Two in the Box

Rob Ray became the 44th member of the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame on Friday night, a well deserved honor for one of the most beloved players in franchise history. Ray’s induction comes two years after Ryan Miller was inducted in conjunction with his jersey retirement, the first player to be inducted in nearly 10 years. 

It wasn’t long ago that the Sabres Hall of Fame was a stagnant, forgotten aspect of the franchise. After Miller and Ray’s inductions, it would appear that the Sabres Hall of Fame has been revived. 

The priority for the Sabres now should be to find a better way to share the Hall of Fame with the fan base. Currently, the only physical display is the wall of names and photos in the Sabres hallway. It’s a very nice exhibit but few fans ever get to see it in person. There should be a far more substantial celebration of the team’s Hall of Fame in the arena. I’ve long lobbied for the Sabres to build an interactive Hall of Fame and museum in the space behind the Sabres Store and my opinion hasn’t changed. There is a ton of room back there and I expect most of the office space to be cleared once the Canalside Gateway building opens. It is a perfect venue for a walk through attraction that fans can visit on game days or summer afternoons alike. I don’t need to re-hash that entire post, but devoting space to the Sabres Hall of Fame and other memorable aspects of team history seems like a slam dunk for the Sabres to pursue. 

As for the members of the Hall of Fame, it’s encouraging that the practice has returned. With only two new inductions in 10 years, it’s hard to say what sort of cadence the team will take up for new inductions. Will this be an annual event? Bi-annual? Or will the ceremonies come intermittently as the team sees fit to nominate and select someone for induction? 

My hope is for this to become a regular fixture on the Sabres calendar. There are enough worthy candidates to stretch on for 10 seasons with a new induction each year and even more if you care to get a little more creative with the standards for entry. Here is a list of the next most worthy candidates (in no particular order) for the Sabres Hall of Fame and a case for induction for each one. 

Lindy Ruff

I imagine had things gone better this year that Friday’s ceremony could have been a joint induction. Maybe the Sabres are waiting for Ruff to retire before offering the honor, but he’s a slam dunk, first ballot choice for the team. The winningest coach in franchise history with a Jack Adams and Prince of Wales Trophy to boot, he’s a beloved franchise icon who really needs no further argument as to why he should inducted into the Sabres Hall of Fame. It’s merely a question of when. 

Paul Wieland

Wieland was one of the architects of the Sabres Hall of Fame and holds a unique and celebrated place in Sabres history. Not only was he a key player in the creation of Taro Tsujimoto, but he also played a pivotal role in developing the Sabres broadcasts on radio and television. He even did on-air work at times. His fondness for pulling pranks, particularly elaborate April Fool’s stunts, has made him an infamous figure in Sabres lore, but he was a central figure in countless other efforts during the franchise’s infancy and is extremely deserving of the posthumous honor. 

Michael Peca

Captain Crunch. Wearing the ‘C’ for the Sabres for their Cup runs in the late 90s helped cement Peca’s status as a franchise great as did his punishing body checks. Peca played 363 games over five years in Buffalo, the longest stay of his 14 year career, and was a fan favorite throughout. He was a key piece of the late 90s Sabres teams and had he and the club come to an agreement on a contract in 2001, there may be at least one other banner hanging from the KeyBank Center roof. As a fan favorite and former captain of some of the best teams in franchise history, with individual hardware to boot, you could actually make a case that Peca is deserving of having his number retired. Maybe with one or two more Selke wins it’s an easier case, but he is absolutely deserving of the Sabres Hall of Fame. 

Chris Drury 

Drury was one of the most important and impactful figures in Buffalo’s post-Hasek turnaround. He scored one of the most iconic goals in franchise history and wore the ‘C’ on, perhaps, the two most popular teams the Sabres have ever had. Had the Sabres won some hardware in those years and if he’d finished his career here, I imagine his number would be in the rafters. Despite the bitter end to his tenure, he is still among the most memorable Sabres from the past 25 years, illustrated by his inclusion in the Alumni Plaza mural, and is well deserving of induction. 

Daniel Briere

Given how entwined their tenure (and exit) was, I would hope Briere and Drury would be inducted together. It feels fitting. Briere was an equally influential piece to Buffalo’s rise after the lockout, a cornerstone talent of a pair of rosters that made thousands of Western New Yorkers fall in love with the Sabres. He and Drury are intertwined in more ways than just how they left the team and it would be fitting to induct them together. 

Floyd Smith

Smith was Buffalo’s head coach for their 1975 Cup run and won 40-plus games in each of his full seasons behind the Buffalo bench. His teams won 49, 46 and 48 games, and won four playoff series. He was the first captain in franchise history, earning the honor in Buffalo’s inaugural season and while his time in Buffalo wasn’t lengthy, it included a few extremely notable achievements. 

Thomas Vanek

Vanek is currently fifth all time in goal scoring in franchise history and nearly hit 500 points in a Sabres sweater before he departed. He was a captain, Second Team All Star selection, scored 40 goals on two occasions and never scored fewer than 20 over nine years with the Sabres. He was part of a number of playoff teams (and the last playoff team!), growing into a leader over the course of his tenure. Perhaps not as popular as others who have earned the honor, but he has th on-ice resume to be considered. 

Jason Pominville

What Vanek may lack in overall fan support, Pominville has it in spades. Scoring the second most iconic overtime goal in franchise history certainly helps, as does being the 10th in goals (217) and 8th in points (521) for the franchise. A former captain and All Star representative, he definitely has the popularity in the fan base to go along with a decorated career, which makes him a deserving choice. 

Brad May

It’s possible that May doesn’t have quite enough popularity in the fanbase to justify consideration. The May Day goal is the strongest case he has for the honor, while his prowess as a fighter and seven year career are nothing to sneeze at. The Sabres gifted May a one-of-a-kind photo of his OT goal with a brick from The Aud as part of his 1,000th game in 2008-09, so there was a clear intention to honor his place in franchise history. Having played 425 of his 1,000 games here in Buffalo, I don’t think it’s unfair to take his career accomplishments into consideration with respect to the Sabres Hall of Fame. The debate would come down to whether or not the May Day goal is significant enough to give May the honor, and I would say it is. 

Tom Golisano

There was a time the Sabres were rumored to be a target for relocation to Portland. Luckily, that never came to fruition and through the work of the NHL a worthy buyer was found. Golisano was the one who saved the Sabres and although his tenure will be remembered more for his lack of spending and July 1, 2007, he was the white knight the Sabres needed in their worst moments. He secured the future of hockey in Buffalo and he’s deserving of recognition for it. 

Martin Biron

Nine years, 300 games and 134 wins in a Sabres sweater for Biron. He was an excellent addition to the broadcast team and is inextricably linked to the franchise as a player and now in retirement. His playing career was eclipsed by the goaltenders that came before and after him, but he was still a steady presence for nearly a decade and his favor with the fans reflects that. Of course, he has some memorable on-ice exploits as well. He played 72 games in 2001-02, picking up after Dominik Hasek was traded and few will forget the Ottawa brawl. Biron should be an easy choice for the Sabres Hall of Fame. 

The Teams

A team Hall of Fame allows for a lot of flexibility in who you choose to induct. It doesn’t need to be as revered as a jersey retirement, thus, you don’t need to only consider individuals with lengthy career achievements. Inducting a team as a whole allows you to acknowledge the accomplishment from across the entire season and the contributions every player had in the club’s success. There are several teams from Sabres history that should be easy inclusions to the Sabres Hall of Fame and would allow the team to recognize several players and moments from throughout their history:

• 1974-75: No brainer. The first team to reach the Cup Final, they won the regular season title in the East with a roster littered with all-time greats.
• 1979-80: The second Eastern Conference regular season champs. Knocked off by the first year of the Islanders dynasty. Another all-time great roster and season.
• 1996-97: The Hardest Working Team in Hockey. Maybe Ted Nolan doesn’t have the resume to get in on his own, but you can honor his impact on the franchise with this team. They knocked off the Senators in memorable fashion and are deserving of the honor.
• 1998-99: Another Cup run on the back of Dominik Hasek but with a supporting cast that is still adored by fans of the era. An equally easy choice as the 74-75 team.
• 2005-06: Slam dunk. Just a pile of players fans love who went on an unbelievable and unexpected run that captivated the city. Induct them tomorrow.
• 2006-07: Maybe not as fondly remembered as the 05-06 group just due to the weight of expectation, but still a team deserving of enshrinement.

There are a few others who could be considered. A case could be mad for Scotty Bowman and Ted Nolan. The same goes for John Muckler and Darcy Regier. Though I would say all four lack the combination of longevity, accomplishments and fan favor to get over the line. I think JP Dumont certainly has the fan vote worthy of consideration, I’d add Jay McKee to that conversation as well. Alexei Zhitnik was a cornerstone talent with over 700 games played in Buffalo. I don’t think he’s given nearly enough credit for how good he was here, so maybe that rules him out. But as a player, he’s worth a conversation. Ditto for Miroslav Satan.

The good news is that the Sabres aren’t lacking options for future inductions to the team’s Hall of Fame. We’ll see if another induction comes in 2025-26 or if they hold off until the following year. No matter what timeline they choose, there are some great candidates to consider.