Sabres.com

‘”I think he’s versatile in the sense that he can play wing or center, which we like,” Greeley said. “He’s very good at faceoffs. I think he’s capable of playing all types of special teams. He’s not just a power-play guy or just a PK guy. To us, he’s a guy who can play in multiple areas, multiple roles, and the versatility is a nice thing to have.”‘

‘”My physical play along the boards needs to be better and I think in the D-zone I need to be better,” he said. “Although I think I read the game pretty well, you need to be harder on those battles. So, I think those are the two main points that I think I can improve a lot and I think I will be a much better play when I get those things on a good level.”‘

‘On February 13, 2009, one night after the tragic crash of Flight 3407 in Clarence Center, N.Y., the Buffalo Sabres and San Jose Sharks lined up for one of the most emotional games in franchise history.’

‘”Ryan called Buffalo home for 11 seasons and has spent the past 3 seasons in Anaheim,” read a statement published by Miller’s Steadfast Foundation. “Ryan and his wife Noureen have lived in southern California during the off season for 10 years. Both areas are very close to his heart and that is why it was important to give back to them during the Covid-19 pandemic.”‘

‘We’ll look back at some of the most iconic moments in franchise history like “May Day” and give you a look at how hot tempers flared during the 1975 Stanley Cup Playoffs.’

‘”I think with Ryan, you just wanted him to transition into Minnesota and play his style of play, which is up-tempo, puck-moving defenseman,” Sabres assistant manager Steve Greeley said. “I think if you went on a week-by-week basis, every week Ryan Johnson was improving at the University of Minnesota, which is exactly what we wanted to see.”‘

‘Until we got to the border, that is. That’s where things got crazy. The customs officer walked onto the bus and asked for our IDs, which is standard. That lasted for about two seconds before he started running down the aisle, high fiving everyone and joining the celebration. When he got back to the front, Dominik Hasek grabbed him by the shoulders and poured a beer over his head.’

‘But, more than anything, we played tight. We frustrated teams when they crossed our blue line. Lindy Ruff laid out a clear, simple game plan and we followed it on a nightly basis. You’ll see that as we go through the 1999 playoffs this week on “Sabres Classics.”‘

‘We all met up at The Buffalo Club on Delaware and had a great dinner. After a few glasses of wine and some beers, we decided to shoot some pool in their big billiards room and continued to reminisce about the fun season that ended too soon.’

‘Portillo, 19, led USHL goaltenders with a 2.11 goals-against average to go along with a .915 save percentage and a 19-5-1 record with the Dubuque Fighting Saints. It was the first North American season for the native of Gothenburg, Sweden.’