Buffalo Sabres: Top 10 Worst Seasons in Team History
By Sion Fawkes
All NHL franchises have had some unbelievably bad seasons. And the Buffalo Sabres are no exception. Here are the 10 worst in team history.
The Buffalo Sabres have a rich history. But like all NHL franchises that have been around for over a half-century, odds are, they suffered through a few ultra-lean years. Ultra-lean as in, among the worst in the NHL. So today, I am looking back through the history books, searching for the 10 worst seasons the Sabres and their fans were forced to endure.
Not all of the seasons listed below are incredibly bad. In fact, some of them were because of expansion or rebuilding purposes. Still though, regardless of the reason, they were long years where fans were probably asking themselves, “Is it next October yet?”
So what were the 10 worst seasons in Buffalo Sabres history? Keep reading for more information.
The 10 worst seasons in Buffalo Sabres history: Season #1 – 1970-71 (63 points)
For most teams in North American professional sports, the inaugural season for any franchise is never a good one. Castoffs and young players who received little chance elsewhere comprise the roster, and the team has little to no chance of succeeding.
That was the case for the 1970-71 Buffalo Sabres, who ironically won their first game in franchise history against the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 2-1 outing. Then, they went 1-11-1 over their next 13 games, defeating only the Detroit Red Wings and stalemating the Penguins.
Another ultra-lean period hit the Sabres between December 9th, 1970 and January 3rd, 1971, when they went 3-10-1 and sat at 7-23-6 on the season. By February 27th, they were an abysmal 16-36-11. But they finally came together between February 28th and April 4th, finishing the year 8-3-4.
It was by no means a good year for the Sabres. But they did see their first overall pick, Gilbert Perreault, morph into one of the league’s better players.