Drought lessons for Buffalo from the Dead Wings-era and Jimmy Devellano

With the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres in the throes of multi-year playoff droughts the headlines have grown harsher, the criticism sharper and patience thinner with each passing season. The Bills opened training camp in suburban Rochester, NY after finishing last season out of the playoffs for the 16th consecutive season. After making it to Game-Six of the Stanley Cup Finals in 1999, the Sabres made the playoffs three times, missed three times, made it to the Eastern Conference Finals twice, missed the playoffs twice lost in the first round twice and haven't been back in the playoffs for five consecutive seasons.

Rumblings within with the media and fanbase are omnipresent growing louder or softer dependent upon how the news of the day unfolds. Buffalo sports fans take it in and take their lumps, all while watching other organizations field or ice teams that are perennial winners. Yet, what's conveniently left out when using teams like the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers,  Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins as the gold standard of modern sports success is that all struggled with severe droughts before finally making it to the top.

The Patriots went to the playoffs once in their first 17 seasons (1960-75) and had another drought of sevens years (1987-93) before beginning their long run of NFL dominance. Prior to the Chuck Noll-era of, the Steelers made the playoffs twice in their first 28 years (1944-71) which included droughts of 14 years ('48-'61) and nine years ('63-71).

The Blackhawks had a stretch where they made the playoffs once in 10 seasons from 1996-97 to 2007-08. In their lone appearance the 'Hawks were bounced in the first round. And after missing the playoffs in 1982-83 and finishing dead last in 1983-84, the Pittsburgh Penguins continued their six year playoff drought even after drafting Mario Lemieux in 1984. Of note, the Hawks and the Pens were both missing out on the playoffs during an era where 16 of 21 teams made it into the post season.

Buffalo fans in draft-mode can finish with NHL Draft Lottery tonight

Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com


Yeah, you can count me amongst the many Buffalo sports fans who’d much rather be watching their Sabres play in the second round of the playoffs. For those too young to remember, it did happen some nine years ago when the Buffalo Sabres appeared in their second of back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals.

Alas, it’s been a rough stretch since then and when you add in that the Buffalo Bills haven’t even made the playoffs since 1999 (R.I.P., Prince), these past nine years have been a complete downer.

 

Hope springs eternal in Buffalo, however, especially at the draft and even moreso with the NHL and the draft lottery. Having missed the playoffs once again the Sabres are slotted in at No. 8 for the upcoming entry draft in Buffalo but tonight at 8 P.M. they have a chance at landing in the top three due to the new lottery rules installed by the league two years ago.

 

In an effort to curb tanking amongst rebuilding clubs the first three picks in the draft will chosen via the lottery with Buffalo having a 6% or slightly better chance of landing in the top-three. Jon Vogl of the Buffalo News wrote of Buffalo’s odds, “The Sabres have a 19.2 percent chance of moving into the top three. They have a 39.2 percent chance of remaining eighth, a 34.8 percent chance of falling to ninth and a 6.6 percent chance of dropping to 10th. The furthest Buffalo can fall is 11th, but there’s only a 0.3 percent chance of that happening.”

 

 

It's a brave new world for Buffalo and it's sports fans

Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com.


I'll never forget the feeling I got when the Buffalo Bills traded for Cornelius Bennett in 1987. I was living in Florida at the time having finally left the harsh Buffalo winters for some fun and sun (like sipping a cold one on Christmas in 85-degree weather.) It was shocking move by the Bills. In a good way.

I remember saying to myself at the time, "This is something the Bills don't do, It's usually some other team that makes a bold move like that."