Turgeon - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Jeff Skinner among Sabres greats as he keeps evolving, scoring goals

BUFFALO – These days, you rarely hear about that hefty contract Sabres winger Jeff Skinner signed five years ago. The 14-year veteran has not only recaptured his scoring prowess under coach Don Granato, he has evolved into a consistent, multi-faceted threat.

In averaging 34 goals and 73 points over the past two seasons, the struggles Skinner, 31, endured three and four years ago – he mustered six goals and 11 points during a wretched 66-game ... Read the full article

1980s Sabres stars Tom Barrasso, Pierre Turgeon honored by Hall of Fame call; Alexander Mogilny passed over

As nearly two decades passed without a call from the Hockey Hall of Fame, former Buffalo Sabres goalie Tom Barrasso grew to accept one would likely never come.

He felt at peace with his career – both the good and the bad. He played 19 years, won the Stanley Cup twice and enjoyed a remarkable rookie season in 1983-84, winning the Vezina and Calder trophies as an 18-year-old who jumped from high school hockey to ... Read the full article

Lightning’s Jon Cooper traces Sabres’ early success to Don Granato

BUFFALO – Having both piloted the same junior franchise to a championship, Sabres coach Don Granato and Jon Cooper, his counterpart with the Tampa Bay Lightning, are part of a small fraternity.

In 1995-96, Granato led the Green Bay Gamblers to the Clark Cup, the United States Hockey League’s championship. He stayed in Green Bay another year – he wanted to try to win back-to-back Cups – before parlaying his time there into a ... Read the full article

Owen Power thrilled to be drafted by Sabres: ‘I was kind of hoping’

BUFFALO – On Friday night, 60 family members and friends gathered in the backyard at Owen Power’s aunt’s house in Burlington, Ontario, to celebrate and support the 18-year-old.

Since the Sabres won the draft lottery seven weeks ago, it was assumed they would select Power first overall at Friday’s NHL Draft.

Still, Power, a Michigan defenseman, said he did not know the Sabres would take him until general manager Kevyn Adams announced the pick from ... Read the full article

Sabres hope special player drafted first overall will change course of franchise

Kevyn Adams said his heart was racing before Wednesday’s NHL Draft Lottery. The Buffalo Sabres general manager looked intense. At one point, Terry Pegula texted him and told him to smile.

Leading up to the announcement, Adams said all the adversity the Sabres endured during a hellish season in which they finished dead last was flashing through his mind. He was also thinking about how much the top pick would mean to owners Terry ... Read the full article

Sabres win NHL Draft Lottery, will pick first overall

The Buffalo Sabres won tonight’s NHL Draft Lottery and will pick first overall July 23.

This is the second time in four years the Sabres own the top pick. After they won the lottery in 2018, they selected defenseman Rasmus Dahlin.

The Sabres, by virtue of their last-place finish this season, had the highest odds for the No. 1 pick, just 16.6%. The NHL only conducted two draws this year, meaning the Sabres could ... Read the full article

Pat LaFontaine wants Sabres legend Alexander Mogilny in Hall of Fame

Eleven players Pat LaFontaine called teammates over his 15-year career have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The former Buffalo Sabres superstar joined the New York Islanders at the end of their dynasty, so he played with Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier, who combined to score nearly 1,100 goals. In Buffalo, LaFontaine watched Dominik Hasek morph into perhaps the greatest goalie in history. In LaFontaine’s final NHL season with the New York ... Read the full article

Sabres at 50: Pierre Turgeon could be Buffalo’s next Hall of Famer

BUFFALO – The gaudy numbers former Sabres star Pierre Turgeon racked up during his prolific NHL career could land him in the Hockey Hall of Fame someday.

A strong argument can be made Turgeon, who retired in 2007, ranks among the best candidates still waiting for the call.

“I hear about it, a lot of people are talking,” Turgeon said of the Hall of Fame.

In 1,294 games over 19 seasons, Turgeon scored a whopping ... Read the full article

Former Sabre Uwe Krupp loved starting career in Buffalo: ‘It was a special time’

BUFFALO – Their relationship started in 1986. Uwe Krupp was a teenager who had just joined the West Germans for the World Championship in Moscow. Ralph Krueger was the team’s veteran star.

“I was a really young player on a very experienced German team,” said Krupp, a 6-foot-6 defenseman who played 327 games with the Sabres in the late 1980s and early 1990s. “Ralph was one of the older players. There wasn’t so much talking ... Read the full article

Sabres rookie Rasmus Dahlin scores first NHL goal

It should surprise no one Rasmus Dahlin scored his first goal because he zoomed to the net. In his early days in the NHL, the slick Buffalo Sabres rookie already showcases an aggressiveness few defensemen possess.

Dahlin, 18, joins the rush so much he often looks like a forward.

So it was fitting 2:45 into Saturday’s 3-0 road win, Dahlin, who was trailing the play, moved in from the slot and buried winger Jeff Skinner’s ... Read the full article