In 1970, the Buffalo Sabres altered the history of their expansion brethren, the Vancouver Canucks before either team stepped onto the ice.
When you think of the Buffalo Sabres early history, the famed French Connection comes to mind. If you are a new fan unfamiliar with the French Connection, they comprised legendary forwards Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin, and Rene Robert.
But what if I told you the French Connection very nearly never even got off the ground? On June 11th, 1970, the expansion Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks were taking part in their first ever selection meeting, and Perreault was the consensus top prospect heading into the draft.
Unlike today, where the NHL Draft Lottery determines where an expansion team picks, in 1970, no one knew which team had the first pick until draft day. A roulette wheel would determine whether the Sabres or the Canucks would pick first and acquire Perreault.
The Buffalo Sabres nearly lost Perreault to the Canucks
If the pointer landed between two and six, the Canucks would snag the first pick. If it landed between eight and 12, the Sabres got the pick, and if the wheel ended up on number seven, they would re-spin the wheel. Then-NHL president Clarence Campbell did the honors, and with the wheel landing on number one, he awarded the now-celebrating Canucks with the first pick.
But if you read the info above carefully, you may have noticed something – There was no number one on the wheel. Somehow, only Sabres head coach and general manager Punch Imlach noticed the gaffe, and insisted Campbell to take one more look at the wheel.
The number, which Campbell believed landed on number one, actually landed on number 11, meaning the Sabres, not the Canucks, got the first pick. In an even greater twist of fate, with Perreault hailing from Quebec, had he been in the draft just one season earlier, the Montreal Canadiens would have had a priority right to draft him, given their right to prioritize Quebecois players.
Long story short, had Imlach not noticed the error in Campbell’s judgment, Perreault would have played professional hockey in British Columbia, not Western New York. He would have led a strong Vancouver Canucks team and perhaps even have a statue with two other linemates with a unique name outside Rogers Arena.
Fortunately for Buffalo Sabres fans, it didn’t happen that way, and Rick Martin joined Perreault in Buffalo a year later before Rene Robert jumped on board. And while the French Connection never won a Stanley Cup, they laid the foundation for the franchise’s storied history, saw a Cup appearance in 1975, and gave fans plenty of memorable nights at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.
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