Sabre Noise
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Top 5 greatest forwards of all-time on the Buffalo Sabres

By Sion Fawkes

Apr 13, 2013; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres left wing Thomas Vanek (26) during the game against the Philadelphia Flyers at the First Niagara Center. Sabres beat the Flyers 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 13, 2013; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres left wing Thomas Vanek (26) during the game against the Philadelphia Flyers at the First Niagara Center. Sabres beat the Flyers 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports /
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Buffalo Sabres
September 27, 2013; Raleigh, NC, USA; Buffalo Sabres forward Thomas Vanek (26) skates before the start of the game against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Center. The Hurricanes defeated the Sabres 1-0. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports /

Thomas Vanek

Career Statistics With the Buffalo Sabres

598 games, 497 points, 254 goals, 243 assists, 15.1 shooting percentage

Though one of the youngest players in the NHL at the time, Vanek was a key staple in the Sabres deep playoff runs in 2006 and 2007. He broke out in 2007 with 84 points, 43 goals, and 41 assists, en route to Second Team NHL All-Star honors and a 14th place finish for the Selke.

But Vanek was more than just a savvy scorer during his time in the Queen City. When you needed to call on someone to find twine during a shootout, you could always count on Vanek’s slapshot. Most pundits say his “Around the World” shootout goal against Ottawa from February 2006 was his most notable.

How much did Vanek mean to the Sabres? Let’s just say they made the playoffs in 2010-11 with him on the team before embarking on an 11-plus season playoff drought. And while the Sabres were pretty much in the happy to be there category, it was Vanek who got them there when he scored on a breakaway against the Philadelphia Flyers in April 2011.

Vanek also achieved several interesting milestones with the Sabres. He scored the franchise’s 10,000th goal on December 13th, 2008. He also scored four consecutive natural hat tricks, the fourth of which came in February 2009. Vanek was the first player in NHL history to accomplish the feat since Cy Denneny in 1923-24.

Article Source: Sabres History: Thomas Vanek’s Greatest Moments in Buffalo by Joe Sciera 

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