WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
July Edition
BUFFALO – Former Sabres enforcer Rob Ray will become the team’s full-time color commentator next season beside play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret on radio and television, replacing Harry Neale, who’s moving to another analyst role after five years.
The club also announced Monday that Jeanneret, who will be honored with the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Foster Hewitt Award later this year, has signed a new multi-year contract and will call more games in 2012-13. No number ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Legendary Sabres play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret will be entering the Hockey Hall of Fame as the 2012 recipient of the Foster Hewitt Award.
Jeanneret, the NHL’s longest-tenured announcer at 41 years, will be honored in November. Former Sabres play-by-play voice Ted Darling also received the award in 1994, given for “outstanding contributions to their profession and the game during their career in hockey.”
The colorful and popular Jeanneret, whose catchphrases are part of ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Alexander Sulzer arrived three months ago as an unknown short on NHL experience. The German immediately became the Sabres’ seventh defenseman, a role he knew well from being scratched 51 times during his brief tenure with the Vancouver Canucks.
It was assumed Sulzer might play occasionally before quietly departing during the offseason. Then Andrej Sekera became ill, and the 27-year-old began assuming regular duty.
Within about a week, Sulzer was skating 20 minutes ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Paul Cyr, the ninth overall pick by the Sabres in 1982 and a veteran of 342 games with the club, died recently of heart failure, according to the Victoria Times Colonist. He was 48.
Cyr suffered a heart attack and from diabetes-related complications, CHEK in British Columbia reported.
The winger was part of one of the Sabres’ best draft classes ever, getting selected between future stars Phil Housley and Dave Andreychuk in a ... Read the full article
Nathan Lieuwen nearly retired early in his career. ©2012, Western Hockey League
BUFFALO – The Sabres have signed goalie Nathan Lieuwen, the 167th overall pick in 2011, to a three-year, entry-level contract.
The 20-year-old just finished his junior career with the Western Hockey League’s Kootenay Ice, going 27-20-8 with a 2.50 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and three shutouts in 57 games during 2011-12.
Lieuwen, 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds, suffered two concussions early in his WHL career and was nearly forced to retire. NHL teams bypassed him ... Read the full article
The Sabres acquired Cody Hodgson at the trade deadline. ©2012, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – When the Sabres acquired center Cody Hodgson, rumors swirled the 22-year-old was disgruntled with the Vancouver Canucks and had requested to be dealt.
Canucks general manager Mike Gillis confirmed those rumblings Tuesday, saying they helped Hodgson build up numbers so they could dish him.
The Canucks traded Hodgson and his 16 goals for rookie winger Zack Kassian at the Feb. 27 trade deadline.
“There clearly were issues that were ongoing,” Gillis said told ... Read the full article
Phil Varone nearly skipped professional hockey for school. ©2012, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
ROCHESTER – It was a life-changing decision. In September, Phil Varone impressed the Buffalo Sabres, so the club offered an AHL contract following his training camp tryout. But Varone was also strongly considering attending the University of New Brunswick.
“It was 50-50,” Varone said Friday inside the Blue Cross War Memorial following the Rochester Amercans’ 5-1 win over the Syracuse Crunch.
Varone, a scoring star with the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters, went home and ... Read the full article
Luke Adam has struggled since getting demoted to Rochester. ©2012, Craig Foltz/Ben Hall, Lake Erie Monsters
ROCHESTER – Luke Adam, the same Buffalo Sabres prospect whose NHL exploits early this season – three goals in his first four games and 10 tallies before Christmas – made him a Calder Trophy candidate, can’t even score much in the AHL, a league he dominated last year.
Since being demoted to the Rochester Americans on Feb. 11 in the midst of an epic slump, Adam, the AHL’s top rookie a year ago, has only ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Sabres winger Patrick Kaleta said he can’t picture himself wearing a different jersey.
“Yeah, I would not like it at all,” the Angola native said Monday as the Sabres cleaned out their lockers inside the First Niagara Center.
Fresh off playing a career-high 63 games, the injury-prone agitator will be a restricted free agent this offseason.
The 25-year-old plays an aggressive checking style that began earning him big minutes in the winter.
He’s ... Read the full article
Jhonas Enroth played sparingly the second half of the season. ©2012, Dan Hickling, Olean Times Herald
BUFFALO – Jhonas Enroth’s starts quickly became anticipated, must-see events. The Sabres goalie couldn’t lose. Not late last season. Not early this one.
Fans clamored for more appearances from Enroth. They wanted the rookie backup, not established starter Ryan Miller, carrying the load.
Dating back to last season, Enroth had won nine straight decisions by early November, including his first six in 2011-12.
Then, suddenly, the 23-year-old stopped winning – and playing. He started only ... Read the full article
