHL.

According to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie, the last straw for LaFontaine was Friday’s blockbuster deal in which the Sabres sent Ryan Miller to the St. Louis Blues.

LaFontaine wanted to give the 33-year-old Miller an extension. New general manager Tim Murray, who LaFontaine ... Read the full article

Instinctive game allows Sabres’ Tyler Ennis to showcase more offense and grit

BUFFALO – Tyler Ennis said he recently stopped thinking on the ice. That isn’t a bad thing, though. The slick Sabres center has just been playing more instinctively under interim coach Ted Nolan, allowing his natural talents to take over these past few months.

It’s showing on the score sheet. With an assist on Drew Stafford’s first-period goal in Wednesday’s 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ennis has four goals and 12 points in the ... Read the full article

What’s former Sabres coach Ron Rolston doing in Tampa Bay?

We haven’t heard much from former coach Ron Rolston since the Buffalo Sabres fired him Nov. 13 amid one of the worst starts in NHL history.

Rolston never spoke to the media. He popped up at a Rochester Americans game in November, presumably to see his friend John Hynes, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins coach.

We’ve only read a short statement Rolston texted to CBC’s Elliotte Friedman shortly after his dismissal.

So why has Rolston been in ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Drew Stafford feeling good about surging game

BUFFALO – To Sabres winger Drew Stafford, these past two months, highlighted by his current stretch of five goals in his last 10 games, have pulled him “out the abyss.”

Stafford was mired in an awful, career-worst slump when interim coach Ted Nolan replaced Ron Rolston on Nov. 13. The 28-year-old had eight goals in his last 66 games. He had lost his alternate captaincy. His ice time was dwindling.

Emotionally, everything was taking a ... Read the full article

Best Sabres photos of 2013: Big John Scott up close

Over the next few days, ace photographer Dan Hickling will be sharing and talking about some of his favorite shots from 2013.

Take it away, Dan …

Love him or hate him, no one is neutral about Sabres tough guy John Scott. Consigned to thug duty under former coach Ron Rolston, the big man has blossomed (to a degree) under Ted Nolan. He will never be mistaken for a dangler, but Scott is ... Read the full article