60 Fun Facts About Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres joined the NHL in 1970 alongside which other expansion team?

The two clubs remain the oldest active NHL franchises never to have won the Stanley Cup.

The Sabres' founding owners, the Knox brothers, were grandsons of the co-founders of which retail chain?

Seymour and Northrup Knox had twice failed to land an NHL team before the 1970 expansion.

Why did Seymour Knox choose the name Sabres from the name-the-team contest?

Rejected entries included Mugwumps, Buzzing Bees and Flying Zeppelins; the Knoxes wanted anything but another Bisons.

Which piece by Aram Khachaturian has been the Sabres' signature music since 1970?

The Armenian war dance still plays at the start of each period.

The Sabres won the right to draft Gilbert Perreault in 1970 through what method?

League president Clarence Campbell first thought the pointer showed 1 for Vancouver; Punch Imlach asked him to look again, and it was 11.

Gilbert Perreault set a rookie record with how many goals in 1970-71, winning the Calder Trophy?

His linemate Rick Martin broke it a year later with 44.

The French Connection line consisted of Perreault, Rick Martin and whom?

All three have their numbers retired and a shared statue outside KeyBank Center since 2012.

The French Connection line was named after what?

The name also nodded to the trio's French-Canadian roots.

At the 1974 draft, GM Punch Imlach selected a fictitious Japanese player named what?

He was annoyed at the length of the draft; the pick was later invalidated but became Sabres folklore.

During the 1975 'Fog Game' against Philadelphia, Sabres center Jim Lorentz killed what with his stick?

Heat and no air conditioning at the Aud produced the fog; a French Connection winger won the game in overtime.

The Sabres lost their first Stanley Cup Final, in 1975, to which team?

The Broad Street Bullies took the series in six games.

Which Sabres defenceman died in a 1974 car accident and gave his name to a coffee chain?

He was 44 and still playing when he crashed on the QEW driving back from a game in Toronto.

Which Sabre became the first Soviet player to defect to the NHL, in 1989?

His No. 89 has been issued only once since he left, to Alex Tuch in 2021.

The 1991 trade that sent Pierre Turgeon to the Islanders brought which star centre to Buffalo?

It was a seven-player blockbuster; Turgeon had been the first overall pick in 1987.

The famous 'May Day!' radio call celebrated whose overtime series-winner against Boston in 1993?

It was the Sabres' first playoff series win in ten years; the broadcaster who made the call later got his own banner.

Dominik Hasek came to the Sabres in 1992 in a trade with which team?

In Buffalo he became 'The Dominator' and was named the league's top goaltender six times between 1993 and 2001.

Dominik Hasek is the only goaltender to have won the league MVP award more than once; what is it called?

He won it in 1997 and 1998, the year he also led the Czechs to Olympic gold in Nagano.

In 1997 Hasek became the first goalie since Jacques Plante to win the Hart and which other award in one year?

That season also brought Ted Nolan the Jack Adams Award and Michael Peca the Selke.

In the 1997 playoffs, Hasek attacked which Buffalo News columnist over a knee-injury story?

He tore the writer's shirt, apologised, and was suspended three games anyway.

Which coach won the 1997 Jack Adams Award with Buffalo, then left after refusing a one-year deal?

His feud with Hasek and GM John Muckler overshadowed a division title; Lindy Ruff replaced him.

The 1999 Stanley Cup Final ended on a disputed triple-overtime goal by which Dallas Stars player?

His skate was in the crease, which was illegal at the time; the league ruled he had continuous possession, and changed the rule that summer.

The Sabres were sold in 1998 to John Rigas, owner of which cable company later engulfed in fraud?

He was convicted of embezzling more than $2 billion and the NHL had to take control of the team.

Which Rochester billionaire bought the Sabres out of NHL control in 2003?

He sold to Terry Pegula in 2011 for a reported $150 million.

The Sabres opened the 2006-07 season with how many straight wins, tying an NHL record at the time?

They went on to win the Presidents' Trophy for the first time, then lost the conference final to Ottawa.

On July 1, 2007, the Sabres lost both co-captains to free agency: Daniel Briere and whom?

Briere went to Philadelphia and the other to the Rangers; Buffalo then matched a $50 million offer sheet to keep Vanek.

The Sabres hosted the first NHL Winter Classic on January 1, 2008, at which venue?

The 'Ice Bowl' at the Bills' home was lost 2-1 in a shootout to Pittsburgh.

Which Sabres goaltender was named the NHL's best in 2010 and started for the US at the Olympics?

He passed Hasek as the franchise's career wins leader in 2012 and was nicknamed 'Leaf Killer' by the Toronto press.

Terry Pegula bought the Sabres in 2011 having made his fortune in which industry?

His company East Resources was one of the largest privately held firms in the U.S.; he bought the Bills three years later.

Which centre did the Sabres draft second in 2015, then trade in 2021 for a package including Alex Tuch?

He went to Vegas after a dispute over neck surgery and won a Cup there in 2023.

The Sabres won the 2018 draft lottery and selected which Swedish defenceman first overall?

Three years later they won the lottery again and took Owen Power.

The Sabres' record playoff drought, which ended in 2026, lasted how many seasons?

It was the longest in NHL history; they clinched on April 4, 2026, and won the Atlantic Division nine days later.

Which general manager, hired in December 2025, presided over the turnaround that ended the drought?

The team won 20 of 24 games from December through January after the change.

The Sabres' original home, used until 1996, was known colloquially as what?

Buffalo Memorial Auditorium opened in 1940 and sat vacant for 13 years before its 2009 demolition.

KeyBank Center opened in 1996 under what name?

It was called Crossroads Arena during construction and has since been HSBC Arena and First Niagara Center.

The Sabres' 2006 logo, a stylised bison, was widely mocked with what nickname?

Fans compared it to a banana slug, yet five of the ten best-selling player jerseys that autumn were slug designs.

When the Sabres moved arenas in 1996 they abandoned blue and gold for which colours?

The 'goat head' logo era lasted until the classic look returned in 2010.

The Sabres' classic primary logo shows a bison standing above what?

It was used from 1970 to 1996 and restored full-time in 2020 after the 50th anniversary season.

Which broadcaster's initials 'RJ' hang on a banner at KeyBank Center, raised in April 2022?

The street beside the arena was renamed RJ Way after his death in 2023.

How many players' numbers has Buffalo retired for the French Connection line?

Perreault's 11, Robert's 14 and Martin's 7 hang together under one banner.

The Sabres' AHL affiliation with which nearby club lasted 29 years until 2008?

The Amerks and Sabres later reunited; the Portland Pirates filled the gap in between.

The Sabres were the first NHL team to beat a Soviet club, during which 1976 event?

The Wales Conference title of 1979-80 was the last hurrah of the French Connection.

Which Sabre scored 50 goals in 1975-76?

The team still lost in the quarterfinals to the Islanders.

The Sabres' first general manager and coach, hired in 1970, had previously run which team?

Punch Imlach had won four Cups in Toronto and would soon spin the wheel that landed on Perreault.

The Sabres' final game at the Aud, in April 1996, was a 4-1 win over which team?

Owner Seymour Knox died a month later.

Which NBA team began play in the same 1970 off-season as the Sabres, alongside the Bills joining the NFL?

The Braves' owner feuded with the Knoxes and lost; the basketball team was gone by 1978.

Which team swept the Sabres in the 1993 Adams Division final, winning every game 4-3?

Montreal went on to win the Cup that spring; the sweep followed the 'May Day' upset of Boston.

Which ECHL club became the Sabres' affiliate from the 2023–24 season?

Unlike the AHL's Rochester Americans, the Icemen are not owned by Terry Pegula.

How many Calder Cups did the Rochester Americans win during their original 1979–2008 affiliation with the Sabres?

They were runners-up six more times and missed the playoffs only five times in 28 years.

Why are both the Canadian and US anthems sung before every Sabres home game?

Saint Catharines, Ontario, is noted for its Sabres fandom and sits inside the team's regional territory.

What breed was Rick, the service-dog puppy added as the Sabres' official team dog in November 2021?

Rick graduated to daily service and was succeeded by Nikki, a Golden Retriever.

Which alternate logo appeared on the team's first third jersey in 2000?

The design was a nod to the original crest and returned recoloured as a 'Reverse Retro' jersey in 2020.

What wordmark replaced the bison head on the Sabres' jerseys for a road game on 7 October 2001?

It was a tribute to the state of New York after the September 11 attacks, worn against the Rangers.

Despite the mockery, how many of the top ten NHL jerseys sold in late 2006 were 'Buffaslug' designs?

The stylised bison had drawn comparisons to a banana slug.

Until 2020, the Sabres were the last NHL team to feature what on their uniforms?

Dallas and San Jose had briefly tried front numbers before dropping them.

In which year did the Sabres last win the Atlantic Division before their 2026 title?

The 2025–26 season ended with a Game 7 overtime loss to Montreal in the second round.

How many games did the Sabres win out of 24 from December 2025 through January 2026 in their turnaround?

The surge followed the replacement of GM Kevyn Adams and ended a 14-year playoff drought.

Which cream-based variation of their classic uniform did the Sabres wear at the 2022 Heritage Classic?

Their black 1995–2006 uniform later returned as a third jersey.

Who succeeded Milt Ellis as the Sabres' public-address announcer?

Jay Moran took over from longtime voice Milt Ellis; Curtis Cook became the arena organist and former Voice contestant Cami Clune began singing the anthems in 2024.

Which number did Ryan Miller wear in Buffalo out of deference to Dominik Hasek's 39?

Miller's 30 was itself retired on 19 January 2023.

Since Alexander Mogilny left in 1995, his No. 89 has been issued to only one Sabre. Who?

Cory Conacher switched to 88 in 2014 expressly out of deference to Mogilny.