Buffalo Sabres Round Table: Favorite Player Of All Time

Melissa Kania, Editor Buffalo Sabres Defenseman Mike Weber

I’m going to be the wild card here and say that my favorite Sabres player of all time is defenseman Mike Weber. I know, I know. A lot of people don’t like him and will say he’s not a very good hockey player, but the fact is that I’ve been closely watching Weber play for years and it’s nice to see him develop into an NHLer.

Throughout my life as a hockey fan, I’ve always naturally had a favorite. When I was young, it was Pat Lafontaine, then Brian Holzinger, then J.P. Dumont. But Weber is different.
I’ve been following Weber since he first joined the Sabres organization back in 2007.

I have this ridiculously old card of his from that year, when he wore #33, the first in a string of jersey numbers he’d be tacked with during his time in Buffalo. (In case you’re wondering, it’s 33, 34, 3, 4 and of course, 6.)

He spent most of the next season with the Portland Pirates. I followed along as best as I could and attended the few games they held in Buffalo. Weber was eventually graced with an “A” on the Pirates, a leadership role I knew he deserved. He also made the AHL All-Star Game roster in 2010.

Fast forward a couple of years and Weber is now the longest-tenured defenseman on the Sabres roster. His tenure in Buffalo hasn’t been the easiest. He’s always been knocked out of his spot by a veteran, by someone acquired by trade, or what have you.

Just when you thought he had a viable spot in the NHL, along came someone else to knock him to the 7^th spot. It was frustrating for me as a fan of his, and I imagine even more frustrating for him,  but he never gave up.

I remember a few seasons ago when Weber was facing one of those press box periods. They said that he didn’t sit in the press box during games anymore, but instead, watched the games on a TV in the basement of the arena while working out on a bike.

Even when he was scratched, he always wanted to work hard and better himself, prepare himself for that next big opportunity.
He may not be the absolute best player out there, but… that’s not why I like him.

You don’t have to like a player because of how many goals he scores or his plus/minus. I value his leadership qualities, and his fearlessness in standing up for his teammates AND standing up in the locker room, both internally within the team and to media members and the like. His fire, perseverance and overall, the fact that he never gives up, are qualities that have made Weber one of the top ones in my book.

So while this may be a rare choice — I remember a few years ago when the Sabres’ Twitter account asked if I’m the “president of the Mike Weber fan club” — I think that Weber has a lot to offer. I remember when he got his first NHL goals, then eventually, his first goal at home; I remember a game I went to a few years ago when he was named first star.

Though realistically I don’t know how much longer he’ll be in Buffalo, he’ll always be one of those guys that I’ll follow as he continues to work hard night in and night out.

Next: Adam Savard, Contributor - SabreNoise

Jan 13, 2015; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres former goalie Dominik Hasek gets his number retired at a ceremony before a game against the Detroit Red Wings at First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Adam Savard, Contributor, Buffalo Sabres Goalie – Dominik Hasek

It’s terribly cliche to say, but my favorite Sabre is Dominik Hasek.  Not just for his highlight reel saves or his Vezina and Hart Trophies.

I began watching hockey at five years old and played pick-up games in the driveway at six.  I never learned to skate but that didn’t stop my friends or I from pretending to be our favorite players.  Or any players for that matter. I was always the goaltender.  Unwillingly at first but I grew to enjoy it and be pretty good for where I’d compete.

I can remember first pretending I was Mike Liut because of the Hartford Whalers jersey.  Same reason I liked Don Beaupre in his Capitals sweater.  Eventually I evolved into Mike Vernon, Curtis Joseph and the man Hasek played behind in Chicago, Eddie “The Eagle” Belfour.

I was still in high school when Hasek began his run of dominance with the Sabres, still remembering that Grant Fuhr played here and I could pretend to be him because he wore the crossed swords on his chest.  But Hasek was unlike anything I, or any of us, have ever seen.

Puck Prose

There were stand up goalies and butterfly goalies, but nothing like the “Dominator”.  Whether seeming out of control making saves with every part of his body or charging at unsuspecting players breaking in alone, It wasn’t just that Hasek was great at what he did.

He was new, fresh and exciting.  He was the nail that stuck out that you just couldn’t pound in because he took your will to swing the hammer.  In a league where 100 point seasons for players was still normal, Hasek was the anti-hero.  The best player in the world didn’t score goals.  He prevented them.   And he was ours!

I’ll admit I was frustrated when it ended.  Mad, actually.  For all he had done for us there was a part of me that felt betrayed by his departure.  I had mixed feelings when he hoisted the Stanley Cup for Detroit and felt that old conflict again when his number was retired against those same Red Wings.  I was jealous because I wanted to cheer that with Hasek here, not be happy for him in a different uniform.  I struggled with that greatly.

But I was also in the First Niagara Center when Dominik Hasek was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.  My young children were with me, ages six and nearly five.  They asked me who was on the ice and why was he talking.  And I’m trying to pass this great game down to them through my Buffalo Sabres memories.

They don’t appreciate his highlights yet, but they will.  They don’t understand what he meant to the league.  To the Buffalo Sabres.  To all the fans.  His legacy is something I can use to pass this game on, to spend time with my family, to build a lasting relationship from my youth through theirs and into the rest of their lives.

Common ground with the greatest goaltender of all-time.  That’s why Dominik Hasek is my favorite Sabre.  Because my memories of him will become part of our family history, and this great game part of our fabric.

Next: Jacob Strozyk, Contributor - SabreNoise

Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Jacob Strozyk, Contributor – Buffalo Sabres Forward Thomas Vanek

My favorite Buffalo Sabre of all time has to be Thomas Vanek. From the time that I started watching hockey in 2006, he had an immediate impact on how I watched hockey. I’ll admit that I loved the fact that he was scoring goals in 2007, so I clung to him as a vision of a great player. He had everything that the Sabres needed, speed, skill, and pure goal scoring talent.

For the next couple of years he would consistently lead the Sabres in goals and be relied on for his power play speciality. The amount of excitement that came about from seeing Vanek make his way towards the from of the net for tip in goals, or powering down the right wing and blasting a slap shot top far corner on the goaltenders, or ghosting his way around the play to score against unsuspecting defenses.

Eyes On Isles

I’m not sure if it was because he was on the Buffalo Sabres that he never really got covered like a super star, but he had the scoring ability and pure talent to make opposing defenses shutter. He always hovered around like a ghost and was able to impose his scoring will. It was his attitude and will to win that I always admired in him, and the goals scored as well didn’t hurt how much I liked him.

I was devastated when he was traded to the Islanders, but I knew that he needed to move on from where the Buffalo Sabres were headed. Now he is playing for the Wild and is once again in the playoff hunt. I wish him well and will continue to love what he brings to the game.

Next: Patrick Helper, Contributor - SabreNoise

Apr 5, 2013; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres fans move a flag around the center before the game between the Buffalo Sabres and the Ottawa Senators at the First Niagara Center. Sabres beat the Senators 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Patrick Helper, Contributor Buffalo Sabres Forward Michael Peca

When asked who my all-time favorite Buffalo Sabre was my answer was I don’t have one. It sounds cliché but it’s true. I have always been a blank Sabres jersey fan. I don’t want a name on my jersey because I don’t care who score the goals or who blocks the shot. It simply about getting two points. But, I do have a style of player that I like, and the player that best fits that mold is Michael Peca.

Peca played 13 years in the NHL with six different teams. He won the Frank J. Selke Trophy twice (1997, 2002) and won an Olympic gold medal (Salt Lake City in 2002 with Team Canada). Over his 864 game career Peca managed to play an in your face game, and earned the respect of teammates while doing so. The former Sabres captain wore the Blue and Gold and Red and Black for 363 games and registered 217 points and 352 PIM.

Peca was the style of player I always like to see. He had some scoring touch, but it was the way he carried himself on and off the ice that caught my eye. He wasn’t one to shy away from contact and while his time in Buffalo ended on a sour note (2000-2001) hold out. He is remembered as one of the most hard-working players to skate in Buffalo.

For me it’s always been about finding two-way hockey players. The ones that can contribute on the score sheet as well as hold their own in their zone. Michael Peca’s style is a great example for young kids to follow. You can have your star forward that puts up 50 goals, but if you don’t have a strong leader willing to do it all you have nothing.

Next: Tim Redinger, Editor - SabreNoise

Apr 13, 2013; Buffalo, NY, USA; A general view of the Buffalo Sabres Alumni Plaza with statues (left to right) of Rene Robert, Gilbert Perreault and Rick Martin known as the French Connection before the game between the Buffalo Sabres and the Philadelphia Flyers at the First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Tim Redinger, Editor – SabreNoise – The Buffalo Sabre Himself – Gilbert Perreault

I missed the boat when it came to my favorite Buffalo Sabres of all time.  I never got to see him play, but I have met him, I have seen him play in alumni games – and he epitomizes to me, what it means to be a Buffalo Sabre.

He was a generational player, he is an All-Star, a hall of famer – and all of his accomplishments have come as a member of the Buffalo Sabres.  Granted, he played in a different era of hockey, where to quote Herb Brooks the name on the front of the sweater was a hell of a lot more important than the one on the back.

He could have easily gone to another team, demanded a trade left for any number of reasons to play with a team that would give him the one thing that he never got in Buffalo, a Stanley Cup.  There aren’t many generational talents that do not have the ultimate prize.  Free agency spoils that to some extent.

I like Patrick found it really hard to pick out just one player.  Every year the team is different, and there are guys that I like on certain teams, guys that I don’t like on others.  To pick one player and say they will be my favorite player of all time, even just up until that point, was very difficult.  I bleed blue and gold, if you don a Buffalo Sabres sweater and play with passion and heart; then I am going to appreciate your skill set.

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