Buffalo Sabres History: Who Wore It, Number 19
Twenty-one players in Sabres history have worn jersey number 19 for the team. Today, on the 19th day of April, let’s talk about just one of them: Brian Holzinger.
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BRIAN HOLZINGER
Center, b. 1972
Drafted by the Sabres, 1991
Brian Holzinger, a native of Parma, Ohio, was drafted by the Sabres in 1991 with the 124th overall selection. He spent the next four years at Bowling Green State University before coming to the NHL at the end of the ’94-’95 season for four games after his college career wrapped up. That college career, by the way, saw him win the NCAA’s Hobey Baker Award in 1995.
After four games at the end of that season, Holzinger split the 1995-96 season between the Sabres and the AHL’s Rochester Americans. He had 20 points (10-10) in 58 games with the Sabres, and 21 points (10-11) in 17 games with the Amerks. He also played in Rochester for 19 playoff games that season, notching 24 points.
Holzinger would spend the next three and a half seasons with the Sabres. In total, he played 352 games with the Sabres, scoring 70 goals and 97 assists in that time.
He left the Sabres on March 9, 2000, when Buffalo traded him as part of a deal to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Holzinger, along with Wayne Primeau, Cory Sarich and a 2000 3rd-rounder went to the Lightning. In exchange, the Sabres received Chris Gratton and a 2001 2nd-round pick that’d end up being Derek Roy.
Holzinger spent parts of the next four seasons with the Lightning but never put up the same numbers as he did with Buffalo. He also played 28 games with the Springfield Falcons in the 2002-03 seasons.
On March 11, 2003, the Lightning traded Holzinger to the PIttsburgh Penguins in exchange for Marc Bergevin. He spent the rest of that season – nine games – and part of the next (61 games) with the Penguins, putting up a total of 24 points in 70 games.
Four years to the day that the Sabres traded him, Holzinger was traded again – this time, from the Penguins to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Lasse Pirjeta.
He spent 13 games with the Columbus to finish out that season. In 2007, Holzinger was inducted into the Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame.
Other players to wear #19 for the Sabres: Cody Hodgson, Tim Connolly, Norm Milley, Randy Wood, Tony Tanti, Kevin Maguire, Bob Corkum, Doug Trapp, Bob Halkidis, Jim Wiemer, Sean McKenna, Jeff Eatough, Randy Cunneyworth, Derek Smith, Alex Tidey, Morris Titanic, Fred Stanfield, Steve Atkinson, Francois Lacombe, Brian Perr