1970–71 Buffalo Sabres season
1970–71 Buffalo Sabres | ||
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Division | 5th East | |
1970–71 record | 24–39–15 | |
Home record | 16-13-10 | |
Road record | 8-26-5 | |
Goals for | 217 | |
Goals against | 291 | |
Team information | ||
General Manager | Punch Imlach | |
Coach | Punch Imlach | |
Captain | Floyd Smith | |
Arena | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium | |
Average attendance | 9,721 | |
Team leaders | ||
Goals | Gilbert Perreault (38) | |
Assists | Phil Goyette (46) | |
Points | Gilbert Perreault (72) | |
Penalties in minutes | Tracy Pratt (179) | |
Wins | Joe Daley (12) | |
Goals against average | Dave Dryden (3.37) | |
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The 1970–71 Buffalo Sabres season was the Sabres' first season in the National Hockey League.
The Sabres had the first pick in the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft, which they used to select Gilbert Perreault. Led by Perreault's NHL rookie record of 38 goals,[1] the Sabres would 24–39–15, ahead of the Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings in the Eastern Division. However, they finished 19 points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs in the division, and finished 19 points short of a playoff berth.
The Sabres played their home games in the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. "The Aud" was previously home of the Buffalo Bisons AHL team. To make way for the Sabres the Bisons folded following the 1969–70 AHL season, which saw the Bisons win their fifth and final Calder Cup. For the Sabres first season played the Aud had an ice hockey seating capacity of only 12,280 for hockey. The arena would be renovated following the season to expand capacity.[2]
Offseason
The Buffalo Sabres, along with the Vancouver Canucks, joined the NHL in the 1970–71 season. The Sabres' first owners were Seymour and Northrup Knox, scions of a family long prominent in western New York. The team's name, selected through a fan contest,[3] was chosen because it was known as a weapon carried by leaders, and it is also swift and strong on offense as well as defense. The Knoxes had tried twice before to get an NHL team, first when the NHL expanded in 1967, and then unsuccessfully attempting to buy the Oakland Seals with the intent of moving them to Buffalo. At the time of their creation, the Buffalo Sabres exercised their option to create their own AHL farm team, the Cincinnati Swords. On June 9, 1970, the 1970 NHL Expansion Draft was held to fill the Sabres' and Canucks' rosters.
NHL draft
In 1970, two new franchises were awarded in the NHL — the Buffalo Sabres and the Vancouver Canucks. Sabres general manager/coach Punch Imlach chose his favorite number, number 11, for the roulette wheel spin to determine which franchise would have the first choice in the 1970 Entry Draft.[4] Ultimately, the Canucks were allocated numbers 1-10 on the wheel, while the Sabres had 11-20. When league president Clarence Campbell spun the wheel, he initially thought the pointer landed on 1. However, while Campbell was congratulating the Vancouver delegation, Imlach asked Campbell to check again. As it turned out, the pointer was on 11.[5] This was the first year that the Montreal Canadiens did not have a priority right to draft Québécois junior players. Consequently, Perreault was available and taken first overall by the Sabres.[6]
Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Gilbert Perreault | Canada | Montreal Junior Canadiens (OHA) |
2 | 15 | Butch Deadmarsh | Canada | Brandon Wheat Kings (WCHL) |
3 | 29 | Steve Cuddie | Canada | Toronto Marlboros (OHA) |
4 | 43 | Randy Wyrozub | Canada | Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL) |
5 | 57 | Mike Morton | Canada | Shawinigan Bruins (QMJHL) |
6 | 71 | Mike Keeler | Canada | Niagara Falls Flyers (OHA) |
7 | 84 | Tim Regan | United States | Boston University (ECAC) |
8 | 97 | Doug Rombough | Canada | St. Catharines Black Hawks (OHA) |
9 | 107 | Luc Nadeau | Canada | Drummondville Rangers (QMJHL) |
Transactions
Date | ||
October 1, 1969 | To St. Louis Blues Roger Lafreniere |
To Buffalo Sabres Cash |
December 9, 1969 | To St. Louis Blues George Morrison |
To Buffalo Sabres Cash |
June 10, 1970 | To New York Rangers Cash |
To Buffalo Sabres Ted Hodgson |
June 10, 1970 | To Detroit Red Wings Tom Webster |
Buffalo Sabres Roger Crozier |
August 31, 1970 | To Toronto Maple Leafs Cash |
To Buffalo Sabres Floyd Smith Brent Imlach |
October 1, 1970 | To St. Louis Blues Gary Edwards on loan |
To Buffalo Sabres Cash |
October 1, 1970 | To California Golden Seals Howie Menard |
To Buffalo Sabres Cash |
October 2, 1970 | To St. Louis Blues Craig Cameron |
To Buffalo Sabres Ron Anderson |
October 9, 1970 | To Pittsburgh Penguins Cash |
To Buffalo Sabres Dave Dryden |
October 19, 1970 | To St. Louis Blues Bill Sutherland |
Buffalo Sabres Cash |
November 4, 1970 | To St. Louis Blues Bob Baun |
To Buffalo Sabres Larry Keenan Jean-Guy Talbot |
November 24, 1970 | To Los Angeles Kings Mike McMahon Jr. 7th-round pick in 1971 (Pete Harasym) 8th-round pick in 1971 (Lorne Stamler) |
To Buffalo Sabres Dick Duff Eddie Shack |
January 24, 1971 | To Pittsburgh Penguins Jean-Guy Lagace |
To Buffalo Sabres Terry Ball |
Free Agency
September 1970 | Signed Murray Kuntz |
Claimed via Waivers
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Lost via Waivers
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1970 NHL Intraleague Draft
Regular seasonPunch ImlachAfter being fired by the Leafs, it was expected that Imlach would join the NHL's new Vancouver franchise. Imlach, Joe Crozier, and Foster Hewitt had become partners in the Vancouver Canucks of the Western Hockey League and were in line to become owners of the Vancouver NHL team. But they didn't have the financial resources to buy the team, which went to Medical Investment Corporation (Medicor). Medicor bought the WHL Canucks for $2.8 million, with Imlach making a reported gain of more than $250,000. He was offered a job with the NHL Canucks, but instead accepted an offer from the NHL's other expansion team, the Buffalo Sabres, as their first coach and general manager in 1970. Season standings
Schedule and results
Player statisticsForwardsNote: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
DefencemenNote: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes
GoaltendingNote: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average
Roster
Awards and recordsReferences
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