Buffalo Sabres Must Retire This Number Next Year

The Buffalo Sabres have retired seven numbers in team history, each an honor to past contributions leaving fond memories for fans. There are many players in team history who would be worthy of this honor. One stands above the others and next season the Buffalo Sabres need to retire that number.

I’ll compare this deserving player to one with his number already retired. Pat LaFontaine was electric from the moment he put on the Buffalo Sabres uniform. In his 268 regular season games, LaFontaine scored 158 goals and totaled 385 points. Very impressive numbers during his time with the Buffalo Sabres.

Dave Andreychuk played 837 games in the blue and gold, piling up 368 goals and 804 points during his twelve years here. He is still the NHL all-time leader in power play goals with 274. With his size in front of the net he changed the way future power plays would be run.

Worse yet Andreychuk is tied for 28th in NHL history with 1,338 points. Andreychuk is one of only eighteen players with more than 600 goals. Of those players only Jaromir Jagr is not in the Hall of Fame. That’s because he’s still active and will play until he’s 75, but Jagr is going in the Hall.

What’s the case against Andreychuk? LaFontaine was a more exciting, flashy player for the Buffalo Sabres. He scored prettier goals and had higher single-totals than Andreychuk did. It’s true that Andreychuk never had a 100-point season in his career during an era where production like that was normal.

Is that a reason to not honor one of the greatest players in Buffalo Sabres history? In NHL history? Absolutely not. The sheer numbers show he deserves it. So what if he seemed to score more goals with his rear-end taking a beating in front of the net than he did with his stick? Goals get scored in the dirty areas and few did it as well as Andreychuk.

Fans of the Buffalo Sabres appreciate hard work. Not that long ago the Buffalo Sabres were the hardest working team in hockey, an image that brought the fans and team together and nearly this city a Stanley Cup.

Dave Andreychuk is the type of player the Buffalo Sabres were proud of then and would be proud to put on the ice now. Of course Andreychuk is retired with his name on the Stanley Cup from his 2004 victory with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Another former Buffalo Sabres player winning a championship with another team.

His place is no longer on the ice, but it is in the Hockey Hall of Fame and in the rafters forever in the First Niagara Center. I hope the Buffalo Sabres will take time next season to honor one of the great players in NHL history as well as their own. The time is now for the honor.

Next: Buffalo Sabres Nominate Mike Weber For Masterton Trophy

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