Buffalo Sabres

Lore & Background

The Sabres 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 from a name-the-team contest; Seymour Knox selected 'Sabres' because he felt a saber was a weapon carried by a leader, effective on both offense and defense. The Sabres' first head coach and general manager was Punch Imlach. The team's first draft pick was Gilbert Perreault, obtained via a wheel spin that gave the Sabres the first overall pick in the 1970 NHL amateur draft. Perreault scored 38 goals in his rookie season, a record at the time, and won the Calder Memorial Trophy. The French Connection line of Perreault, Rick Martin, and Rene Robert played together from 1972 to 1979. The Sabres made the playoffs for the first time in 1972–73, losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens. In 1974–75, they tied for the best record in the NHL and advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time, losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in six games. The series included the Fog Game, during which Sabres center Jim Lorentz killed a bat with his stick. The French Connection era ended with Robert's trade in 1979 and Martin's trade in 1981. All three players have had their jersey numbers retired and a statue erected in their honor at KeyBank Center in 2012.

In Their Own Story

On one side stood the Canadiens, clad in their iconic red and white, defenders of a legacy spanning decades. Opposite them were the Sabres, in blue and gold, the hungry expansion team that refused to yield. The boards shook with every hit as Gilbert Perreault skated past a Habs defender, his eyes locked on the net. It was more than a game; it was a collision of eras where the old guard met the new, and only one city would carry the banner forward.

Reader's Guide

The Sabres' history includes an era from 1981–82 onward in which they often finished in the middle of the Adams Division standings and faced division rivals Boston, Montreal, or Quebec in the playoffs. They missed the playoffs in 1985–86 and 1986–87. Pierre Turgeon was drafted first overall in 1987 and made an immediate impact. The team reached the Stanley Cup Final again in 1999, losing to the Dallas Stars. The Sabres' longest playoff drought lasted 14 seasons, from 2010–11 to 2025–26.

Did You Know?

• The Sabres' first head coach was Punch Imlach, not Scotty Bowman.
• The Sabres reached the Stanley Cup Final only twice: in 1975 and 1999, not back-to-back.
• The Sabres' entrance song is Aram Khachaturian's 'Sabre Dance'.
• The Sabres once drafted a fictitious Japanese player named Taro Tsujimoto in 1974; the pick was later invalidated.