Top 5 greatest captains of all-time on the Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres have an iconic history and in part, it is because of their many team captains over the years. Here are the five best.
This article is going to be different than other All-Time Lists, because player ability is not the key focus. For example, the Buffalo Sabres employed Gilbert Perreault as a team captain, but you will not find him on this list.
Instead, you will find captains who led the Sabres to multiple successful seasons, or captains forced to face adversity given the team’s situation. But before listing the top five captains in team history, I would first like to hand out two honorable mentions who just missed the cut.
Pat LaFontaine
LaFontaine was one of the best players in Buffalo Sabres history, and he was also one of the better captains. While the Sabres were not at their best under him, they still snagged one Northeast Division title in 1996-97. They also won two playoff series with him in charge.
Danny Gare
Between 1979 and 1981, the Sabres had two exciting seasons, and Gare was tasked to lead the team. They won the Adams Division twice and even snagged the Prince of Wales Trophy, which was then awarded to the conference’s regular season champion. While the Sabres did not dive too deep into the playoffs, we nevertheless need to realize Gare’s value as a team captain.
The best team captains in Buffalo Sabres history: Captain #5 – Floyd Smith
Smith was the first captain in franchise history and he held the position for one season. While the expansion Sabres were predictably a bad hockey team, anyone taking on the role of captaining a bunch of kids and cast-offs will always go down as one of the best ever, regardless of the final record.
This was the case for Smith, who saw the Sabres earn just 63 points that year and score just 217 goals 2.78 per game in 78 outings while they allowed nearly four per contest. Smith appeared in just 83 games for the Sabres, and he came to the team via trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs for cash that also brought Brent Imlach to the team.
While he will never go down as one of the Sabres all-time greats, Smith showed a willingness to step into one of the most undesirable roles during the twilight of his career. And for that, he snagged the fifth spot on this list.
Craig Rivet
Rivet captained the Buffalo Sabres for three seasons between 2008 and 2011. Like Smith, Rivet isn’t someone you would consider a great player, given his lack of even seeing a single All-Star Game. In fact, the Sabres waived him in February 2011, meaning he was not there to lead the team to what became their final playoff appearance before the infamous league-record drought.
However, you cannot leave Rivet off this list, considering that, despite not winning the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal to the Boston Bruins in 2010, Rivet still captained the team to a Northeastern division title that season. This title came off of two lean seasons where the Sabres missed the playoffs.
It’s players like Rivet whose presence managed to impact others around him, as opposed to his playing ability, that truly makes a great captain. This shows that he was a respected puzzle piece in the locker room, and why elite or even solid statistics don’t always translate into providing sound leadership. Which is a lesson Jack Eichel once taught us.
Jim Schoenfeld
Unlike Smith and Rivet, Schoenfeld was one of those team captains who logged elite statistics. He was especially exceptional in 1980 from a statistical standpoint, but by that time, Gare had taken over as captain.
Schoenfeld took over for Gerry Meehan as captain during the 1974-75 season at age 22. And fortunately for the Sabres, he went on to become the anti-Eichel, guiding the team to its first Stanley Cup Final appearance. Or perhaps, Eichel became the anti-Schoenfeld…
The Sabres also won their first Prince of Wales Trophy and Adams Division Title that season. And even more impressive, they never put up fewer than 104 points points in a single campaign during Schoenfeld’s time as captain.
When you look at his accomplishments, you may be tempted to place him at the top spot on this list. But there are two more captains who stood out a bit more, and they both led the Sabres to some of their most memorable moments as a franchise.
Michael Peca
Michael Peca will always be synonymous with the Buffalo Sabres, whether he took the ice with the team or returned to the organization to coach their most intriguing upcoming stars. He first served as captain in 1997-98 and remained in the position until 1999-00.
Under Peca, the Sabres became a Cinderella Team in 1997-98, earning 89 points in the regular season, but embarking on a deep playoff run. They were so hot, the Sabres finished 8-1 in their first two playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens. Unfortunately, the dream ended against the Washington Capitals, but the Sabres weren’t done yet.
After a 1998-99 regular season that ended with a fourth-place finish in the Northeast, the Sabres again found themselves going deep in the playoffs under Peca. This time, they crossed the final hurdle, beating the Toronto Maple Leafs four games to one and earning a spot in the Stanley Cup Final.
While they lost to the Dallas Stars in controversial fashion, Peca’s captaincy fueled the Sabres to overachieve when so many counted them out. He deserves the second spot on this list and would be first if it wasn’t for a dynamic duo.
Daniel Briere & Chris Drury
While this article is entitled the Top 5 greatest captains in Buffalo Sabres history, it was impossible to separate Daniel Briere and Chris Drury, who both served in the role between 2003-04 and 2006-07, with Miroslav Satan, James Patrick, and Jean-Pierre Dumont rotating in during the 2003-04 season.
But with Briere and Drury serving as co-captains alone between 2005 and 2007, they get front and center stage here. The duo took the task of captaining what was supposed to be a terrible hockey team in 2005-06. Fortunately for the Sabres and their fans, Briere and Drury led the team deep into the playoffs and they nearly upset the Carolina Hurricanes to return to the Stanley Cup Final.
However, the Sabres lost that series four games to three. Yet the duo of Briere and Drury kept the Sabres in contention the following year. So much that the team snagged its first Presidents’ Trophy and yet another deep playoff run.
While Briere and Drury never captained the Sabres to a Stanley Cup Final, their presence helped turn what was supposed to be a hopeless team into one of the league’s elite for two years running. And that gives them the top spot on the greatest captains in Buffalo Sabres history.
More. Every individual award winner in Sabres history. light
Who would make your list of top captains in team history? Let us know your list in the comments.
(Statistics and historical data provided by Hockey-Reference)