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The
greatest Buffalo Sabre of all is back in the fold. Gilbert
Perreault may not inspire the same awe in the role of
Sabres community liaison as he did in his 17 years as a
sensationally creative center, but at least he and the team
are back together. "So many fans
around here grew up idolizing Bert," says one of those
idolizers, Buffalo president Larry Quinn. "He's the
guy who defines this franchise. We missed
him."
Perreault, who was the first draft pick in Sabres history,
won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie in 1971. By
the time he adorned SI's cover he was drawing
comparisons to Montreal Canadiens star Jean Beliveau for his
skating grace. A master of
deception, Perreault would hip-fake and shoulder-shrug his
way to 512 goals and 814 assists before retiring during the
1986-87
season.
Though Perreault wanted to stay with the Buffalo
organization and though his
absence was lamented by Sabres fans and media, the team
never offered him a job to his liking. He stayed home in
Victoriaville,
Que., with his wife, Carmen, and their sons,
Marc André, now 20, and Sean, now 12. He coached
junior hockey, invested in real estate and shunned some
Sabres alumni games. Years passed. In October 1996, a few
days before his number 11 was raised to the rafters of
Buffalo's Marine Midland Arena,
Perreault said resignedly of his relationship with the Sabres,
"It's done. Let's face
it."
The about-face came less than a month later, when Quinn
took over as president and began making overtures to
Perreault. In February 1997, shortly after the death of the
Sabres' beloved radio-TV announcer, Ted Darling, Perreault
came to Buffalo to attend
a festive tribute to his friend. In an arena full of fans
and former Sabres, Perreault, reticent during his playing
days, skated onto the ice, took a microphone and began
crooning Elvis tunes. Emotions ran high. The crowd roared.
"People loved him,"
says
Quinn.
They still do. Last summer Quinn hired Perreault, a Hall of
Famer, to make 25 appearances a year for the Sabres. He
hosts charity dinners, conducts youth hockey clinics and
suits up for alumni games. The 47-year-old Perreault has
become a fan favorite
again. "I like being involved with the public, with
Buffalo," he says. "It feels
good."
Perreault stays in shape by playing 30 games a year with
the Hockey Legends, a barnstorming group of former NHLers,
and on Sunday he helped the Sabres alumni beat members of
the 1980 U.S. Olympic team 8-4. The gifted center showed
that he can still
skate circles around men his age. And he did it in Buffalo,
where he
belongs.
—by Kostya
KennedyCover photograph by Rich Clarkson
Issue date: March 2, 1998
Past Editions of Catching Up With...
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