If we hadn't traded Kozlov away, this wouldn't even be a question. He did fine in the games he played.
Sure, he didn't want to be here, but so what? He was kind of in an embarrassing position: he was the guy that got traded away in a deal where, very publicly, it was acknowledged that Hasek only let the Sabres take nonessential personnel away from the Wings. You could just as easily argue that Buffalo didn't want him here, but had to take someone.
Kozlov was one of my top 5 favorite players when he came to Buffalo. I was 14 and had a stack of his hockey cards only matched by my collection of Hasek. Then my favorite player demands a trade, we acquire one of my other favorite players in the deal, and he turns out to be a butt nugget. I didn't watch a game again until the first game after the lockout. The end of the innocent child sports fan phase almost killed hockey for me.
imagine the boards reaction if the internet existed during his time here
"This Bowman loser, all he does is stifle offense. We need to bring in some classic Sabres to coach this team like Ramsay. He was brought up in the winning atmosphere of the Sabres, he'd make a great coach."
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.