1970–71 Buffalo Sabres season

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1970–71 Buffalo Sabres
Division 5th East
1970–71 record 24–39–15
Goals for 217
Goals against 291
General Manager Punch Imlach
Coach Punch Imlach
Captain Floyd Smith
Team leaders
Goals Gilbert Perreault (38)
Assists Phil Goyette (46)
Points Gilbert Perreault (72)
Penalties in minutes Tracy Pratt (179)

The Buffalo Sabres entered their 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 38 goals, 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

Contents:
Regular season – Playoffs – Player stats – Awards and records - Transactions
Draft picks – Farm teams – See also – References


[edit] 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, 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.

[edit] NHL Draft

See also: 1970 NHL Amateur Draft
Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club Team
1 1 Gilbert Perreault Flag of Canada Canada Montreal Junior Canadiens (OHA)
2 15 Butch Deadmarsh Flag of Canada Canada
3 29 Steve Cuddie
4 43 Randy Wyrozub Flag of Canada Canada
5 57 Mike Morton
6 71 Mike Keeler
7 84 Tim Regan
8 97 Doug Rombough Flag of Canada Canada
9 107 Luc Nadeau

[edit] Regular season

Buffalo's first logo, used from 1970–96.
Buffalo's first logo, used from 1970–96.

[edit] Season standings

East Division GP W L T Pts GF GA PIM
Boston Bruins 78 57 14 7 121 399 207 1154
New York Rangers 78 49 18 11 109 259 177 952
Montreal Canadiens 78 42 23 13 97 291 216 1271
Toronto Maple Leafs 78 37 33 8 82 248 211 1133
Buffalo Sabres 78 24 39 15 63 217 291 1188
Vancouver Canucks 78 24 46 8 56 229 296 1371
Detroit Red Wings 78 22 45 11 55 209 308 988

[edit] Punch Imlach

After 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.

[edit] Player stats

[edit] Forwards

Note: GP= Games played; G= Goals; AST= Assists; PTS = Points; PIM = Points

Player GP G AST PTS PIM
Gilbert Perreault 78 38 34 72 19
Phil Goyette 60 15 46 61 6
Gerry Meehan 77 24 31 55 8
Don Marshall 62 20 29 49 6
Eddie Shack 56 25 17 42 93
Steve Atkinson 57 20 18 38 12
Paul Andrea 47 11 21 32 4
Al Hamilton 69 2 28 30 71
Larry Keenan 51 7 20 27 6
Doug Barrie 75 4 23 27 168
Ron Anderson 74 14 12 26 44
Dick Duff 53 7 13 20 12
Floyd Smith 77 6 11 17 46
Reg Fleming 78 6 10 16 159
Jim Watson 78 2 9 11 147
Skip Krake 74 4 5 9 68
Tracy Pratt 76 1 7 8 179

[edit] Defencemen

Note: GP= Games played; G= Goals; AST= Assists; PTS = Points; PIM = Points

Player GP G AST PTS PIM

[edit] Goaltending

Note: GP= Games played; W= Wins; L= Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals Against

Player GP W L T SO GAA

[edit] Awards and records

[edit] References

v • d • e
Buffalo Sabres
v • d • e
Buffalo Sabres seasons
1970–71 • 1971–72 • 1972–73 • 1973–74 • 1974–75 • 1975–76 • 1976–77 • 1977–78 • 1978–79 • 1979–80 • 1980–81 • 1981–82 • 1982–83 • 1983–84 • 1984–85 • 1985–86 • 1986–87 • 1987–88 • 1988–89 • 1989–90 • 1990–91 • 1991–92 • 1992–93 • 1993–94 • 1994–95 • 1995–96 • 1996–97 • 1997–98 • 1998–99 • 1999–00 • 2000–01 • 2001–02 • 2002–03 • 2003–04 • 2004–05 • 2005–06 • 2006–07 • 2007–08
v • d • e
Buffalo Sabres Head Coaches
Imlach • Crozier • Smith • Pronovost • Inglis • Bowman • Neilson • Bowman • Schoenfeld • Bowman • Ramsay • Sator • Dudley • Muckler • Nolan • Ruff
v • d • e
1970–71 NHL season by team
East
Boston • Buffalo • Detroit • Montreal • NY Rangers • Toronto • Vancouver
West
Chicago • Los Angeles • Minnesota • Oakland • Philadelphia • Pittsburgh • St. Louis
See also