February 22, 2021 marked the tenth anniversary of the Pegula era as owners of the National Hockey Leagues’ Buffalo Sabres.  Although the Sabres have a fairly colorful past with a few legitimate runs at the holy-grail (Lord Stanley’s Cup) it has been more than two decades since they have actually competed as a finalist for the Cup.  And unfortunately the Sabres have not made the NHL playoffs in nine consecutive seasons.  If they happen to miss the playoffs this year, they will tie an NHL record for futility by missing the playoffs in 10 consecutive seasons.  Not a distinguishing mark for any resume. 

Here is an attempt at putting this mediocrity into perspective. 

The team that has won the most Stanley Cups in league history is the Montreal Canadians with 24 Cup celebrations.  Additionally, the last time a Canadian based team won the cup it was the Montreal Canadians in 1993.  When you pause and think about that for a moment it has been 28 years since any team in Canada has hoisted the Cup. Which is a fairly remarkable achievement in futility by all the teams that lace up their skates north of the border. 

The other interesting NHL fact regarding Stanley Cup victories lies in the answer to this simple question.  What NHL team holds the record of second best in all-time Stanley Cup victories?  This is an answer probably only the ardent fans will know, but surprising to many it is the Toronto Maple Leafs with 13 Cup celebrations. 

The last time the Leafs won the Stanley Cup was in 1967. This year marks 53 seasons of the NHL without the Leafs even making it to the Stanley Cup final.  If the Leafs fail to make it to the Stanley Cup final in the 2020-2021 season it will mean it has been a long 54 years for avid Leaf fans to celebrate a Cup. 

Here is the point.  The Buffalo Sabres journey started in earnest in 1970 which means this season will mark 51 years without celebrating a Cup victory.  Unfortunately, this does look to be the case currently as the team continues to dwell in the nether regions of the league.  Although, it would be magical and welcomed in snowy Western New York to see the beloved Buffalo Sabres go on a mid to late season tear and make the playoffs and become a contender this year.  However, the likely hood of this happening goes against not only history but also logic. 

The pandemic has created some difficult issues to overcome this season for several teams, but maybe has not hit any team harder than the Buffalo Sabres.  As a team they need all able bodies, including coach, Ralph Krueger, available and at a 100% to be competitive night in and night out.  Now that they have lost one of the more agile and gritty defensemen, Jake McCabe, to a serious and season ending knee injury.  The strongest or best part of the team, which is the defense corps, has been depleted.  Couple that with the Covid issues currently plaguing defensemen, Rasmus Ristolainen, it could become even a darker and colder winter in Western New York for Sabres fans.  Not to mention the lack of offensive punch that was expected from a fairly young but talented group of forwards. 

The issues just seem to be piling up year after year for the Buffalo Sabres.  As always there is excitement for the start of a new season, especially when you add a proven offensive talent in Taylor Hall, and a stalwart workhorse and nose for the net in Cody Eakin.  However, the results just have not come.  And now one of the highest paid players on the team is becoming a healthy scratch because the coaching staff cannot find an appropriate place to put him on the ice.  Or maybe it is just flat out because, Jeff Skinner, has not been able to live up to the contract he gained only a short two years ago. 

Simply put, the real issues with the Buffalo Sabres seems to the casual observer the old axiom that leadership or team management has not been able to successfully institute a working chemistry that culminates in victories on the ice.  And of course there is still the fact the team has struggled to find a true starter in goal.  And maybe have not had a true proven starter since hall of famer Dominik Hasek. Avid Sabres fans will call me out on this one and say, what about Ryan Miller?

Here is the answer. If Ryan Miller was half of the goaltender Dominik Hasek was he would have a gold medal and a Stanley Cup next to his name in the record books.  Miller had his chance to put the Sabres in the Stanley Cup final back in 2006 when the Sabres battled the Carolina Hurricanes in a seven game conference final, then went on to defeat a shorthanded Oilers squad for the cup.  Miller was just unable to get over the hurdle. 

He was above average during the 2006 NHL campaign, but to stake a claim at being considered great at the highest level, you have to be able to win a game or two on your own to stamp your name on the cup as a goalie.  Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, Dominik Hasek have all done this.  They have basically won games for their teams at the right time on the road to the Stanley Cup.  This is one of the missing ingredients the current Buffalo Sabres still need to find. 

The other missing ingredients are the ability to play with grit, heart and competitive spirit on a nightly basis.  As they say it isn’t the size of the dog that matters, it is the fight in the dog that does.  No sport encapsulates that more than hockey.  Right now the Sabres play a fairly pedestrian game when it comes to these important elements.  In the rough and tumble world of the NHL, these pieces cannot be left out if you are going to achieve success in the playoffs. 

What has to happen you ask?

It is becoming clear to me as a sports observer, but specifically team sports, that successful or championship caliber teams begin with a common bond wrapped around the culture and chemistry they create and all buy into.  The culture, or at least it seems, is nonexistent or broken regarding the inner workings of the Buffalo Sabres. 

New GM Kevyn Adams, looks to be the right kind of leader to instill a culture that will work.  He was a member of the Hurricanes squad that beat out Miller and the Sabres in 2006 and ultimately saw his name stamped on the cup.  He is also a Buffalo native, as most know, and would love to bring a cup to his hometown.  But it will take more than good intentions and planning to win a Stanley Cup.  One thing is for sure, the culture and chemistry has to change for the better in Buffalo.  Now at least the Pegula’s have some players on their team to look to for guidance. 

Coach Sean McDermott and GM Brandon Beane of the Buffalo Bills are a part of the Pegula sports family.  What they have recently accomplished in the fiercely competitive NFL is nothing short of outstanding.  They again have proven it isn’t the size of the market and who spends the most money.  It is the culture and chemistry that ultimately builds a winning team.  This is the recipe for success that the Buffalo Sabres organization needs to focus on.  And until they all start to pull in the same and correct direction, mediocrity will continue to rule the day for the Buffalo Sabres. 

To end Sabres fans suffering, it will not just take talent.  Talent always helps, but it isn’t the answer.  It is the heart of the mechanism that matters most and the Sabres need to truly look inside themselves before they will begin to deliver the results we all hope for.