The Buffalo Sabres have a storied history, like most NHL teams that started play in or before 1970. No, they've never won the Stanley Cup, but that doesn't mean the Blue and Gold don't have certain players, broadcasters, and unforgettable moments fans should know about.
In fact, true Sabres fans would know about all five of what I'm about to discuss below, even if they weren't around to see and experience them. So, if you're a true Sabres fan, you'll read this piece and say, "I knew that," five times over.
And if you're a casual fan, then buckle up, because you're about to become a true superfan. Now that you're ready for the ride, let's dive in.
1 - The French Connection
We've seen some outstanding lines throughout the league's great history, and the Buffalo Sabres had one with one of the more creative names. Each player was of French-Canadian descent: Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin, and Rene Robert, and their skill-set went almost unmatched.
In just the Sabres fifth season of existence, the French Connection led the Blue and Gold to their first Stanley Cup Final. And while they never brought the Cup to Buffalo, their accolades have still gone unmatched in the decades since.
Perreault finished his career with the Sabres after the 1986-87 season, after accumulating 1,326 points in 1,191 games. Martin and Robert didn't play as long, with Martin ending his time in Buffalo with 695 points in 681 contests, and Robert spending eight seasons in the City of Good Neighbors, amassing 552 points in 524 games across eight campaigns.
2 - The controversial Brett Hull goal
This might be the most painful moment in Sabres history, since there's hardly another goal out there like it that sparked so much controversy. In a game that went into triple overtime that was a true goaltenders duel, Brett Hull fired the game-winning goal to clinch the Stanley Cup for the Dallas Stars.
The problem? Well, Hull's skate was in the crease, and the NHL refused to count goals if a player scored if he entered the crease. Not a good look for the league in what was arguably its most controversial rule.
So, why did the goal stand? It came from a memo sent to each team in March of that year, clarifying that a player could score if any part of him entered the crease as long as he had control of the puck and there was no change of possession.
Hull's shot rebounded off of Dominik Hasek, and then he regained possession of the puck before firing it into the net. Still, it didn't stop the controversy since the NHL never made the memo of the tweak in rules public. As you may've guessed, the league nixed the rule for the 1999-00 season.
3 - The NHL's most unique National Anthem tradition
Oh yes, Buffalo is the only city that will play both the American and Canadian national anthems at every single home game.
Traditionally, teams only play both anthems when an American team faces off with a Canadian team, but with Buffalo right on the border and the fact that a contingent of fans across the Niagara River attend Sabres games, the Blue and Gold said, "Why not play them both?"
So, if you ever attend a Sabres game and are wondering why they're singing both anthems even if Buffalo's playing the Boston Bruins instead of the Toronto Maple Leafs, now you know. In many cases, the same singer will perform both anthems as opposed one singing the Star Spangled Banner and another singing O, Canada.
4 - The NHL's most legendary play-by-play announcer
Rick Jeanneret is arguably the best and most recognizable voice in NHL history. For over a half-century, Jeanneret called Sabres games, with most of them being full-time seasons.
His voice became synonymous with the team, and his departure in 2022 could be a major reason the Sabres broadcast crew in 2025 ranks as one of the worst. Nothing against them, but the fact is, nobody can adequately replace this guy.
I mean, from "May Day," to "Scary good," "Jimmy Hoffa," "Top shelf, where mama hides the cookies," and the energy he brought every time players like Rob Ray dropped gloves, can you blame anyone for ranking a successor so much lower?
You can't replace a play-by-play announcer like Rick Jeanneret, and the next generation of Sabres fans will have never heard his voice live and in person. Still, his half-century in the broadcast booth is something every Sabres fan needs to know about, regardless of the generation they're part of.
5 - The dark horse that became one of the NHL's greatest goaltenders
Dominik Hasek wasn't supposed to do much at the NHL level, getting drafted at 199th overall in the 1983 NHL Draft to the Chicago Black Hawks. Hasek clocked in at just 6'1, 166 lbs, and looked destined to be a career backup.
By the time Hasek debuted in the NHL, the Black Hawks became the Blackhawks, and he only made 25 appearances while repping the Windy City. Then came the trade to Buffalo on August 7th, 1992 and, as so many people say it, "The rest is history."
Hasek transformed into the Blue and Gold's greatest goaltender, and he ended his tenure in Buffalo with 234 wins, a 0.926 save percentage, a 2.22 GAA, and 55 shutouts. Yeah, those are historically good numbers regardless of how you look at them, but he couldn't win a Stanley Cup with the Sabres.
If you want to rub salt into the wound, Hasek ended up winning a pair of Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings. A team that ironically became a divison rival before the 2013-14 season kicked off.
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