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Naming the Buffalo Sabres All-Time Team (1970 to 2022)

By Sion Fawkes

Jan 27, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller (30) looks up during the third period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Consol Energy Center. Penguins beat the Sabres 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 27, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller (30) looks up during the third period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Consol Energy Center. Penguins beat the Sabres 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Buffalo Sabres
BUFFALO, NY – MAY 10: Brian Campbell #51 of the Buffalo Sabres skates with the puck during Game 1 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals against the Ottawa Senators on May 10, 2007 at the HSBC Center in Buffalo, New York. The Senators won the game 5-2. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

The Defensemen

First Pairing: Phil Housley, Mike Ramsey

In eight seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, Housley put up 558 points in 608 contests with an 11.1 shooting percentage. Housley finished second for the Calder in 1983 while earning First Team All-Rookie honors. He never won the Norris, but he finished in the top 10 for the award three times. Housley also played in two All-Star Games with the Sabres.

Ramsey saw time in four All-Star Games, each with Buffalo. He finished in the top 15 for the Norris on three occasions, and was also in the conversation for the NHL All-Star Team numerous times. Though Ramsey was never a scorer, he was one of the league’s best stay-at-home defensemen during his career.

Second Pairing: Jim Schoenfeld, Bill Hajt

Schoenfeld burst onto the scene in 1972-73 when he finished in fourth for the Calder. Like Ramsey, he was always in consideration for the Norris and NHL All-Star honors. He would appear in two All-Star Games and he was also Second Team All-Star in 1980. Schoenfeld further led the league in plus-minus and point shares during that same season.

Bill Hajt spent all 14 seasons with the Buffalo Sabres and the big-bodied defenseman was one of the top stay-at-home players in the league between 1974 and 1986. While Hajt never won a major award, he is currently 24th in plus/minus at 320. He also finished in the top 10 for defensive point shares five times between 1976-77 and 1983-84.

Third Pairing: Alexei Zhitnik, Brian Campbell

Zhitnik arrived in Buffalo at age 22 and spent a decade with the franchise. He represented the Sabres in the 1999 and 2002 All-Star Games. And although Zhitnik was never a prolific scorer, he did lead the league’s defensemen with three shorthanded goals in 1997-98.

Campbell appeared in two All-Star Games with the Buffalo Sabres and earned Second Team All-Star honors in 2008,, a year in which he played in 63 games for the Sabres and another 20 for the San Jose Sharks. Campbell also finished in the top 10 for the Norris in his final year-and-a-half with Buffalo.

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