How are they doing now? (Former Sabres Players) Top 100 pics/stories

[Old Navy Goat]

As much as I loathed having the Tin Man play on those late 80s teams, he did have a long distinguished career

 

[Dingo44]

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

CONGRATS to former Sabres 1st round picks Tom Barrasso and Pierre Turgeon for their induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame!!!!!!!!


Also -- PUT MOGILNY IN THE HALL, YOU COWARDS.

Sick, now about that Mogilny dude..

View attachment 726443

Dude looks completely zonked. If Erhoff is an accountant this dude is trying to get a loan for his weed farm.

 

[Chainshot]

While convalescing -

 

[Burgmania]

The only time Milt Ellis was ever booed:

"Due to television constraints, we regret that the Canadian national anthem will not be played."

 

[Chainshot]

The only time Milt Ellis was ever booed:

"Due to television constraints, we regret that the Canadian national anthem will not be played."

And rightfully so. My father was PO'd about it IIRC.

 

[Dingo44]

 

[Chainshot]

 

[LemonSauceD]

I used to love his breakaway slap shots



Had one of the best clappers in the game. So beautiful and eloquent.

 

[Howie Hodge]

Loved Thomas Vanek in his prime.

Problem is he faded rather quickly in his late 20's.

The thing about players like Vanek, whose primary skill in the NHL was scoring goals, is that they hit their peak far earlier in their career than most people realize . That prime is usually around the ages of 24, 25 and 26. Many of them remain productive players into their late 20s and early-to-mid 30s. They just are not as productive as they once were.

But for some of them, the ones whose biggest and perhaps most valuable contribution is their ability to score goals, once they lose just a fraction of the ability that made them so successful -- losing a little bit off of their shot, losing some of the quickness that allowed them to get to the open spot in the offensive zone, etc. -- they can have a tendency to completely fall off a cliff in terms of their production once they hit the latter stages of their career.

Thomas was one of them.

Dany Heatley was another in that category...

 

[fingerpainter]

Random - but anyone remember that thing they had at the Aud (and even HSBC I think) after the season ended - there was an event where you could meet all the players and get their autographs.

Forgot what it was called. But it was amazing. I went for a number of years.

 

[sabresfan129103]

Random - but anyone remember that thing they had at the Aud (and even HSBC I think) after the season ended - there was an event where you could meet all the players and get their autographs.

Forgot what it was called. But it was amazing. I went for a number of years.

I remember they used to do the Sabres carnival where you could meet some of the players. Maybe that is what you are thinking of.

One year after a bunch of players on the Hartford Whalers got arrested in Buffalo they did some of their community service there. I remember meeting some of them, but forgot who the players were. I want to say Pronger was one of them.

 

[buffalowing88]

Random - but anyone remember that thing they had at the Aud (and even HSBC I think) after the season ended - there was an event where you could meet all the players and get their autographs.

Forgot what it was called. But it was amazing. I went for a number of years.

I thought the fan fest/carnival was right before the season started, not at the end...but I could be wrong.

That was really cool. I remember going into the lockerrooms and all the behind-the-scenes places in the rink. There's a picture floating around somewhere at my parents' house of me with Zhitnik and Holzinger and I'm wearing short-sleeves so it was definitely in either the early fall or spring.

 

[Dingo44]

 

[Willgamesh]

View attachment 727787

Good for Samson.

 

[Burgmania]

And rightfully so. My father was PO'd about it IIRC.

Whole lotta folks shooting the messenger because they didn't like the news.

 

[Howie Hodge]

Random - but anyone remember that thing they had at the Aud (and even HSBC I think) after the season ended - there was an event where you could meet all the players and get their autographs.

Forgot what it was called. But it was amazing. I went for a number of years.

Are you thinking of The Sabres Open Practice? I used to go in the early - mid 70's. A local team would bid (charitable donation) for the right to scrimmage The Sabres as part of the event....

 

[Jim Bob]

 

[Jim Bob]

 

[brian_griffin]

Loved Thomas Vanek in his prime.

Problem is he faded rather quickly in his late 20's.

View attachment 727679

The thing about players like Vanek, whose primary skill in the NHL was scoring goals, is that they hit their peak far earlier in their career than most people realize . That prime is usually around the ages of 24, 25 and 26. Many of them remain productive players into their late 20s and early-to-mid 30s. They just are not as productive as they once were.

But for some of them, the ones whose biggest and perhaps most valuable contribution is their ability to score goals, once they lose just a fraction of the ability that made them so successful -- losing a little bit off of their shot, losing some of the quickness that allowed them to get to the open spot in the offensive zone, etc. -- they can have a tendency to completely fall off a cliff in terms of their production once they hit the latter stages of their career.

Thomas was one of them.

Dany Heatley was another in that category...

there was this one poster - I think @pigpen65 but maybe someone else, who, every year early in Vanek's career would post that Vanek was a lock to get 500 goals in a Sabres uniform, and would likely even break Perreault's club record.

I wonder of Vanek ever bet on himself to do that...

 

[pigpen65]

there was this one poster - I think @pigpen65 but maybe someone else, who, every year early in Vanek's career would post that Vanek was a lock to get 500 goals in a Sabres uniform, and would likely even break Perreault's club record.

I wonder of Vanek ever bet on himself to do that...

Definitely wasn't me as I typically don't care much about stats, especially historical ones, but I did really like Vanek. Especially as a prospect. Before Ruff coached all of the creativity out of his game he was an extremely dynamic player.

 

[brian_griffin]

Definitely wasn't me as I typically don't care much about stats, especially historical ones, but I did really like Vanek. Especially as a prospect. Before Ruff coached all of the creativity out of his game he was an extremely dynamic player.

Maybe it was @Layne Staley? Or @HogtownSabresfan ? Or maybe I just have schweinefleisch on my brain because it's one of my favorite German words and Vanek is Austrian.

You jogged my memory - I remember the joy in young Vanek, and I also remember the palatial doghouse Ruff built just for him.

 

[Dingo44]

Following Weber and Peca's lead, another Sabres legend takes a job in a rival organization.

Dallas Stars name Ben Bishop as player development coordinator | TSN

Bishop's main focus will be working with players from the AHL's Texas Stars as well as prospects in junior hockey and NCAA.

www.tsn.ca

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Following Weber and Peca's lead, another Sabres legend takes a job in a rival organization.

Dallas Stars name Ben Bishop as player development coordinator | TSN

Bishop's main focus will be working with players from the AHL's Texas Stars as well as prospects in junior hockey and NCAA.

www.tsn.ca

He tried to do that last year but couldn’t because he was under contract

 

[Jim Bob]