This Day in Sabres History: February 4th

[PASabreFan]

February 4, 1971

In the Sabres' first season, Eddie Shack records a hat trick in a 5-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings at the Aud. Denis DeJordy is the unlucky Kings' goalie. Anyone remember Denis DeJordy? Didn't think so But almost every old-time fan remembers Shack, an entertaining "clown prince" of the game and former Maple Leaf who was acquired along with another former Leaf, Dick Duff, in December from the aforementioned Kings (Sabres' GM Punch Imlach had coached Shack in Toronto). One of Shack's trademarks was to skate to center ice when he was named one of the three stars and do a pirouette. He certainly did one on this winter night in downtown Buffalo. For the record, Shack scored 36 goals in two seasons with the Sabres.

 

February 4, 1998

The Sabres send Brad May and a third-round draft choice in 1999 to Vancouver for Geoff Sanderson. The Sand Man scored one of the nicest goals in Sabre history in the Eastern Conference Finals against Toronto, fending off the stick of trailing defenseman Sylvain Cote with one hand and shoveling the puck past Curtis Joseph with the other to give the Sabres a 5-3 lead midway through the third period in Game 1 in Toronto, a game the Sabres would win, 5-4. Remember? Sanderson pulled the puck to his forehand, got Cujo to shift to Sanderson's left then flicked it against the grain inside the right post! But it seems many fans remember him instead for so many botched breakaways. The speedy Sanderson, like Shack, would score 36 goals as a Sabre, including seven in the playoffs, during the course of three seasons in Buffalo. Sanderson and Dwayne Roloson, another hero from the Air Canada Centre that night, were selected by Columbus in the expansion draft in 2000.