Buffalo Sabres All-Time Team

The Buffalo Sabres have a rich tradition of great players. They have hall of famers at every position, and some are considered all time hockey greats. So, if you put together a team of the greatest Sabres of all time, what would it look like?

Forwards

1st Line: Rene Robert- Gilbert Perreault– Rick Martin

You have to keep “The French Connection” together. It’s one of the most dominant lines in NHL history. Perreault is in the Hall of Fame and all have their numbers retired by the Sabres. Perreault has the most games played, goals, assists, points, and much of the Buffalo Sabres records. He is the ultimate Sabre. Martin is 3rd in all time points, while Robert is 5th.

2nd Line: Dave Andreychuck- Pat Lafontaine- Alexander Mogilny

This would be the first line on many other teams top all time line. Andreychuck is a Hockey Hall of Famer, 2nd in all time points for the Sabres, and is 27 in all time points for the NHL. Pat Lafontaine has his number retired by the Sabres as he has 385 points in 268 games for the Sabres. Had he not had concussions he could have been one of the best of all time. Lafontaine also was an incredible captain and two way player. Alexander Mogilny had 76 goals in one season. That should be all that needs to be said. If you need more, he’s in the Sabres Hall of Fame, and with Lafontaine made the Sabres a very good team in the 1990s.

3rd Line: Craig Ramsay– Don Luce– Danny Gare

Craig Ramsay ranks 2nd in all time games played for the Sabres as well as 4th in points. He played for the Sabres from 1971 to 1985. Don Luce was one of the best defensive forwards in Sabres history. He also ranks 7th all time in points. Danny Gare has his number 18 retired by the Sabres, he fought, he scored 50 goals in a season, he works as a broadcaster for them, etc. Danny Gare has been around the Sabres for over 40 years.

4th Line: Mike Foligno– Michael Peca– Jason Pominville

Mike Foligno came to the Sabres in the Danny Gare trade to Detroit. He played for the Sabres for a decade and ranks 9th all time in points. Michael Peca was “Captain Crunch”. An amazing hitter as well as captain, Peca was one of the best all around centers in Sabres history. It came down to Jason Pominville against Thomas Vanek for the final spot. Both played similar amounts of games and Vanek ranks 10th in all time points, while Pominville is 12th. However, Pominville was far better all around, and scored one of the iconic goals in Sabres history in Game 5 against Ottawa in 2006.

Defense

1st Pairing: Phil Housley– Mike Ramsay

Two all time great defenseman. Phil Housley, despite playing defense, is the 5th all time scorer in Sabres history. He’s also a Hockey Hall of Famer. Mike Ramsay was on the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team, but he also had a great career with the Sabres. He played in Buffalo from 1979 to 1993.

2nd Pairing: Jay McKee– Larry Playfair

Jay McKee was the best Sabres defenseman when they should’ve won the cup in 2006. He played for the team for 7 seasons, and was great for basically all of them. Larry Playfair is the president of the Sabres Alumni, and is known as one of the toughest players in Sabres history. He played for the team for the team for 12 years.

3rd Pairing: Jim Schoenfeld– Alexi Zhitnik

Schoenfeld was one of the best Sabres defenseman when they went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1975. He played for the team until 1985. Alexi Zhitnik was fast, offensive, and steady defensively. He played the 8th most games in Sabres history, and makes a perfect 2nd powerplay unit defender behind Housley.

Goalies

Starter: Dominik Hasek

Hasek is the best goaltender in NHL history in my opinion. He has the insanely good numbers with a .926 save percentage and a 2.22 goals against average. He almost carried the Sabres to a Stanley Cup on his back in 1999. His number 39 was retired this past season by the Sabres.

Backup: Ryan Miller

Miller has the most wins in Sabres history and has 1 Vezina as opposed to Hasek’s 6. Miller would be the best goalie in the history of a lot of teams had he played for another team, but it’s tough to beat out a legend like Hasek. He’s the best backup you could ask for.

Next: What the goaltending is missing

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