Feb 10, 2015; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres left wing Nicolas Deslauriers (44) and Ottawa Senators right wing Erik Condra (22) fight during the first period at First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
Since the introduction of the Buffalo Sabres to the National Hockey League in 1970, many players have suited up in the blue and gold – or in some cases, the red and black – and hit the ice. In today’s “all-time” list, we’ll look at some of the bigger enforcers that have played for the Buffalo Sabres over the past years.
From Rob Ray to Matthew Barnaby, Jerry “King Kong” Korab to Lindy Ruff, Jim Schoenfeld to Mike Hartman…. there have been many players in Buffalo Sabres history who have racked up penalty minutes like nobody else’s business.
But aside from the top five penalty-getters in Buffalo Sabres history, one interesting point about this list: there are no really “recent” players on it. With the way the NHL operates now, the role of the enforcer just isn’t there at the same capacity it used to be. Throughout this slideshow, I’ll also pull some more recent players who have been considered enforcers and see how they match up with these guys.
But for now, without further ado, here are the top five most-penalized players in Buffalo Sabres franchise history.