Toddkaz Posted March 7, 2006 Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 what about mike wilson??? What a joke that guy was a tower and carried a purse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit151 Posted March 7, 2006 Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 How about Geoff Sanderson? I remember him lighting it up year after year for the Whalers, and then coming to Buffalo and getting like 8 goals a year. I always loved the guys speed and shooting accuracy and I was so excited when the Sabres traded for him. My expectations were high and his production was low. I still like Sanderson, he just didn't produce in Buffalo. This is something to take note of as the trade deadline approaches. If a big name forward comes to town such as Bertuzzi, my biggest concern is the ice-time. He gets lots of ice in Van and tons of PP time. He won't be as productive without as much time and like Sanderson, when he's asked to roll on a team with 4 lines, will he adjust? This is probably why star players don't like Lindy. He doesn't want to destroy team chemistry by handing over loads of ice to guys who are used to loads of ice. Bert also has an elite talent in naslund working with him. Despite that..........I'd take a chance on Bertuzzi. If he's embraced by Buffalo, he may return to his old form and if that happens - wow!! I watch a lot of games out here in West-Can with the Canucks since 2000 and Bert is a hell of a talent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest small wonder Posted March 7, 2006 Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 Chris Gratton. Absolutely! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puma2577 Posted March 7, 2006 Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 smehlik, corkum (twice), taylor, zhitnik (if he could come close to hitting the net for us he would have been fine) EDIT: Also Sutton and Haller (It must be something about our defesnemen in the late eighties-early nineties) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted March 7, 2006 Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 Paul Cyr, John Tucker, Peter McNab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKnowPhysics Posted March 7, 2006 Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 Wayne Primeau Mike Wlson Andy Delmore Tim Connolly Andrei Trefilov (would bitch about ice time behind Hasek's best year) Donald Audette (the second time only) Derek Plante (his last two seasons here) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_sauve28 Posted March 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 2 Words: Richard Smehlik Smehlik was a good defenseman. Not flashy but he got the job done. There is a reason he was paired with Zhitnik and played all the tough situations late in the game to hold a one goal lead I always hated Dave Snuggerud even if he was only here for a few seasons. I remember having some team poster back around 1990 and for some reason he was on it. LOL, can't say I hated Snuggerud, but he was a pretty bad player! Yeah, is my memory going or was not Ric Seiling always injured? I don't mean out of the lineup, I mean lying on the ice in a crumple (if that's a word). The priest would come out to give last rites, the doctor would fire up the paddle, they would wheel him off, and the next shift, there he was! He seemed... delicate. Funny! Now that you mention it I do remember him getting hurt a lot. I remember that major injury he suffered in Calgary with a stick to the eye and he was out for a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleven Posted March 7, 2006 Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 Paul Cyr, John Tucker, Peter McNab How could I forget Cyr? The Second Coming of Nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_sauve28 Posted March 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2006 How could I forget Cyr? The Second Coming of Nothing. I think the highlight of Paul Cyr's career was when he scored three goals in third period against Pete Peeters to beat the Bruins 3-2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swedesessed Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 I hated Gilmour Me too. Especially with his ole defensve play on Kasperitis in Game 7 2001 2nd OT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bring Back Sanderson Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 Great call on Kozlov- he thought Buffalo was akin to Siberia....his play showed it, too, at the beginning...but even after he got over his Detroit nostalgia and produced a little he still seemed to make mention in every interview that Detroit was superior to Buffalo in every way. And I always thought it was curious that when he suffered that injury in December or January of his season here he was supposed to be out until March- I never once heard one update on his rehab or when he would be back. Obviously he never came back, but I think he just packed it in and headed back to Russia...and the Sabres front office didn't seem to care. Dave Andreychuk (2nd stint) and Doug Gilmour- Neither were that productive, and I got sick of both of them bitching about Ruff's system and their ice time. I'm too young to really remember Andreychuk's first stint in Buffalo, but something about him seems to indicate to me that I wouldn't have cared for him even if he was scoring 40 a year. Paul Kruse- He always annoyed me for some reason...fought once in a while to ensure that he got into the lineup, but really never resembled an enforcer in any way. Tried to masquerade as a checking line winger, which he just wasn't good enough to be. I realize they only gave up Jason Dawe to get him, but at that point Dawe had at least a little trade value and they wasted it. Mark Astley- He just flat out sucked. Craig Simpson and Bob Sweeney- Part of Muckler's attempt to turn an 85 point team into a Cup Winner by adding a couple of washed up scrubs. Simpson was just a waste of time, Sweeney...well, my lasting impression of him was looking like he was going to defecate every time he was taking a faceoff against Eric Lindros. Hell, you can add Charlie Huddy in this group. Dixon Ward- Yes, he scored some big goals for Buffalo. But he was disgustingly full of himself, especially for a guy who for about 5 years earned a very solid living riding the coat tails of Michael Peca and Dom Hasek. Hasek- DUI's, hitting reporters, quitting on his team in '97 and '00...I realize that without him Buffalo may well not still have an NHL team, and I realize that in 96-97 and 97-98 he basically was the team, but never once has my favorite team (in any sport) had such an unlikeable superstar. On some of the other hated Sabres: Holzinger- yeah he was supposed to be the next LaFontaine...and yes somehow his hands seem like they were amputated in the summer of 1997, but he generally played hard and he earns special bonus points for pissing off Mike Modano on numerous occasions during the '99 Finals. It's not really a compliment to Derek Roy, but I think Roy may turn out to be quite similar to Holzinger (Darcy, don't trade Connolly). Grosek- Infuriating at times, yes....but any player who scores an OT goal to knock the Flyers out of the playoffs gets a free pass with me. Smehlik- He was a different player after the knee injury...but say what you will about him (and Zhitnik), Buffalo was always a better team with him on the ice. Zhitnik- If any Sabre in recent memory was more underappreciated than him, I don't know who it was. Yeah, he couldn't hit the net on the power play to save his life. We knew that in 1996...it's Ruff's fault for constantly putting him out there afterward...and somebody please tell me a major, important playoff goal scored against Buffalo during his time here when he was even on the ice, let alone at fault because I can't think of any. Sanderson- OK, I'm biased, he's my favorite player. He was in Hartford and he still is today. He didn't produce in Buffalo, but not many Sabres did during his time here...plus he was almost always paired with Holzinger or Plante...two terrible playmakers. But...when he played with a more passing minded center like Curtis Brown, he was much more productive. Watch some of the games from the '99 playoffs- he was their best forward vs Boston and Toronto. Mike Wilson- yeah, he was pretty hateable....seemed like he regressed every shift he took in the NHL. Gratton, Rasmussen- Gratton had a career year for Tampa Bay and everybody thought he was the 2nd coming as a great power forward- but he never had HANDS. Some guys are just never appreciated because they're taken so high in the draft it seems like they're going to be hated if they aren't absolute superstars. Gratton was one of them. In Buffalo he produced a little, always seemed to give good effort, and was better at sticking up for his teammates than so-called enforcers like Ray, Kruse, and Boulton. Remember his fight with Thornton? Rasmussen was a high pick in a terrible, and I mean terrible draft....the first round of the draft Rasmussen was taken in might have 2 or 3 impact players currently in the NHL at most. With some of these guys I think you have to have a little hindsight, and he's one of them....for the 7th pick in a given draft, yeah, he's a bust...but look at the rest of the 1st round in his draft class and he may not seem like one quite as much. Plus, he bore a physical resemblance to the late Layne Staley, which clears him of any wrongdoing as a Sabre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKnowPhysics Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 Dixon Ward- Yes, he scored some big goals for Buffalo. But he was disgustingly full of himself, especially for a guy who for about 5 years earned a very solid living riding the coat tails of Michael Peca and Dom Hasek. Dixon Ward was a smart and hard working defensive winger. He was probably the most humble of Sabres on the roster at the time, and worked hard to stay in the lineup. It's unfortunate he couldn't maintain his game after being given away to Boston. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deluca67 Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 Rob Ray. I've talked to lawyers seeing if I can sue to get the time in my life I had to watch him play back. Considering his ice time it would be about 15 minutes. He's the #1 reason I don't watch the post game. There has never been a bigger waste of a uniform, not even the guys mentioned in the above posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 One other guy just came to mind...Mikael Andersson. :angry: If you think Max is missing some finishing skills, this guy was 100x more brutal. He was a fast skater with just no puck skills. Somehow he parlayed this into a 15 year nhl career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRH Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 Mike Wilson is rated a little higher in my book than Smehlik though because he actually dropped the gloves once or twice while he was here. Well, yeah, if you count the time he hit Lindros' fist with his face. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico7 Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 Dave Schultz. I always hated that trade (Gary McAdam) for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toddkaz Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 man what happen to Smehlik he had 16 goals in one season early on. It looked like he was going to be a good one. Rasmussen, Derek Plante and mike wilson these guys just dissapeared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveSnugerud Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 Ken Sutton I believe he was a minus 754 in 1992 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock DJ Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 man what happen to Smehlik he had 16 goals in one season early on. It looked like he was going to be a good one. Got too busy chasing down Zhitnik's shots. Lindy "Puff"... Love the job he's done as coach, but as a player, his tough play looked more like a tango. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTS Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 Anyone that knows how hockey is played knows that Smehlik was one of our best defensemen, especially come playoff time. The guy could shut down big guys like Lindros in his prime with ease. He was a good player who fans hated because he didn't hit like they wanted him to hit. Positionally, however, he was one of the best. He was a big reason Zhitnik became a great defensive defensman. Slava Kozlov gets my vote. man what happen to Smehlik he had 16 goals in one season early on. It looked like he was going to be a good one. Rasmussen, Derek Plante and mike wilson these guys just dissapeared. Derek Plante was a great player that couldn't compete in the old NHL. He was great his first few years and then came the trap and clutch & grab. That was his fallout. He would have done well in the new NHL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chileanseabass Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 for some reason i couldn't stand joe juneau Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 Derek Plante was a great player Let's not get all carried away now. He was maybe an above average player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 Anyone that knows how hockey is played knows that Smehlik was one of our best defensemen, especially come playoff time. The guy could shut down big guys like Lindros in his prime with ease. He was a good player who fans hated because he didn't hit like they wanted him to hit. Positionally, however, he was one of the best. He was a big reason Zhitnik became a great defensive defensman. Slava Kozlov gets my vote. Derek Plante was a great player that couldn't compete in the old NHL. He was great his first few years and then came the trap and clutch & grab. That was his fallout. He would have done well in the new NHL. I didn't hate the SOB because he wouldn't hit. He was European and played a European style game, that's fine (so does Teppo and he's been very solid). My problem with Smehlik was 6 words: "Smehlik clears the puck ... not out." As for Lindros, for whatever reason Shtinky would play Erica VERY physically and very well. He always did. There weren't many other big forwards though that Shmelly did do that against. I agree that Plante would be much better in today's game than back in his own time. For everything else people say about Plante he did 2 things for the Sabres that people should be thankful about. First, he gave up a chance to play in the Olympics in '94 because the team had so many injuries at center. The team might not have made the playoffs without that that year. Also, in Game 7 vs Ottawa, he's the one that got it done in (I'm pretty sure) the only Game 7 victory in team history. Speaking of guys that would be better today, could you imagine seeing Patty in his prime in this environment? I realize his early years were in the '80's and early '90's, but I don't think he'd have had nearly the amount of injury problems if he were playing today and with his hands and speed he'd be deadly in front of the net. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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