Buffalo Hockey Beat - WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage

Sabres let go media relations head Chris Bandura, two other VPs

Chris Bandura, the Buffalo Sabres’ vice president of media relations, was one of 21 employees Pegula Sports and Entertainment dismissed Tuesday.

While PSE did not name Bandura in a press release announcing the layoffs as well as an additional 104 furloughs and temporary executive salary reductions within the organization because of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Buffalo News reported he was let go.

PSE also fired John Sinclair, the Sabres’ vice president of tickets and service, ... Read the full article

Four ‘Sabres Classics’ from 2006 series against Senators to air next week

Four more “Sabres Classics” – this time Buffalo’s memorable second-round playoff victories over the hated Ottawa Senators in 2006 – will be rebroadcast on MSG next week.

The Sabres, the NHL’s biggest surprise coming out of the lockout, stunned the Senators in that Eastern Conference semifinal, downing their fierce rival in just five games.

The games are being aired because the COVID-19 pandemic forced the NHL to suspend its season indefinitely March 12.... Read the full article

Four ‘Sabres Classics’ from 2006 series against Flyers to air next week on MSG

Four more “Sabres Classics” – this time Buffalo’s first-round playoff victories over the Philadelphia Flyers in 2006 – will be rebroadcast on MSG next week.

Following a shaky ending to the regular season, the upstart Sabres quickly sent a strong message to the NHL they would be Stanley Cup contenders by disposing of the Flyers in six games.

The games are being aired because the COVID-19 pandemic forced the NHL to suspend its season indefinitely ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jack Eichel, Jeff Skinner make huge donations to COVID-19 response

Buffalo Sabres stars Jack Eichel and Jeff Skinner have joined owners Terry and Kim Pegula in making large donations to the local COVID-19 response.

Eichel announced Wednesday he has purchased 5,000 protective face shields from Bauer, whose hockey gear he has worn during his NHL career, that will be distributed to hospitals throughout Western New York.

Skinner, meanwhile, has donated $53,000 to the Western New York COVID-19 Community Response Fund, an organization formed by 18 ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jack Eichel says hockey has ‘kind of been put on the back burner’

Jack Eichel has spent the past two weeks hunkered down in his Buffalo home waiting out the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sabres captain usually fills his days by working out, watching television, listening to music, reading and playing video games.

When it becomes safe, Eichel, 23, would like to resume the schedule. The center has stayed in contact with Sabres general manager Jason Botterill, coach Ralph Krueger, teammates and trainers since the NHL suspended the ... Read the full article

Sabres might possess special talent in newcomer Dominik Kahun

BUFFALO – It was in 2016, after Keith Aucoin returned home following a championship season overseas, when he called a friend in the scouting business and asked if he had heard of a young, undersized center turning heads in Germany.

The 20-year-old’s name? Dominik Kahun.

The scout knew nothing about Kahun, who had grabbed Aucoin’s attention during their first year as teammates with Red Bull Munich.

“I’m like, ‘Well, you guys might want to ... Read the full article

Five ‘Sabres Classics’ from 2005-06 season to air next week on MSG

Five more “Sabres Classics” – this time regular-season games from 2005-06, one of the most memorable campaigns in franchise history – will be rebroadcast on MSG next week.

That season, of course, the Sabres morphed into a powerhouse after the NHL lockout ended, roaring to the Eastern Conference final. Co-captains Daniel Briere and Chris Drury led what was arguably the league’s deepest and most exciting lineup.

The games are being aired because the COVID-19 pandemic ... Read the full article

PSE pledges $1.2 million to help COVID-19 pandemic response

Pegula Sports and Entertainment has pledged to donate at least $1.2 million to Western New York residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, Buffalo Bills and Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula announced Wednesday.

“We realize we are in uncertain times as a nation and as a community,” PSE president and CEO Kim Pegula said in a statement. “Like many Western New Yorkers, we are faced with making difficult decisions, but we realize that focusing on the ... Read the full article

NHL postpones scouting combine in Buffalo, draft and awards show

The NHL has postponed three events in June – the scouting combine in Buffalo, the draft in Montreal and the awards show in Las Vegas – because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the league announced today.

The rescheduled dates for the three events and the NHL Draft Lottery will be announced later.

The combine, which has been held at LECOM Harborcenter and KeyBank Center since 2015, was scheduled to take place June 1 to 6.... Read the full article

Sabres sign Mattias Samuelsson to entry-level contract

After two seasons at Western Michigan, Buffalo Sabres defense prospect Mattias Samuelsson has turned pro.

Samuelsson, 20, has signed a three-year, entry-level contract, the Sabres announced today. They drafted the American in the second round in 2018, 32nd overall.

The 6-foot-4, 223-pound Samuelsson compiled seven goals, 26 points and 78 penalty minutes in 65 career games at Western Michigan. The COVID-19 pandemic cut short his sophomore season.... Read the full article