This Day in Sabres History: March 22nd

[PASabreFan]

March 22, 1989

At the Aud, Sabres' goalie Clint Malarchuk miraculously survives a goal-crease collision with St. Louis' Steve Tuttle that leaves his jugular vein sliced open by Tuttle's skate and the hearts of Sabres' fans in their throats. Nine fans faint in their seats as a circle of blood on the ice gets bigger and bigger with each beat of Malarchuk's heart. The Sabres lose to the Blues 2-1, but no one really cares. All fans care about is whether the Sabres' new goalie is OK and he is after emergency surgery at Buffalo General Hospital. As the ambulance raced toward the hospital, Malarchuk asked paramedics, "Can you have me back for the third period?"

 

March 22, 1997

In his second game in a Buffalo sweater, Miroslav Satan scores his first goal as a Sabre in a 3-2 loss at Florida. That sweater bore number 81, the first player in team history to wear it. The loss started a six-game winless streak that delayed the clinching of the Northeast Division championship a little longer than anyone wanted. For the record, the team's struggles late in the regular season included two shutout losses to Ottawa, whom the Sabres defeated in the first round of the playoffs.