Despite putting together a legendary career, former Buffalo Sabres winger Alexander Mogilny was snubbed from the 2023 Hockey Hall of Fame class.
One of the best forwards in Buffalo Sabres history was unfortunately snubbed from the Hockey Hall of Fame. Alexander Mogilny put together an incredible six seasons for the Blue and Gold between 1989-90 and 1994-95 before moving onto the Vancouver Canucks, New Jersey Devils, and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Mogilny’s best days, however, came in Buffalo, where he scored 444 points in 381 contests, putting up 211 goals and 213 assists. Of his 211 goals, 78 came on the power play while an additional three occurred shorthanded.
Mogilny also enjoyed one of the best seasons in franchise history in 1992-93, when he scored an incredible 76 goals in 77 games played. Mogilny totaled 127 points that season, and he even tacked on 11 game-winning goals with an incredible 21.1% shooting percentage.
Mogilny snubbed, but two former Buffalo Sabres enter the Hall
Tom Barrasso spent his formative seasons with the Sabres, and his first two years in the league were nothing short of incredible. In 1983-84, Barrasso snagged a spot on the All-Rookie Team, and received First Team All-Star honors, the Calder Trophy, and the Vezina. Further, he finished ninth in voting that season for the Hart.
In 1984-85, he followed up his legendary rookie season with Second Team All-Star honors, before he finished eighth for the Hart, and second for the Vezina. He even won the William M. Jennings Trophy that season. Overall, Barrasso finished his career in Buffalo with 266 games played, 124 wins, 102 losses, and 28 ties/overtime losses. He also logged an 0.884 save percentage and a 3.29 GAA.
Finally, Pierre Turgeon was another former Sabre to hear his name called. Over his 19-year career, Turgeon spent time on six different NHL franchises, but he saw five seasons in the Queen City. Another ultra-productive player during his time in Buffalo, Turgeon scored 323 points in 322 games played with the Blue and Gold, tallying 122 goals, 201 assists, and an 18.4% shooting percentage.
While it’s a travesty to see Mogilny once again snubbed from the Hall of Fame, it was cool to see Barrasso and Turgeon get the nod. Nevertheless, it still doesn’t take away what the former winger did for the Buffalo Sabres.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)