The Buffalo Sabres fired head coach Don Granato, their seventh coach to be ousted during a 13-season NHL playoff drought, following a season where they were eliminated from playoff contention. Granato, with two seasons left on his contract, had a record of 122-125-27 in Buffalo. The team also fired assistant coach Jason Christie and video coordinator Matt Smith. The Sabres struggled with slow starts, injuries, goaltending issues, and a shift to a more defensive style under Granato. This move initiates another coaching search for the Sabres, marking their sixth coach since 2012.
Don Granato (born August 11, 1967) is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player who most recently served as the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL).
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). There have been 20 head coaches of the Buffalo Sabres since the team's debut in the 1970–71 NHL season.Punch Imlach, Scotty Bowman, Marcel Pronovost, Roger Neilson and Phil Housley have all made it to the Hockey Hall of Fame, while Bowman, Lindy Ruff, Dan Bylsma and Ted Nolan have all won the Jack Adams Award, an honor given annually to the National Hockey League coach "adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success" (Bylsma and Bowman won their awards with other teams). The first head coach, Hall of Famer Punch Imlach, has the lowest winning percentage of any Sabres coach, with a .370 winning percentage during his 120-game tenure. Ron Rolston is a close second with a .372 win percentage in his two partial seasons with the team (compared equally, Rolston would have a worse record since many of Rolston's wins came in shootouts, which did not exist in Imlach's era).The Sabres have made two appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals, losing four games to two against the Philadelphia Flyers in 1975, under Smith, and again four to two against the Dallas Stars in 1999, under Ruff. Ruff has led the Sabres into the playoffs seven times.Seven of the team's head coaches played for the Sabres during their careers: Floyd Smith, Bill Inglis, Jim Schoenfeld, Craig Ramsay, Rick Dudley, Lindy Ruff and Phil Housley. In addition, two others, Ted Nolan and Dan Bylsma, played for the Rochester Americans at a time when the Americans were the Sabres' top minor-league affiliate.The current head coach is Don Granato.
Anthony Lewis Granato (born July 25, 1964) is an American former professional ice hockey left winger and former head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey team. He served as head coach of the United States men's national ice hockey team at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Previously, he also served as head coach of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Colorado Avalanche, as well as with the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins as an assistant coach.
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along with the Vancouver Canucks, when the league expanded to 14 teams. The Sabres have played their home games at KeyBank Center since 1996, having previously played at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium since their inception. The Sabres are owned by Terry Pegula, who purchased the club in 2011 from Tom Golisano.The team has twice advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in 1975 and to the Dallas Stars in 1999. The Sabres, along with the Canucks, are the oldest active NHL franchises to have never won the Stanley Cup. The Sabres have the longest active playoff drought in the NHL, at twelve seasons, which stands as an NHL record.
Jason Christie (born April 25, 1969) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was an assistant coach with the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League until the end of the 2023-24 season. He was previously the head coach of the Bloomington PrairieThunder in the Central Hockey League (CHL), the Ontario Reign and the Tulsa Oilers of the ECHL. On December 10, 2015, Christie became the winningest head coach in ECHL history when his Tulsa Oilers defeated the Idaho Steelheads 4–2 at home in Tulsa's BOK Center. On June 6, 2017, Christie was named vice president of hockey operations and head coach for the Jacksonville Icemen. After four seasons in Jacksonville, he was hired by the Sabres as an assistant coach.
The Buffalo Jr. Sabres are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Buffalo, New York. They are part of the Ontario Junior A Hockey League. Its current general manager is Sean Wallace.
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (1) and right wing Alex Tuch (89) celebrate after an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders, Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes) Buffalo Sabres center Dylan Cozens (24) is congratulated for his goal against the New York Islanders during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Buffalo, N.Y.
In an NHL game on March 27, 2024, Ottawa Senators faced the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo, with notable moments including defenseman Jakob Chychrun and left wing Angus Crookshank celebrating a goal, Buffalo Sabres' goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen being replaced by Devon Levi, and Buffalo Sabres right wing JJ Peterka scoring with goaltender Devon Levi. Players such as Brady Tkachuk, Zemgus Girgensons, Dylan Cozens, and Joonas Korpisalo were also actively involved in the game.
The 2023–24 Buffalo Sabres season is the 54th season of play for the Sabres in the National Hockey League (NHL).The Sabres will attempt to improve on a strong 2022–23 season (42–33–7; 91 points). After the 2022 Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB) clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2001 and the 2022–23 Sacramento Kings of National Basketball Association (NBA) clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2006, the Sabres and New York Jets of National Football League (NFL) are tied for the longest active playoff drought in American sports, missing them for 12 consecutive years. They will attempt to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011 (the current longest, and the longest playoff drought in NHL history), when they lost in the first round to the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Buffalo Sabres played against the Calgary Flames in an NHL hockey game in Calgary, Alberta, on March 24, 2024. Players like JJ Peterka, Tage Thompson, Peyton Krebs, Eric Robinson, Dustin Wolf, Mikael Backlund, Joel Hanley, Andrei Kuzmenko, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen were involved in the game.
The Buffalo Sabres secured a victory against the Washington Capitals in an NHL game held on April 2, 2024, in Buffalo, N Y. Players such as JJ Peterka, Alex Ovechkin, Michael Sgarbossa, Henri Jokiharju, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Eric Robinson, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Alexander Alexeyev, Zemgus Girgensons, Rasmus Dahlin, and Jeff Skinner were prominently involved in the match.
The Buffalo Sabres faced off against the Tampa Bay Lightning in an NHL hockey game on April 15, 2024, in Tampa, Florida. Players like Dylan Cozens, Zach Benson, Steven Stamkos, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Eric Comrie, Brandon Hagel, Peyton Krebs, Connor Clifton, and Nikita Kucherov were actively involved in the game, showcasing their skills and scoring goals. The match was intense with various key moments including goals, saves, and player interactions.
Catherine Michelle Granato (born March 25, 1971) is an American former ice hockey player and one of the first women to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November 2010. She currently works as an assistant general manager for the Vancouver Canucks organization. Granato was the captain of the U.S. women's hockey team that won a gold medal in the 1998 Winter Olympics. She is the younger sister of former NHL player Tony Granato and former Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato, and a graduate of Providence College. Granato played hockey for Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.Granato has been a recipient of the Lester Patrick Award (2007), and she has been inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame (2008), the US Hockey Hall of Fame (2008), the Hockey Hall of Fame (2010) and the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.
Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) and center Wyatt Johnston (53) defend the goal against Buffalo Sabres center Peyton Krebs (19) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Dallas, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. (AP Photo/LM Otero) Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (1) and defenseman Owen Power (25) defend against Dallas Stars left wing Jason Robertson (21) during the first period an NHL hockey game in Dallas, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. (AP Photo/LM Otero) Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) and center Wyatt Johnston (53) defend the goal against Buffalo Sabres center Peyton Krebs (19) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Dallas, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. (AP Photo/LM Otero) Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) and center Wyatt Johnston (53) defend the goal against Buffalo Sabres center Peyton Krebs (19) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Dallas, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. (AP Photo/LM Otero) Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (1) and defenseman Owen Power (25) defend against Dallas Stars left wing Jason Robertson (21) during the first period an NHL hockey game in Dallas, Tuesday, April 9, 2024.
The Buffalo Sabres emerged victorious over the Philadelphia Flyers in an NHL hockey game on April 5, 2024, with notable plays by Tage Thompson, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Dylan Cozens, Alex Tuch, Noah Cates, Cam York, and Rasmus Dahlin.
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By JOHN WAWROW
Sports Illustrated
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