Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres, along with the Canucks, are the oldest active NHL franchises to have never won the Stanley Cup.
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along with the Vancouver Canucks, when the league expanded to 14 teams. The Sabres have played their home games at KeyBank Center since 1996, having previously played at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium since their inception. The Sabres are owned by Terry Pegula, who purchased the club in 2011 from Tom Golisano.
Lore & Background
The Sabres, along with the Vancouver Canucks, joined the NHL in the 1970–71 season. Their first owners were Seymour H. Knox III and Northrup Knox, along with Robert O. Swados. The team's name was chosen via a contest; 'Sabres' was selected because Seymour Knox felt a saber was a weapon carried by a leader. The Sabres' debut in 1970 also coincided with the AFL–NFL merger in which the Buffalo Bills joined the National Football League, and the National Basketball Association's Buffalo Braves also began to play. The Sabres have twice advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in 1975 and to the Dallas Stars in 1999. The Sabres, along with the Canucks, are the oldest active NHL franchises to have never won the Stanley Cup.
Reader's Guide
The Sabres held the NHL record longest playoff drought in the NHL at 14 seasons, which occurred between the 2010–11 and 2025–26 seasons. The team's early success was driven by 'The French Connection' line of Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin, and Rene Robert. The Sabres' entrance song is Aram Khachaturian's 'Sabre Dance'. The team's first pick in the 1970 NHL amateur draft was Gilbert Perreault, obtained via a spin of a wheel of fortune. The Sabres created their own AHL farm team, the Cincinnati Swords.
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