Two of the more recognizable figures in Buffalo hockey history, both in the top 4 on the all-time Sabres scoring list, just recently won hockey’s biggest prize representing a team that didn’t even exist when they were both in Buffalo and in their primes.Tampa Bay forward Dave Andreychuk and assistant coach Craig Ramsay are eternally etched in the memories of Buffalo Sabres fans who lived through the fun years of the 70’s and the torturous times of the 80’s, and proof of their impact can be found in the Sabres record books.
Most folks here in Buffalo have mixed emotions seeing two guys that they still remember as their own holding the Cup for another team, but it’s par for the course by now.
Truth be told, visions of Dominik Hasek, Scotty Bowman, and even Uwe Krupp skating with the Cup don’t always invoke warm fuzzy feelings in this town.
Andreychuk, a 1st round pick (16th overall) by Bowman in 1982, and Ramsey, a 2nd round pick (19th overall) in 1971, lead the Sabres all-time in powerplay and shorthanded goals, respectively. Only the mighty Gilbert Perrault tallied more points than Andreychuk. Ramsey, the 1984-85 Selke trophy winner, is 3rd in assists and 4th in points.
You want to talk about perseverance? It took these two men a combined total of 55 years in the NHL to get their names inscribed on the Stanley Cup.
As if that isn’t enough, there are many other Buffalo connections to the 2004 champs. Coach John Tortorella broke into the NHL here and was an assistant from 1989-95, and won a Calder Cup with the Buffalo AHL affiliate Rochester Americans in 1996.
Defenseman Cory Sarich was a 2nd round pick of the Sabres in 1996, but was traded midway through his first full NHL season (2000) for Chris Gratton.
If you really want a reach, forward Tim Taylor is the older brother of Sabres center Chris Taylor.
Of all the departures from the Sabres organization, Andreychuk’s was arguably the most unfortunate. He made a return to the Sabres in 2001 to take a run at the Cup. He was a 20-goal scorer that season but played mostly on the fourth line, and was even scratched for a key playoff game by coach and former teammate Lindy Ruff.
Making matters worse, for some strange reason the Sabres didn’t feel he was worth the $1 million to keep him around for the following season. That was when another ex-Sabre Rick Dudley, as GM at the time, brought him to Tampa. The rest is history.
“I felt I had some unfinished business (in Buffalo) after leaving the first time,” Andreychuk said. “My family is there. My house is still there. I wanted to go back and retire there. My intentions were to stay in Buffalo, but I thought I still had something to give. I wanted to get back in the playoffs.”
Meanwhile, Ramsey, who also has interests here, will be taking the Cup for a little trip up to the Buffalo / Southern Ontario area soon.
“I get the Cup in August. I’ll definitely be bringing it up there,” he said.
What will it take for someone to actually win it all in a Sabres jersey? If quality hockey players and coaches are continually let go by this organization, we may never know.
One reply on “Ex-Sabres take the prize- again”
Buffalo’s sports woes continue We all know about the Buffalo Bills losing 4 straight Super Bowls, but I don’t think most of us know about the Sabres long struggles. It’s also good to see a hockey story on the website. A nice rant on how Buffalo can’t seem to keep good players who end up winning elsewhere.