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.
- Notable Playoff Meeting
- The Panthers and Sabres have never met in the playoffs.
- Division History
- Panthers were in the Atlantic Division from 1993–94 through 1997–98; Sabres were in the Northeast Division, so the teams rarely competed for division titles.
Verified Timeline
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.
In Their Own Story
The 2023–24 Buffalo Sabres season was the 54th season of play for the Sabres in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Sabres failed to improve on a strong 2022–23 season (42–33–7; 91 points). After the 2022 Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB) clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2001 and the 2022–23 Sacramento Kings of National Basketball Association (NBA) clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2006, the Sabres and New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL) are tied for the longest active playoff drought in American sports, missing them for 12 consecutive years. They attempted to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011 (the current longest, and the longest playoff drought in NHL history and professional sports only behind the New York Jets who also missed the playoffs), but were eliminated from playoff contention for the 13th consecutive season after a 3–2 loss to the Dallas Stars on April 9, 2024.
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.
Did You Know?
- The Sabres' first owners were Seymour H. Knox III and Northrup Knox, grandsons of the co-founders of the Woolworth's variety store chain.
- The Sabres' first pick in the 1970 NHL amateur draft was Gilbert Perreault, obtained via a spin of a wheel of fortune.
- The Sabres held the NHL record longest playoff drought in the NHL at 14 seasons, between the 2010–11 and 2025–26 seasons.
- The Sabres' entrance song is Aram Khachaturian's 'Sabre Dance'.
More in Great Rivalries & Feuds
Elsewhere in the Florida Panthers universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record