Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
When Buffalo Sabres president Ted Black sent a magazine along with invoices to season ticket holders entitled “Buffalo Sabres 2015-16: The Next Chapter,” perhaps it should actually be taken as the first chapter in a new book. After the firing of Rochester Americans head coach Chadd Cassidy yesterday, nearly everything left over from the previous regime is gone including it's identity, or what was described as it's identity.
As of this moment there are still some key personnel in the front office who are holdovers from the Darcy Regier-era like assistant GM, Mark Jakubowski and Director of Player Personnel, Kevin Devine. A number of scouts like Jon Christiano, Toby O'Brien and Yuri Khymlev are still on board. Player development coach Randy Cunneyworth is still around and the young players GM Tim Murray wants to build with at this time--including Tyler Ennis, Zemgus Girgensons, and Rasmus Ristolainen--have survived a roster purge over the course of two trade deadlines and one off season.
But the two coaches in the organization for the 2014-15 season, didn't make it through. From an historically objective standpoint, the numbers will show that Ted Nolan's 30th place Sabres team had a 23-51-8 record while the Amerks finished 27th in the AHL with a 29-41-6 record. What history won't reveal fully through those numbers is the maelstrom of the Sabres scorched-earth rebuild that was going on during this time period. Kudos to both Nolan and Cassidy for their work during this hellacious time.
Showing posts with label chadd cassidy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chadd cassidy. Show all posts
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Friday, May 1, 2015
Individual player development in Rochsester and were to go from here
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
This is the second of a two-part series reviewing the Rochester Americans season
In deciding Rochester Americans head coach Chadd Cassidy's fate, the black and white of an AHL won/loss record isn't the only factor to be taken into consideration. Buffalo GM Tim Murray will be looking at how the young players developed in Rochester, from stars down to rookie free agents.
With a 27th place finish by the Amerks and the opportunity for Murray to have a fresh start in Rochester, the odds looked to be stacked against Cassidy at this point. Yet the Amerks bench boss, who was in his second full season as head coach, had his share success stories in player development. "If development is what matters most to Sabres general manager Tim Murray," wrote Amerks beat writer Kevin Oklobzija of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, "then Cassidy and his staff seemingly will be back. The kids got better. They grew, they didn't repeat mistakes and they were, in most cases, effective when called up to the NHL."
Forward Johan Larsson is a prime example.
Larsson finally broke through at the NHL-level last month after strong year over year development in Rochester. He took his pesky two-way game from top-six to top-line for the Amerks and was able to up his production as well. After fits and starts to his NHL career, and despite a tinge of self-pity after being sent down back in January, Larsson, with the help of the coaching staff, worked through some deficiencies (mostly mental) and he was finally able to take his game to, and succeed at, the NHL level
This is the second of a two-part series reviewing the Rochester Americans season
In deciding Rochester Americans head coach Chadd Cassidy's fate, the black and white of an AHL won/loss record isn't the only factor to be taken into consideration. Buffalo GM Tim Murray will be looking at how the young players developed in Rochester, from stars down to rookie free agents.
With a 27th place finish by the Amerks and the opportunity for Murray to have a fresh start in Rochester, the odds looked to be stacked against Cassidy at this point. Yet the Amerks bench boss, who was in his second full season as head coach, had his share success stories in player development. "If development is what matters most to Sabres general manager Tim Murray," wrote Amerks beat writer Kevin Oklobzija of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, "then Cassidy and his staff seemingly will be back. The kids got better. They grew, they didn't repeat mistakes and they were, in most cases, effective when called up to the NHL."
Forward Johan Larsson is a prime example.
Larsson finally broke through at the NHL-level last month after strong year over year development in Rochester. He took his pesky two-way game from top-six to top-line for the Amerks and was able to up his production as well. After fits and starts to his NHL career, and despite a tinge of self-pity after being sent down back in January, Larsson, with the help of the coaching staff, worked through some deficiencies (mostly mental) and he was finally able to take his game to, and succeed at, the NHL level
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Flux, player movement and lack of sandpaper undermines Amerks season
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
This is the first in a two-part series reviewing the Rochester Americans season.
While the majority in Sabreland was obsessing over the NHL lottery last Saturday night, hoping that the gold logo would come up Buffalo, the Rochester Americans were in the midst of a three-game-in-three-night season finale' that featured two road games in a row to end the season. When the ping-pong balls came up Edmonton, Rochester was in Binghamton in the second to last game of a long, trying season.
In contrast to the supreme focus of Buffalo hockey fans and media on the circus that was "McEichel" all season, those in Rochester, a mere 60 miles east, were of the casual, detached variety, even when it came to the climax that was the NHL lottery. "We were in the middle of a game," said long time Amerks broadcaster Don Stevens of the lottery draw. "I don't think there was a lot said about it."
This is the first in a two-part series reviewing the Rochester Americans season.
While the majority in Sabreland was obsessing over the NHL lottery last Saturday night, hoping that the gold logo would come up Buffalo, the Rochester Americans were in the midst of a three-game-in-three-night season finale' that featured two road games in a row to end the season. When the ping-pong balls came up Edmonton, Rochester was in Binghamton in the second to last game of a long, trying season.
In contrast to the supreme focus of Buffalo hockey fans and media on the circus that was "McEichel" all season, those in Rochester, a mere 60 miles east, were of the casual, detached variety, even when it came to the climax that was the NHL lottery. "We were in the middle of a game," said long time Amerks broadcaster Don Stevens of the lottery draw. "I don't think there was a lot said about it."
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Struggling Amerks sweep Monsters as F, Eric Cornel makes his pro debut
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Head coach Chadd Cassidy's Rochester Americans came into "the Q" last night on a four-game losing streak. They were playing the last game of a four-game road trip and were facing a Lake Erie Monsters team that was still in playoff contention, yet despite that, a little relief was in sight as the Amerks were coming into the contest looking for the season sweep.
In the first three meetings the Amerks outscored the Monsters by a cumulative 14-4 score and last night ended up no different as the Amerks skated to a 5-1 victory in front of 6628 in Cleveland. "It's just one of those things where you just match up well against a team or you just have confidence," said Cassidy after pulling off the sweep. "We've got a lot of new players in our lineup and finally had a long week of practice where we got everyone on the same page.
Head coach Chadd Cassidy's Rochester Americans came into "the Q" last night on a four-game losing streak. They were playing the last game of a four-game road trip and were facing a Lake Erie Monsters team that was still in playoff contention, yet despite that, a little relief was in sight as the Amerks were coming into the contest looking for the season sweep.
In the first three meetings the Amerks outscored the Monsters by a cumulative 14-4 score and last night ended up no different as the Amerks skated to a 5-1 victory in front of 6628 in Cleveland. "It's just one of those things where you just match up well against a team or you just have confidence," said Cassidy after pulling off the sweep. "We've got a lot of new players in our lineup and finally had a long week of practice where we got everyone on the same page.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Amerks finally find something to feel good about.
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
While the parent club was busy taking down the Florida Panthers on Saturday night for their ninth win in 12 games, the Rochester Americans were facing the back-end of a home-and-home against a team they've had little success against this season.
To say it's been a brutal stretch for the Rochester Americans would be an understatement. Six losses in a row, 2-8-0-0 in their last ten. Goaltending was erratic, defense inconsistent, and a once potent offense that was at the top of the league at one point in the season had lit the lamp a mere 11 times in last eight games. The team they faced last night, the Hamilton Bulldogs (MTL,) had just beaten them the night before and increased their record to 4-1 vs. the Amerks so far this season.
Crisis? What crisis?
Shall we go on?
Their leading scorers, Phil Varone, Johan Larsson, Luke Adam, Mikhail Grigorenko, Tim Schaller, and Joel Armia totaled four goals in the last eight games.
Armia has been sidelined with an upper-body injury for the last seven games and although one player does not an offense make, the big winger has a tendency to open up the ice for himself and his linemates. He had 15 points (6+9) in 19 games before his injury.
Joining Armia on the injured list are veteran defensemen Drew Bagnall and Nick Petrecki.
Bagnall's been sidelined the last four games while Petrecki has missed the last two. It left head coach Chadd Cassidy without a veteran presence on the blueline. Although his d-corps are gamers, they're very young. The "vets" on the back end are 24 yr. old Chad Ruhwedel and 23 yr. old Matt MacKenzie. Ruhwedel is beginning his second full season while MacKenzie has been bouncing between the AHL and ECHL the over the course of the previous three seasons.
No further evidence needs to be presented of their youth than the plight of Jake McCabe last night. In the first period with the Sabres up 1-0, the rookie was schooled by TJ Hensick at the Buffalo blueline. Hensick lifted a sleeping McCabe's stick on the backcheck and went in 2-on-1 with Drayson Bowman. Bowman buried Hensick's pass top-shelf, blocker side to tie the game. On the second Hamilton goal, McCabe was caught in no-man's land on a weak shot-block attempt. He not only failed to block the shot, he provided a nice little screen.
McCabe, though, would forget the first period and rest of the game he was solid. "Jake's been playing really well," said Cassidy. "we forget sometimes that he's only 21 yrs. old playing in a league with men. He competes hard, he plays hard on the puck in the d-zone, finishes off guys and is difficult to play against.
"[But,] he's still only 21 yrs. old, we [need] to keep that in mind."
Cassidy really doesn't have a "youth problem" per se up front, but with Armia out there was a pretty big void in the skill department. The coach did some juggling in Friday's game by moving Varone from center to the wing and followed through with that on Saturday. On the other wing Larsson with Grigorenko in the middle. Like the Sabres, Cassidy pretty much has himself a one-line offense.
"It's a different group this year," he said. "Last year we had two lines grind it out and skill up top [in the top-six]. Larsson, Grigorenko and Varone, they'll have a lot of rushes through the neutral zone and they'll have a lot of possession time, but really, our other [three] lines get it in deep and get a touch on [the puck]."
With only one skill line right now, Cassidy said "It's more of playing to that identity and an understanding that everybody's got to play a little different. As long as you're playing to your strengths and you're helping you're team out, that's what we need from each guy."
Up and down the lineup the coach got what he needed from his guys. McCabe recovered well from a rough first period. Chad Ruhwedel had a bit of redemption on his game-winner as he'd been foiled on a golden opportunity earlier. Larsson had three assists including a sweet cross-ice feed to Ruhwedel. Makarov was solid in net, coming up big when needed. Adam played out of character and paid the price with two ice packs on after blocking a couple shots.
"We played desperate," he said. "Guys know that it hasn't been good. We've played well enough to be in games and have opportunities to win, but we didn't have that push to win hockey games. We did tonight."
It was the first game of a season-long eight-game homestand. In all they'll be playing 11 out of the next 12 at home before they hit the road for 11 of 12. Having them pull out a gutsy win beats the alternative and after an extremely rough stretch, Cassidy was pretty relieved. "We found something to feel good about," he said.
While the parent club was busy taking down the Florida Panthers on Saturday night for their ninth win in 12 games, the Rochester Americans were facing the back-end of a home-and-home against a team they've had little success against this season.
To say it's been a brutal stretch for the Rochester Americans would be an understatement. Six losses in a row, 2-8-0-0 in their last ten. Goaltending was erratic, defense inconsistent, and a once potent offense that was at the top of the league at one point in the season had lit the lamp a mere 11 times in last eight games. The team they faced last night, the Hamilton Bulldogs (MTL,) had just beaten them the night before and increased their record to 4-1 vs. the Amerks so far this season.
Crisis? What crisis?
Shall we go on?
Their leading scorers, Phil Varone, Johan Larsson, Luke Adam, Mikhail Grigorenko, Tim Schaller, and Joel Armia totaled four goals in the last eight games.
Armia has been sidelined with an upper-body injury for the last seven games and although one player does not an offense make, the big winger has a tendency to open up the ice for himself and his linemates. He had 15 points (6+9) in 19 games before his injury.
Joining Armia on the injured list are veteran defensemen Drew Bagnall and Nick Petrecki.
Bagnall's been sidelined the last four games while Petrecki has missed the last two. It left head coach Chadd Cassidy without a veteran presence on the blueline. Although his d-corps are gamers, they're very young. The "vets" on the back end are 24 yr. old Chad Ruhwedel and 23 yr. old Matt MacKenzie. Ruhwedel is beginning his second full season while MacKenzie has been bouncing between the AHL and ECHL the over the course of the previous three seasons.
No further evidence needs to be presented of their youth than the plight of Jake McCabe last night. In the first period with the Sabres up 1-0, the rookie was schooled by TJ Hensick at the Buffalo blueline. Hensick lifted a sleeping McCabe's stick on the backcheck and went in 2-on-1 with Drayson Bowman. Bowman buried Hensick's pass top-shelf, blocker side to tie the game. On the second Hamilton goal, McCabe was caught in no-man's land on a weak shot-block attempt. He not only failed to block the shot, he provided a nice little screen.
McCabe, though, would forget the first period and rest of the game he was solid. "Jake's been playing really well," said Cassidy. "we forget sometimes that he's only 21 yrs. old playing in a league with men. He competes hard, he plays hard on the puck in the d-zone, finishes off guys and is difficult to play against.
"[But,] he's still only 21 yrs. old, we [need] to keep that in mind."
Cassidy really doesn't have a "youth problem" per se up front, but with Armia out there was a pretty big void in the skill department. The coach did some juggling in Friday's game by moving Varone from center to the wing and followed through with that on Saturday. On the other wing Larsson with Grigorenko in the middle. Like the Sabres, Cassidy pretty much has himself a one-line offense.
"It's a different group this year," he said. "Last year we had two lines grind it out and skill up top [in the top-six]. Larsson, Grigorenko and Varone, they'll have a lot of rushes through the neutral zone and they'll have a lot of possession time, but really, our other [three] lines get it in deep and get a touch on [the puck]."
With only one skill line right now, Cassidy said "It's more of playing to that identity and an understanding that everybody's got to play a little different. As long as you're playing to your strengths and you're helping you're team out, that's what we need from each guy."
Up and down the lineup the coach got what he needed from his guys. McCabe recovered well from a rough first period. Chad Ruhwedel had a bit of redemption on his game-winner as he'd been foiled on a golden opportunity earlier. Larsson had three assists including a sweet cross-ice feed to Ruhwedel. Makarov was solid in net, coming up big when needed. Adam played out of character and paid the price with two ice packs on after blocking a couple shots.
"We played desperate," he said. "Guys know that it hasn't been good. We've played well enough to be in games and have opportunities to win, but we didn't have that push to win hockey games. We did tonight."
It was the first game of a season-long eight-game homestand. In all they'll be playing 11 out of the next 12 at home before they hit the road for 11 of 12. Having them pull out a gutsy win beats the alternative and after an extremely rough stretch, Cassidy was pretty relieved. "We found something to feel good about," he said.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Should Traverse City results matter that much to Sabres' fans?
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Not really. But it sure seems as if those results matter to Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray and Traverse City bench boss Chadd Cassidy. And they should.
Mike Morreale of nhl.com just wrote of Murray at the tournament, "[He] is the one standing on his bench in the last row, scribbling notes on a clipboard and every so often shaking his head and yelling to his players with the hope of gaining their attention."
A big chunk of those players are his guys, the ones he's either drafted, traded for or gave a tryout to.
His draft picks include 2014 2nd overall pick, Sam Reinhart and four others from that class--2nd rounders Brendan Lemieux (31st overall,) Eric Cornel (44th,) and Vaclav Karabacek (49th) up front and Brycen Martin (74th) on defense.
William Carrier (2013, 57th, STL) and Jordan Samuels-Thomas (2009, 203rd, ATL) were traded for in separate deals. The team invited six players to Traverse City--goalie Francios Brassard; defensemen Ryan MacKinnon and Jared Walsh; forwards Joseph Blandisi, Michael Joly, and Jack Rodewald.
Not really. But it sure seems as if those results matter to Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray and Traverse City bench boss Chadd Cassidy. And they should.
Mike Morreale of nhl.com just wrote of Murray at the tournament, "[He] is the one standing on his bench in the last row, scribbling notes on a clipboard and every so often shaking his head and yelling to his players with the hope of gaining their attention."
A big chunk of those players are his guys, the ones he's either drafted, traded for or gave a tryout to.
His draft picks include 2014 2nd overall pick, Sam Reinhart and four others from that class--2nd rounders Brendan Lemieux (31st overall,) Eric Cornel (44th,) and Vaclav Karabacek (49th) up front and Brycen Martin (74th) on defense.
William Carrier (2013, 57th, STL) and Jordan Samuels-Thomas (2009, 203rd, ATL) were traded for in separate deals. The team invited six players to Traverse City--goalie Francios Brassard; defensemen Ryan MacKinnon and Jared Walsh; forwards Joseph Blandisi, Michael Joly, and Jack Rodewald.
Monday, June 16, 2014
Some food for thought as the off season officially begins
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
First off congratulations to the Los Angeles Kings for winning their second Stanley Cup in three years.
Well deserved.
With the conclusion of the playoffs the next sign-post is the NHL Draft less than two weeks from now.
But before that, there's a little aside as the NHL compliance buyout period begins. It wouldn't be surprising to see a Sabres fan somewhere with a Ville Leino countdown clock ticking away towards the opening of the buyout period. There may even be a ball-drop ceremony at the F'N Center.
With the focus on a pretty exciting Stanley Cup Finals, the draft inching closer, as well as the Leino party favors and "Uncle" Terry Pegula set to pull out his wallet to buy the Buffalo Bills, lesser headlines and/or tidbits are getting lost in the shuffle.
First off congratulations to the Los Angeles Kings for winning their second Stanley Cup in three years.
Well deserved.
With the conclusion of the playoffs the next sign-post is the NHL Draft less than two weeks from now.
But before that, there's a little aside as the NHL compliance buyout period begins. It wouldn't be surprising to see a Sabres fan somewhere with a Ville Leino countdown clock ticking away towards the opening of the buyout period. There may even be a ball-drop ceremony at the F'N Center.
With the focus on a pretty exciting Stanley Cup Finals, the draft inching closer, as well as the Leino party favors and "Uncle" Terry Pegula set to pull out his wallet to buy the Buffalo Bills, lesser headlines and/or tidbits are getting lost in the shuffle.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Beneath the Surface, the Sabres Are Laying A Solid Foundation
The Terry Pegula bashing is relentless in blog world as hockey fans outside of Buffalo are ripping the Sabres for signing free agents Christian Ehrhoff and Ville Leino to long-term multi-million dollar contracts.
Fine.
It feels good to be on the side of the equation that the Rangers, Flyers and Leafs have been on for the past decade and a half and while defending the spending can be invigorating, eventually it ends up being a waste of energy.
Simple fact, the Sabres, for a change, were given the green light to go after what they wanted. Dollars be damned.
The aforementioned Ehrhoff and Leino signings represented largely known commodities at a known salaries and are near-term moves, albeit, with long-term consequences, directed at winning now with veteran players to fill in holes.
But, beneath the surface of the signings, Terry Pegula, through Team President, Ted Black, via GM Darcy Regier, is focused upon building a strong foundation through the development of home-grown talent.
Ron Rolston, noted for player development, was hired as Head Coach for the Rochester Americans. Black called him the "first professor at the University of Sabres." Regier elaborated, "...the reference to University was largely about doing things differently, taking more responsibility for the players' development and also demand the player take more responsibility for his own development."
Recently, Rolston cemented his Amerks staff by adding his assistant from the U-17 National Player Development Program, Chadd Cassidy. Cassidy has spent the last five years with Rolston.
It was also announced that former Sabres d-man, Jay McKee will be named as an assistant coach in Rochester. McKee just recently started his foray into coaching last season as a volunteer coach for the Niagara Purple Eagles.
We know what he brought to the table as a player, but the question is, can he teach (coach)?
It will be a learning process for McKee, and should he be able to transfer his knowledge of the pro game to the strong group of young defensemen in the Sabres pipeline, the Sabres are looking at a rock-solid defense-corps for years to come.
The McKee addition also represents a definitive direction for the Buffalo Sabres organization on other levels as well.
One of the tenants of the Pegula era is focusing upon players "who are not only statistically good, but winners, gritty players."
The "stay-at-home" McKee certainly fit that mold as he represented sand paper and toughness on the back-end for 10 years with the Sabres.
Early in August, the Buffalo Jr. Sabres President, Larry Playfair, announced former captain, Michael Peca will be the team's new GM. Although not directly affiliated with the Sabres, they are run by the Alumni Association and Peca will be about as close as you can get to the big club. He will be in charge of recruiting local talent that has seen the likes of Brian Gionta, Ryan Callahan, the aforementioned Adams and Todd Marchant skate for the team.
McKee and Peca both wore letters during their NHL careers and represent links to late-90's, fan-favorite Sabres team that was dubbed "The Hardest Working Team In Hockey."
On another level, their return into the Sabres fold also represent yet more moves by Pegula to mend past wounds.
Peca, affectionately known as, "Captain Crunch," was, pound for pound, one of the best hitters in the game, a former Selke winner and one of the most beloved Sabres of all time. His legacy in Buffalo was tainted, though, by a contract dispute, year-long holdout, and eventual trade to the NY Islanders for Tim Connolly and Taylor Pyatt.
The wounds struck deep on all sides, and his departure furthered the decline of a Sabres team that made it to Game 6 of the 1999 Stanely Cup Finals.
Although McKee's departure in 2006 was not nearly as fractious as Peca's, he did leave the team for a big contract in St. Louis, much to the dismay of many Sabres' fans.
Both were tough, gritty players with ample talent who had an affinity for the Buffalo area, but through the business of hockey, ended up leaving.
Bringing the two back into the fold continues the work of Pegula to re-unite the Sabres family. Among the things Pegula has done in the very short time he has owned the team:
All the headlines this past summer are fixated upon Terry Pegula shelling out big-bucks for free agents. With guns-a-blazin', the blogs are filled with the image of him as some Dan Snyder-type owner irresponsibly throwing money around simply because he can.
But what goes unnoticed are two directives presently being filled that fly under the radar of the haters and the whiners:
In addition to the above, an unquoted directive that seems to be making it's way to the fore--a dedication to Sabres' Hockey and bringing back players who best represented the team throughout the teams' 40 years of existence. Players like McKee and Peca.
When all's said and done, the haters will hate, and the whiners will whine, but Sabres fans know that some quality foundational work is being done within the organization.
Fine.
It feels good to be on the side of the equation that the Rangers, Flyers and Leafs have been on for the past decade and a half and while defending the spending can be invigorating, eventually it ends up being a waste of energy.
Simple fact, the Sabres, for a change, were given the green light to go after what they wanted. Dollars be damned.
The aforementioned Ehrhoff and Leino signings represented largely known commodities at a known salaries and are near-term moves, albeit, with long-term consequences, directed at winning now with veteran players to fill in holes.
But, beneath the surface of the signings, Terry Pegula, through Team President, Ted Black, via GM Darcy Regier, is focused upon building a strong foundation through the development of home-grown talent.
The First Professor of Sabres University Adds To His Staff
Ron Rolston, noted for player development, was hired as Head Coach for the Rochester Americans. Black called him the "first professor at the University of Sabres." Regier elaborated, "...the reference to University was largely about doing things differently, taking more responsibility for the players' development and also demand the player take more responsibility for his own development."
Recently, Rolston cemented his Amerks staff by adding his assistant from the U-17 National Player Development Program, Chadd Cassidy. Cassidy has spent the last five years with Rolston.
It was also announced that former Sabres d-man, Jay McKee will be named as an assistant coach in Rochester. McKee just recently started his foray into coaching last season as a volunteer coach for the Niagara Purple Eagles.
We know what he brought to the table as a player, but the question is, can he teach (coach)?
It will be a learning process for McKee, and should he be able to transfer his knowledge of the pro game to the strong group of young defensemen in the Sabres pipeline, the Sabres are looking at a rock-solid defense-corps for years to come.
Grit And Leadership Back In the Fold
The McKee addition also represents a definitive direction for the Buffalo Sabres organization on other levels as well.
One of the tenants of the Pegula era is focusing upon players "who are not only statistically good, but winners, gritty players."
The "stay-at-home" McKee certainly fit that mold as he represented sand paper and toughness on the back-end for 10 years with the Sabres.
Early in August, the Buffalo Jr. Sabres President, Larry Playfair, announced former captain, Michael Peca will be the team's new GM. Although not directly affiliated with the Sabres, they are run by the Alumni Association and Peca will be about as close as you can get to the big club. He will be in charge of recruiting local talent that has seen the likes of Brian Gionta, Ryan Callahan, the aforementioned Adams and Todd Marchant skate for the team.
McKee and Peca both wore letters during their NHL careers and represent links to late-90's, fan-favorite Sabres team that was dubbed "The Hardest Working Team In Hockey."
Pegula Continues To Mend Wounds
On another level, their return into the Sabres fold also represent yet more moves by Pegula to mend past wounds.
Peca, affectionately known as, "Captain Crunch," was, pound for pound, one of the best hitters in the game, a former Selke winner and one of the most beloved Sabres of all time. His legacy in Buffalo was tainted, though, by a contract dispute, year-long holdout, and eventual trade to the NY Islanders for Tim Connolly and Taylor Pyatt.
The wounds struck deep on all sides, and his departure furthered the decline of a Sabres team that made it to Game 6 of the 1999 Stanely Cup Finals.
Although McKee's departure in 2006 was not nearly as fractious as Peca's, he did leave the team for a big contract in St. Louis, much to the dismay of many Sabres' fans.
Both were tough, gritty players with ample talent who had an affinity for the Buffalo area, but through the business of hockey, ended up leaving.
Bringing the two back into the fold continues the work of Pegula to re-unite the Sabres family. Among the things Pegula has done in the very short time he has owned the team:
- he mended a legendary rift that "French Connection" alum Rene Robert had with the team, and in one of the great Sabres moments, Robert, Rick Martin and Gilbert Perreault skated on ice together for Pegula's home debut as new owner
- he continued to embrace 40 years of Sabres tradition by flying in any willing Sabres alum for Alumni Appreciation Day in April
- with Teppo Numminen's Sabres career marred by a "suspension" from the Golisano regime, Darcy Regier reached out to the former defenseman and has had talks with Numminen about scouting for the team. Interesting to note that Numminen was a scout for Team Finland and the Sabres #1 pick in this year's draft was a Finn, Joel Armia.
- the Rochester Americans are back as the Sabres' minor league affiliate after four years in Portland, Maine
Let the Haters, Hate and the Whiners, Whine
All the headlines this past summer are fixated upon Terry Pegula shelling out big-bucks for free agents. With guns-a-blazin', the blogs are filled with the image of him as some Dan Snyder-type owner irresponsibly throwing money around simply because he can.
But what goes unnoticed are two directives presently being filled that fly under the radar of the haters and the whiners:
- "I wanna keep not only statistically good players, but winners gritty players."
- "There is no salary cap in the nhl on scouting budgets and player development budgets. I plan on increasing...our scouting budgets."
In addition to the above, an unquoted directive that seems to be making it's way to the fore--a dedication to Sabres' Hockey and bringing back players who best represented the team throughout the teams' 40 years of existence. Players like McKee and Peca.
When all's said and done, the haters will hate, and the whiners will whine, but Sabres fans know that some quality foundational work is being done within the organization.
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