Buffalo Sabres History
The Sabres joined the NHL in the 1970 expansion, and just two years later embarked on a streak that saw them reach the playoffs in 12 of the next 13 seasons. Leading the way were "The French Connection" line of Hall of Fame center Gilbert Perreault, left-wing Rick Martin, and right-wing René Robert. The Quebec-born trio was together in Buffalo from 1972 through 1979. Aided by Craig Ramsay, the Sabres and their French Connection advanced to the 1975 Stanley Cup Final in their fifth season, though they fell in six games to the Philadelphia Flyers.
In the following 10 seasons, all of which resulted in playoff berths, the Sabres captured two division titles. Fueled by defenseman (and former U.S. Olympic star) Mike Ramsey, the Sabres made nine playoff appearances between the 1981-1982 and 1991-1992 seasons. Later, during goaltender Dominik Hasek's nine seasons, the Sabres continued to be a consistent playoff team. In 1999, they dispatched the Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs in the playoffs to again reach the Stanley Cup Finals, where they fell to the Dallas Stars in six games.
In 2006 and 2007 the Sabres made it as far as the conference finals before succumbing to the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators, respectively. To date, the Sabres have been in the playoffs 29 times, winning six divisional championships and three conference titles.
Buffalo Sabres Team Info
Conference: Eastern
Division: Atlantic
Year Founded: 1970
Team Colors: Royal Blue, Gold, White
Team Rivals: Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens
Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center
Located on Buffalo's waterfront, KeyBank Center has been home to the Buffalo Sabres since 1996. With a capacity of 19,070, it's the largest indoor arena in Western New York. Since the arena opened its doors on September 21, 1996, it has welcomed more than 11 million people for a variety of events.
