SabreSpace

According to Rob Ray, the WGR team should “stick to talking about hockey and not playing it.” … [Read more...] about Four Champions Crowned

Billy Reay, the first head coach of the Rochester Americans who would go on to become one of the winningest coaches in NHL history, died at the age of 86 on Thursday. … [Read more...] about Amerks First Coach Passes Away

'Lindy Ruff would like Connolly to play in Rochester, but Buffalo can't force him. Connolly could sign a deal with any minor league franchise or he could accept a two week conditioning assignment in Rochester like Dominik Hasek has done in Ottawa. That can be renewed every two weeks indefinitely. If he does that, then Buffalo would have to pay him so that is … [Read more...] about Connolly Will Not Be Paid During The Lockout

'“I hope to impress them enough in Rochester and get called up to Buffalo whenever the time comes,” he said. “I’m just going to play like I did in Guelph. I think I know what my role is going to be with the team. I want to play on one of the top two lines, play physical and see how it goes.”' … [Read more...] about Paille ready to go

'This year's lockout is expected to last substantially longer than the 103 days it took to reach an agreement a decade ago. "We're more prepared for a lockout this time," Amerks Chief Executive Officer Steve Donner said. "We were all hoping that it wouldn't happen, but now that it has we should stand to benefit from the Sabres not … [Read more...] about It's a lock fans will go elsewhere

"The team's Web site, www.sabres.com, has already stricken the games from its schedule. Buffalo's season opener is now listed as Oct. 24 at Phoenix, but that game will be canceled Friday. The Oct. 26 game at St. Louis will be canceled Sunday. And so on and so on.' … [Read more...] about NHL slate starts shrinking

“We had a few of them back then. I would have to say Rick Martin though. Richard always had a joke to go along with every story that he told. He always seemed to keep the locker room loose. I believe that was just his way of diffusing the tension before big games.” … [Read more...] about In the Locker Room with Danny Gare

It was very tough because I didn’t know any English. My family stayed back in Austria and all of my friends were back there. I can definitely say that it was really difficult the first couple of months. In the end, I had a great host family and made some good friends that I still keep in contact with. But the first couple of months were some of the hardest of my life. … [Read more...] about Beyond the Boards… Thomas Vanek

New to the tournament this year will be an All-Star street hockey grudge match between WGR-550 and the Sabres’ Alumni. Danny Gare, Rob Ray, Larry Playfair and other alumni will look to continue the Sabres’ domination of WGR-550, who was defeated 2-1 in the first meeting between the two organizations at the Draft Party earlier in the summer. … [Read more...] about Countdown to the HockeyFest

'As for the labor dispute, Zhitnik declined to take sides, instead saying that owners and players need to find a compromise. ''It's tough to say who's totally right, who's totally wrong. I think each side has to give up a little bit,'' Zhitnik said. ''It could be a long time, it could be a couple of months. The people who are … [Read more...] about Zhitnik in limbo; no league or team to call his own

'Contracts signed before Thursday can be guaranteed only after the lockout ends, so any serious injury suffered before then could jeopardize future earnings. The NHL also won't be responsible for any medical bills incurred during the work stoppage. That's a major reason why Sabres winger Miroslav Satan would rather not play at all during the lockout.' … [Read more...] about Players look for ice time

'The Sabres stunk last season, most of it anyway, and their payroll's already gone up $5 million. This is fair?' … [Read more...] about NHL needs to draw up a reality check

'"At the start of the summer I was kind of bummed out that there wasn't going to be a season. You work hard your whole life to make it to the NHL and you finally make it, and then there isn't a season. But this will be good. I can build up some confidence, like I did last year. We're going to have a good team, this is going to be my team and I … [Read more...] about Roy welcomes his opportunity as an Amerk

'Sabres defenseman Jay McKee said he plans to join a barnstorming league made up of NHL players scheduled to play across Canada. ' … [Read more...] about Peca sat out once before, ready do it again

'Goalkeeper Marty Biron said, "There's so many ins and outs in this whole collective bargaining agreement thing that haven't even been talked about. Right now, it's salary cap. But once the salary cap issue gets to be pushed away, then it's going to be free agency, and waivers, and entry-league guys, so it's going to be tough, and there's … [Read more...] about Players React to Lockout