It isn’t every day that a former Buffalo Sabres player makes it into the United States Hockey Hall Of Fame, but today, former captain Chris Drury has done just that.
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Chris Drury was on the Buffalo Sabres for a total of three seasons with the Buffalo Sabres and 12 seasons in the NHL as a whole with teams such as the Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, and New York Rangers. In that span of time, Drury had played 892 regular season games scoring 255 goals and 615 points. In the playoffs, Drury had played 135 games and scored 47 goals and 89 points.
For the Buffalo Sabres Chris Drury had posted 85 goals and 189 points in 234 regular season games; he added 31 points in 34 playoff contests. Of those points, Drury had a great deal of important goals. One of them most notably being the game tying goal in game five of the conference semi finals in 2007 against the New York Rangers.
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Having been donned the nickname “Captain Clutch” for a good portion of his career in Buffalo and in New York afterwards, Chris Drury had a knack for finding the back of the net at the key points of the game. In his career, Drury had 47 regular season game winning goals and 17 in the playoffs. Those key goals are what made him such a valuable and special player.
In his time in the league, Chris Drury had to continually improve and be one of the best players on the ice. As a former third round pick (and Hobey Baker Award winner) Drury had a lot of potential to live up to and he did not disappoint. He was on the Stanley Cup winning Colorado Avalanche Team of 2001 and was an integral part of that success.
He was a winner in almost every way a hockey player could be. He was lucky enough to have tasted the Stanley Cup finals so early in his career and to have won the trophy itself. That kind of experience turned him into one of the calmest and important captains the Buffalo Sabres ever had. When he was traded from the Calgary Flames to the Buffalo Sabres in 2003, Drury brought in a winning mentality and a productivity that was sorely needed. In the next couple of seasons, Drury became the Sabres captain and brought them to the conference finals for two straight years.
Sabres fans all have fond memories of players like Chris Drury and they will never forget his great contributions. With his induction into the US Hockey Hall Of Fame, Chris Drury will not only go down as an important Buffalo Sabres player, but as one of the best American hockey players the world has seen.
Congratulations Captain Clutch!
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