Buffalo Sabres

About the Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres were founded in 1970 and entered the NHL alongside the Vancouver Canucks as part of the league's continued expansion beyond its traditional markets.

The Sabres quickly developed a passionate following in Western New York and have produced some of the NHL's most memorable players and teams. Buffalo has reached the Stanley Cup Final twice, in 1975 and 1999, but is still searching for its first Stanley Cup championship.

Division History

When the Sabres joined the NHL in 1970, they were placed in the East Division. Buffalo remained there until league realignment in 1974 created the Adams Division.

The Sabres competed in the Adams Division from 1974 until 1993. When the NHL renamed and reorganized its conferences and divisions ahead of the 1993-94 season, Buffalo became a member of the Northeast Division.

Another league realignment in 2013 moved the Sabres into the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Buffalo has remained in the Atlantic since then, with the exception of the temporary East Division used during the shortened 2020-21 season.

The Atlantic Division includes several of Buffalo's long-standing rivals, including the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Championship History

The Sabres reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 1975, only five years after entering the NHL.

Led by the famous French Connection line of Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin and Rene Robert, Buffalo won its division and advanced through the playoffs before facing the defending champion Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup Final. The Flyers won the series in six games.

Buffalo returned to the Stanley Cup Final in 1999 behind Hall of Fame goaltender Dominik Hasek. The Sabres defeated the Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs before meeting the Dallas Stars in the Final. Dallas won the championship in six games, with the deciding game ending in triple overtime.

Another successful era followed in the mid-2000s. Buffalo reached the Eastern Conference Final in both 2006 and 2007. The 2006-07 Sabres set a franchise record with 53 regular-season wins and captured the Presidents' Trophy for finishing with the NHL's best regular-season record.

The Sabres later endured a 14-season playoff drought after their 2011 postseason appearance. That drought ended in 2025-26, when Buffalo won its first Atlantic Division title and its seventh division championship overall. The Sabres defeated the Boston Bruins in the opening round of the 2026 playoffs before losing a seven-game second-round series to the Montreal Canadiens.

Home of the Sabres

The Sabres play their home games at KeyBank Center in downtown Buffalo.

The arena opened in 1996 as Marine Midland Arena and replaced Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, commonly known as "The Aud," which had been the team's home since its inaugural season in 1970.

The building has carried several names over the years, including HSBC Arena and First Niagara Center, before becoming KeyBank Center in 2016.

KeyBank Center has a hockey capacity of 19,070.

Notable Sabres

Gilbert Perreault is one of the most important players in Sabres history. Buffalo selected him with the first overall pick in the 1970 NHL Draft, making him the first draft pick in franchise history.

Perreault spent his entire 17-season NHL career with Buffalo and remains the franchise's all-time leader in games played, goals, assists and points. He recorded 512 goals, 814 assists and 1,326 points in 1,191 regular-season games.

Perreault won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie in 1970-71 and later became the centerpiece of the French Connection alongside Rick Martin and Rene Robert. His No. 11 was the first number retired by the Sabres, and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990.

Martin joined Buffalo as the fifth overall pick in the 1971 NHL Draft and quickly developed into one of the league's most dangerous goal scorers. He scored 382 goals and 695 points during his time with the Sabres and remains second in franchise history in goals. Martin also holds several Buffalo scoring records, including the franchise mark for career hat tricks.

Dominik Hasek produced one of the greatest stretches by a goaltender in NHL history during his time in Buffalo. He won six Vezina Trophies as the NHL's top goaltender while with the Sabres and twice received the Hart Trophy as league MVP. Hasek was the backbone of the Buffalo team that reached the 1999 Stanley Cup Final and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014.

Alexander Mogilny was another of Buffalo's most dynamic offensive players. He scored a franchise-record 76 goals during the 1992-93 season and recorded 211 goals and 444 points in 381 games with Buffalo from 1989 to 1995. Mogilny, whose move from the Soviet Union to North America made him an important figure in hockey history, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2025.

Other prominent players in Sabres history include Rene Robert, Danny Gare, Pat LaFontaine, Dave Andreychuk, Phil Housley, Michael Peca and Ryan Miller.