Archives for January 10, 2014

'“When I looked at it, Tim was our best fit,” LaFontaine said following a news conference in First Niagara Center. “I looked for a guy with a tremendous eye for talent and evaluating our next great Buffalo Sabre players for our future. He’s the right guy.”' … [Read more...] about Murray’s straight talk sealed deal

'“These are pieces to the hockey department,” said Pat LaFontaine, the Sabres’ president of hockey operations. “We’re growing. We want to be the best hockey department, the best hockey team and the best coaching staff. We want to be the best in all areas. You bring in great people with great talent and character not with an agenda and ego. Those don’t work together. When Craig … [Read more...] about New Sabres GM Murray says: ‘Everybody can be traded’

'“I’m open-minded about this coming in,” Murray said. “I want to establish a relationship with Teddy and his staff and move forward doing that.”' … [Read more...] about First order of business for new Sabres GM is futures of Miller, Nolan

'“They’ve drafted well and signed well and that was all under a budget the last few years,” Konopka noted, referring to the Senators’ ongoing financial issues under owner Eugene Melnyk. “He’s going to come here and have a little more leeway there, which is great for him.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres players happy with choice of Murray

'“I’m … just … excited,” said Patrick, his voice cracking. “I’ve known Pat for a long time. I like the way he thinks. He’s a bright young man. It’s a thrill to be able to work with him. I’m glad he’s embraced me. He’s told friends of mine in the past that if he ever got a job, he’s bringing me with him. He can trust me till the end of time.”' … [Read more...] about Patrick’s well of hockey wisdom runs deep

'“Almost every game he’s played for us he’s given us a chance to win,” coach Ted Nolan said. “Tonight I thought he was sensational. If there was any game your goaltender could steal the game, tonight was one of those nights. We didn’t give him too much help in front.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres lose in shootout; Grigorenko wants to stay

'“I think the foundation in scouting prepares you for a lot of this job,” Murray said. “I think personality comes into play, decisiveness. Are you will to make tough decisions? I think maybe that was part of Pat’s decision on me. But my background is in scouting (was important).”' … [Read more...] about Tim Murray ready to tackle Sabres’ ‘extremely attractive’ GM job

'“I’ve seen him in arenas watching games, whether he was watching his kid or scouting for Sault. Ste. Marie,” Murray said. “I’ve known him for a long time on a casual basis. He’s the coach of this team. I got the job (Wednesday) night. I’m going to come in here and try to establish a relationship with Ted, his coaching staff, get to know them."' … [Read more...] about GM Tim Murray on interim Sabres coach Ted Nolan: ‘Ted is my guy right now’

'“He just came back from Europe and, in all honesty, I got here (Wednesday) night and we started talking about scenarios and we’re past the point of having four different scenarios,” said new Sabres general manager Tim Murray, who took over Thursday. “There’s two scenarios and we’ll decide on one of those two very quickly.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres will make decision on Mikhail Grigorenko’s future soon

'Really, the decision to hire Patrick was the coup LaFontaine needed. He's inexperienced. So is Murray. Having this guy available as a special advisor will drastically improve the chances smart moves are made. We can only hope the percentages finally play out in Buffalo's favor for once. We can use something to cheer about in this city once again.' … [Read more...] about Murray hire big, but Patrick hire bigger

Photo gallery (Miami Herald) Brad Boyes scores goal and shootout winner to lead Panthers to 2-1 victory over Sabres (South Florida Sun Sentinel) Photo gallery (South Florida Sun Sentinel) Panthers Wrap-Up: Panthers 2, Sabres 1 (SO) (FloridaPanthers.com) Photo gallery (FloridaPanthers.com) Photo gallery (Sabres.com) Photo gallery (Buffalo News) … [Read more...] about Friday’s Florida Coverage

'Murray had dinner with Sabres owner Terry Pegula and president Pat LaFontaine Wednesday night in Buffalo and agreed to a contract.' … [Read more...] about Tim Murray gets job as Sabres’ GM

'"This is the right time and the right situation for me to come to a city like Buffalo where you just strap on your boots, strap on your skates and work hard," said Murray. "That's my history. That's where I'm from. My background is in evaluating players. This is the right time for me to start doing it again. I'm extremely happy I've been given this opportunity."' … [Read more...] about Tim Murray on Buffalo Sabres’ GM job: ‘Right time, right situation’

'"He's been a big part of lots of things I've done over my career," Murray said of his departed nephew. "Hopefully, I've helped him as he's helped me in some of the scouting things that have happened here, Florida, Anaheim "¦ but I'm very, very happy for him. "I think it's a great opportunity. He had mixed emotions when it first happened. I told him, there are 30 jobs and it's … [Read more...] about Ottawa Senators GM Bryan not expecting any trade favours from nephew

'“This is the right situation and the right time to come to Buffalo,” Murray said. “I think great things can happen here, if we work hard. And it was attractive to me.”' … [Read more...] about Murray calls Sabres GM job ‘the right situation’