It may be summer right now - or as you read this, it could be autumn, winter, or spring. But it's never the wrong kind of season to learn about the Buffalo Sabres' draft history - which is full of intrigue and strange coincidences. Read on, enjoy, and dream of a Cup.
Gilbert Perreault's Lucky #11
What better player to address on Superbowl Sunday than the greatest Sabre of all, Gilbert Perreault?
All Sabres fans are familiar with the "French Connection Banner" that holds the retired numbers of "The Original Sabre," along with his linemates, Rene Robert and Rick Martin.
But why #11?
The number was decided by fate, or by Punch Imlach, really. Punch, Buffalo's GM at the time, chose a certain set of numbers for the roulette wheel spin that would determine which team would pick first overall that year. On the wheel, numbers 1-6 would represent the Vancouver Canucks, and 7-12 would represent the Sabres. Punch's favorite number was eleven.
Perreault would steal the magic from the wheel, donning #11 in respect of the result, then putting on a magic show for Sabres fans until he retired in 1986.
Canuck fans were also able to feel the magic of having Gil on their team - albeit quite briefly. When the wheel stopped, Vancouver cheered wildly, somehow confusing the number 11 for the roman numeral II. Ouch, eh?
“Men in general are quick to believe that which they wish to be true.”
-Julius Ceasar
"The House that Pat Built" Loses Pat, Gains Peters
Dominik Hasek won hockey games. LaFontaine sold tickets. He is largely credited for the support that drummed up the funds to build the Sabres current home, "The Crossroads Arena," currently known as "HSBC Arena."
Unfortunately, the Story of LaFontaine in the HSBC does not have a happy ending.
After a series of concussions that left doctors unwilling to admit Patty back on the ice, LaFontaine was shipped off to the NYR for a 2nd round draft pick in 1998, and "future considerations."
The 2nd round pick turned out to be the 34th overall, and the Sabres selected Andrew Peters. (Mike Fisher was taken 44th, Brad Richards 64th, and perhaps most comparable, Jarkko Ruutu was taken 68th.)
Peters did record 14 goals, 10 assists, and 137 PIM's with the Oshawa Generals in his last season before the draft, as well as an impressive 2 goal, 7 assist, and 36 PIM playoff performance (in just 15 games).
His role for the Sabres however was etched in stone: "hit everything, and remember not to lead with your face."
Hey, he tried
The Other Gretzky
Speaking of draft picks...
The Buffalo Sabres selected Keith Gretzky in the 1985 draft. The center from the Windsor Spitfires was selected in the 3rd round, 56th overall.
In the OHL, his best season came in 1984–85 when he recorded 31–62–93 in 66 games with Windsor. In 298 OHL games, he collected 113 goals, 222 assists and 335 points.
In the NHL, he attended two training camps and played in several pre-season games, but he never played a regular-season game.
The Sabres retired Gretzky's number, along with the rest of the NHL, after his retirement (though you won't see it hanging from the rafters in the HSBC, since it's Wayne's, not Keith's).
"What's in a name? A rose, a rose, is just the same." Gretzky's? Definitely not the same.
Morris Titanic Goes Down with the Ship
Tired of the current Sabres roster? Not sure whose name to embroider on the back of your fancy new Alternate Jersey?
How about an Alternate Player? Be the first on your block (or in your arena) to own a Morris TITANIC jersey (#19).
Morris Titanic was a 1st round choice of Buffalo (12th overall) in the 1973 draft. (The Quebec Nordiques of the World Hockey Association drafted him in the 2nd round, 17th overall of the WHA Draft the same year, but he never played in that league.)
He posted no points in 19 career NHL games with the Sabres, but later distinguished himself with the International Hockey League's Milwaukee Admirals. A knee injury forced him to retire during the 1979–80 season while he was playing for the Rochester Americans. After retiring, Titanic became the head coach of the Buffalo Jr. Sabres, where he coached players such as Bob Beers and Todd Krygier.
Titanic currently is a permanent member of the Buffalo Sabres Alumni Hockey Team.
*Interestingly enough, none of the Sabres draftees from '73 ever laced up the skates for the Sabres, except Titanic - let's say he "went down with the ship" for the boys of that draft. The Sabres current form of " video scouting " again seems not such a bad idea.
We'll end here with that shipwreck of the '73 draft, simply because, well, a shipwreck pretty much draws a journey to conclusion.
There is far more to Sabres' history than just the draft. Decades of hockey has written some very interesting lore into the NHL trivia archives - an archive that takes a lot of work to sort out. Luckily, all that work has already been done:
See also:
"Sabres Trivia, Lore, History, and Factoids"
"How the Sabres Scouting Staff Handed the Islanders a Dynasty"
Scott Michalak - Scott Michalak was born in Buffalo, New York, and has since traveled and lived in places such as England, Belgium, Australia, and around ...
