I’m from Montreal. Home of the Montreal Canadiens, by far the most successful franchise in the NHL with 24 Stanley Cups. I was born here but grew up in Quebec City when the Nordiques were there. My Dad was the biggest Habs fan you can imagine. My older brother was a hockey reporter during the Nordiques first few seasons in the NHL. But I was never a Habs or Nordiques fan… I’ve always been a die-hard fan of the Buffalo Sabres.
For me, the fascination with the Sabres began in the spring of 1975. I was 7 years old and I was watching the Stanley Cup playoffs with my family. The Sabres, led by the great French connection line, made it to the finals against the Philadelphia Flyers. Even though the Flyers won the Cup that year, I was hooked as a Sabres fan.
I’ve had many favourite players over the years, most of them goalies… Don Edwards, Tom Barrasso, Ryan Miller and of course the greatest of all time, Dominik Hasek. Why goalies? Well, it’s probably because that’s the position I play in hockey. Still, I’ve loved watching the likes of Gilbert Perreault, Pierre Turgeon, Pat Lafontaine, Alex Mogilny, Mike Peca and Thomas Vanek fill the net.
As every Sabres fan knows, the last decade has been rough. The Sabres have set an NHL record missing the playoffs for 11 straight seasons. But last year, despite missing the playoffs by a staggering 25 points, the team showed a lot of promise and I think the 2022-23 season may be the year the Sabres break the streak.
I started this blog because I enjoyed watching the team so much last season. I expect great things from this group. I’m hoping to post after each game, so please come back often.
