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Sabres fans remember the heartbreakers

The premature end to Pat LaFontaine's career was doubly sad for Sabres fans who wished he finished his career in Buffalo.Rick Stewart/Allsport

I'll never forget the day the Sabres shipped fan favorite Pat LaFontaine to the Rangers. In fact, I was so disgruntled with the Sabres I promptly went out and bought a Rangers jersey.

I remember going to the Sabres-Rangers game when Pat returned to Buffalo, tallying an assist just :16 (his number) into the game, and adding a goal shortly afterward.

Of course, in hindsight it was a great move, LaFontaine wound up with yet another concussion and was forced to retire, but I still think it should have been as a Sabre.
Stephen Maile, Tucson, Ariz.

I believe the Sabres' worst move was to fire head coach Ted Nolan. I had a lot of respect for that organization until the behind the scenes squables and distractions led to the dismissal of this much beloved coach. Ted Nolan was capable of producing a championship team and he proved it time and again. It's unfortunate to see such dealings occur and the worst part about is that to this date no hockey club has considered to hire this man especially those sub-par teams who desperately need a good coach to improve their players skills. Buffalo, you lost a good thing!
Antonella, Queenston, Ontario

While the trade of Dominik Hasek was not in itself painful, they way it was done was. The Sabres had the oppurtunity to pick up a front liner from the Blues. The trigger was pulled a little fast and the Sabres were left with little compensation. While Hasek is well past his prime and is not the answer for a young gritty Sabres squad, he still held a rare commadity in today's NHL market, a quality goalie. Why the Sabres did not push to get Chris Osgood included in the deal is beyond me, the Wings knew they would lose him and the Sabres could have moved him before the season, and probably still signes Bob Essensa. The Sabres had a great run with Hasek in the pipes, and with the young team gaining experience, and possibly the three best goalie prospects in the NHL, I look for the Sabres to make a serious run in the near future, while Hasek still waits for the cup that will never come.
Scott Wessel, Geneseo, N.Y.

I live in the Washington area, and every time I see Calle Johannson in a Caps uniform (more than 10 years now), I wince. In a bad late-season move, the Sabres surrendered Calle for Clint Malarchuk, who faced misfortune and disappeared. Calle, meanwhile, has played great defense for more than a decade.
John A. Knab, Bethesda. Md.

I am a lifelong Sabres fan -- only a few years older than the team itself -- and have marveled for the last three decades at the transactions that have transpired through the franchise. It seems that the only time the brain trust(s) at "One Sabres Drive" could do anything right was in the very beginning. If only Punch Imlach had had a son to carry on.

One need only scan the rosters of the other teams in the NHL to appreciate the Sabres for what they really are: a farm club for the rest of the league. Barasso, Mogilny, Andreychuk, Audette are but a few of the names that spring to mind. Sabres "alumni" who performed at least as well, and usually better after starting in upstate New York only to be sent packing in trade for do-nothings.

And while the accomplishments of living legend Scotty Bowman are unchallenged, the Sabres remain the only NHL team with which he was affiliated (Coach/GM) that didn't win a cup. The only question is whether that was in spite of, or because of him.

A true Sabres fan could scratch away every hair on his head while trying to determine what the front office has been doing for the last 25 years (beside the obvious: undermining the efforts of the players' quest to win a Stanley Cup). I, however have long since given up on that pastime. Instead I scratch my head at this fact: Another look around the League would show an overwhelming preponderence of coaches/scouts/front office personnel that also have spent time with the Sabres. In many cases it was first as a player, and eventually as a coach, etc. Roger Neilson, Craig Ramsey, and Rick Dudley are three who spring to mind.

(It should also be noted that the Sabres have been a prime training ground for the coaching ranks from within their own player ranks, as the likes of Schoenfeld, Dudley, Ramsey- Craig and Mike, Randy Cunneyworth of the Rochester Amerks, and of course, Lindy Ruff prove.)

Is there another organization -- in any of the major sports -- that have brought so much success to everybody else but themselves?
Scott Melligan, San Diego, Calif.

I grew up in southern Ontario watching the Buffalo Sabres. They were fun to watch in the '70s. Since then they have insulted their greatest player ever, Gilbert Perreault, traded their greatest goalie ever, Dominik Hasek, let go a coach who guided them to the Stanley Cup finals, Ted Nolan, and failed to sign the guy with the biggest heart and effort, Mike Peca. Don't forget to add the names of Pierre Turgeon, Phil Housley and Alexander Mogilny into the fray. If you are saving champagne to toast a cup in Buffalo, drink it, champagne doesn't age well!
Raoul Legal, Tyler, Texas

You missed a trade in the Sabres article: Rene Robert to Colorado for John Van Boxmeer. In terms of statistics, this was probably a pretty good trade for the Sabres, and Van Boxmeer is fondly remembered by Sabres fans. However, this trade was the clincher that the days of the "French Connection" were over. Never again would the Sabres throw out Perrault, Martin, and Robert to menace opposing goaltenders -- at least not until the three reunited after retirement to make commercials for spaghetti sauce and to play in a few old-timers games.
Andy Kuligowski, Dunedin, Fla.

I find the treatment of Dominik Hasek by so-called Sabres "fans" unacceptable. I think (unlike you) that his was one of the most heartbreaking trades. Instead of thanking him for all he did for the club in the past years, people begrudge him his entirely reasonable decision to have a fresh start in the autumn of his career. Let's face it: What would the Sabres have been without him, his spectacular style, his "Dominator"-tag, even his theatralic tantrums off the ice rink? An average, boring team which could never even have dreamt of reaching the Stanley Cup finals. His charity work in Buffalo also deserves a mention, but nobody seems to care about that, either. His treatment by the local press at his final press conference was also particularly ungrateful and pathetic. I wonder how they would have treated him if he was American rather than Czech.
Lukas Kratochvil, London, England

In reply to your comments on the Buffalo Sabres many heartbreaking moves, some points need to be clarified.

First, regarding the 1981 trade which sent Danny Gare and Jim Schoenfeld to Detroit, it was not a bust for the Sabres. Gare may have been popular, but he was slowing down and he never came close to duplicating his earlier success, either in Detroit or later in Edmonton. Mike Foligno was a solid player for the Sabres for many years, and several other teams had wanted him before Bowman succeeded. Brent Peterson, who was considered a throw-in, was also a solid contributor. The only downside was that the Sabres had to accept overpaid and underachieving Dale McCourt, whom they later cut, but that was acceptable.

Also, you mention that Schoenfeld said, after the trade, that he had nothing good to say about Bowman. You fail to mention that a few years later when Schoenfeld was coaching the Sabres' AHL affiliate, Bowman plucked him out of retirement and brought him back to play defense. That caused a stir, and Schoenfeld had no problem coming back to play for Bowman then.

Second, as a Sabres fan, I can tell you that the biggest heartbreak was not wasted draft picks but squandered opportunities from excellent draft picks. Remember some of the great Sabres trades with the Los Angeles Kings? There was Jerrry Korab for a first round pick, which was Phil Housley. There was then Rick Martin and Don Luce for another first round pick, which was Tom Barrasso? Remember how the Sabres had three first-round picks in two consecutive drafts and didn't waste them? Why couldn't the Sabres do any better, then? In my opinion, it was because Scotty Bowman's style was totally wrong for such a young team. It is no coincidence that Bowman has consistently won with veteran teams, not young ones like the one he had with the Sabres. Had Bowman recognized this mismatch and hired a coach who could handle such a team better, the Sabres could have done so much better, and in my opinion this missed opportunity was the greatest heartbreak.
Jeffrey Whitbred, West Covina, Calif.

I forget the year, but bringing in Scotty Bowman as coach and GM had unintended results. Most of his mistakes came as GM. He took a team that had been to the finals in 1975 and was probably a player or two away from winning it all. Shortly after his arrival he began to dismantle the team. He shipped fan favorites Danny Gare and Schoenfeld to Detroit. "King Kong" Korab went to LA. He broke up the French Connection, by sending Rene Robert to Colorado and Richard Martin to the Kings. As a result, Buffalo has the dubious distinction of being the only city where Bowman has failed to deliver the Stanley Cup.
Greg Skonecki, Detroit, Mich.

The trade that sent Alexander Mogilny to the Vancouver Canucks for Mike Peca and Mike Wilson. Mogilny was one of my favorite all-time Sabres and I wish we would have kept him. I know we got a great player in Peca, but he ended up being a greedy player and left Buffalo. And Mike Wilson was the biggest baby to ever lace up a pair of skates. this trade made me sick and I'll always hate John Muckler.
Jason, Lewiston, N.Y.

Although we loved Dale Hawerchuck here in Buffalo, I sorley miss Phil Housley. As we all know, Dale has moved on in life, finishing his career in Philly, but Phil continues to produce. If the signing of Andreychuck this offseason means anything, Phil will be back to finish his years here, too.
Austin Michaels, Buffalo, N.Y.

A still highly debated question was why did the Sabres trade star Ray Sheppard to the Rangers for -- not a player -- but $1? Sheppard excelled as a rookie and appeared to be one of the up and coming stars in the NHL at the time. Obviously, Ray never panned out to be as great as his early statistics showed ... but look at the trade. A 40-goal scorer for $1? I should have offered $2 becuase he would have made a great addittion to my street hockey team!
Gregory Militello, Buffalo, N.Y.