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One of Buffalo’s more prolific goal scorers in Sabres history is British Columbia native Daniel Mirl Gare who at 5’ 9” and approximately 180 lbs soaking wet was also one of the Sabres toughest and most fearless players.

While playing for the WCHL Calgary Centennials, the scoring and fighting Mr. Gare amassed 127 points in 65 games along with a whopping 238 PIM in his final season in major juniors.

Drafted by Buffalo and Winnipeg in 1974 Mr. Gare was selected in the first round 11^th overall in the World Hockey Association’s “Secret Amateur Draft“. Fortunately for Buffalo, Mr. Gare was selected in the public NHL Amateur Draft in the second round 29^th overall.

In his rookie season, Mr. Gare scored 31 goals and 31 assists and contributed seven goals and six assists in 17 playoff games as Buffalo marched to the Cup Finals. Watching the 1975 Cup Finals was exhilarating and to witness  Mr. Gare holding his own fighting against the bigger broad street bullies main goon dave schultz was incredible.  

A dramatic goal scorer Mr. Gare scored on his first shot on his first shift of his first game only 18 seconds into the first game of the 1974-75 Season. The following year Mr. Gare scored 50 goals but not until he scored a Hat Trick in the final game of the 1975-76 Season along with earning 129 PIM and again over a plus 30 rating for the year.

Mr. Gare finished third in the Calder Memorial Trophy voting and that season’s winner had already played 23 games the season prior to his “rookie” season. You can observe how close the top three rookies were in scoring but what stands out like an empty net is how Mr. Gare garnished a plus 39 rating compared to single digit plus earners of that season.

Although a back injury limited Mr. Gare to 35 games and 26 points in his third season, after recovering his following seasons were some of the best statistically of his career.

Then after scoring 56 goals and 46 goals for two seasons Mr. Gare’s last Sabres season in 1981-82 lasted 22 games and he scored 21 points before arguably the worst general manager in Buffalo history sucker punched the fan base by trading away Mr. Gare and beloved Mr. Schoenfeld.

The NHL ALL-STAR Game in 1979-80 featured Mr. Gare along with teammates Mr. Schoenfeld and Mr. Edwards.

Mr. Gare was a fighting 20 goal scorer for Detroit for approximately four and half seasons before playing his last 18 NHL games for Edmonton in 1986-87.

Suspended three times in his career Mr. Gare was suspended once for the first game of 1977-78 season because he left the bench (penalty box) to join a brawl in a preseason contest versus Boston.

Mr Gare was an assistant coach for Tampa Bay for two seasons in the early 1990s before becoming a color analyst for both Buffalo and Tampa Bay over the seasons.

Goaltenders are the only position in all of professional sports referred to as a “target”

I have seen two of the greatest goalies I ever watched play in the NHL man the nets for Buffalo, of course everyone will agree to The Dominator but how many will even remember Tom Barrasso.

Mr. Tom Barrasso played for Acton-Boxborough Massachusetts High School from 79-80 until 82-83 where upon graduation was invited to Team USA’s Olympic developmental camp in preparation for the 1984 Olympic team whilst being NHL drafted that same year by Buffalo.

Senior year in High School an incredible 22-0-1 and a 0.99 GAA with 10 Shutouts, Mr. Barrasso played for Coach Tom Fleming (one of Dartmouth College’s greatest athletes) who Mr. Fleming would also go on to a NY school where he coached another goaltender great Mr. Richter.

To me the best was watching Mr. Tom Barrasso come right out of High School play in the NHL and earn both the Calder Memorial Trophy and the youngest winner of the Vezina Trophy. Point to one other goaltender who did this, you cannot, Mr. Barrasso became only the third player to win both awards in the same year. (Mr. Frank Brimsek for Boston 1938-39 and Mr. Tony Esposito 1969-70) also earned both awards in the same season.

Mr. Barrasso had to endure the conflated GM/HC/whatever else he called himself almighty bowman…

Being sent down to the minors after the season Mr. Barrasso had earning Calder and Vezina awards was justifiably maddening. The almighty bowman sent Mr. Barrasso down for an eight-day demotion that caused resentment because never before had the reigning First Team All Star Goaltender been sent to the minors.

Eventually all things must come to pass and Mr. Barrasso and a 1990 third round draft pick (Joe Dziedzic) was traded to Pittsburgh for Doug Bodger and Darrin Shannon on November 12, 1988.

Mr. Barrasso had a decent SV% for the time period where the league average was around four and his GAA was usually 3.5 to 4.7, his best season came at the end of his career with Pittsburgh posting a 2.07 in 58 games.

In the playoffs Mr. Barrasso would shine, his SV% jumped into the 900 percentile and his GAA dipped down into the 2.82 to 2.92 range.

GM Craig Patrick of the Penguins told NHL.com that “Tom was a great steadying influence on our team and he was smart enough goaltender to realize that our game was a wide-open offensive game.” also “He allowed us to play that way and never complained. He allowed our team to play 9-7 games. He was willing to play his part in order for us to be successful”

The above quotes from Mr. Patrick highlight the character and personality of Mr. Barrasso more so than a disgruntled fan, player, or another team.

Mr. Barrasso’s last four seasons consisted of 51 games stretched over four teams, Ottawa, Carolina, Toronto, and St. Louis.

Mr. Barrasso has an impressive list of accomplishments:

Three-time All Star team selections First and Second Teams

Named NHL Player of the Month for January 1988, first Sabres player to achieve this recognition

14 consecutive playoff victories

Led NHL in victories, (43) in 1992-93

91 and 92 Stanley Cup Champion with playoff games, 28-12, 2.71 GAA, .913 SV%

First American goalie to win 300 games, 1997

2002 Olympic Silver Medalist

National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame 2007

United States Hockey Hall of Fame Museum 2009

What did Mr. Barrasso do that Mr. Brodeur, Mr. Fuhr, and Mr. Roy or any Goalie could not do…hold the NHL Goaltender record for all time point leader,  48 points all assists

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you Goaltender Extraordinaire Mr. Thomas Patrick Barrasso.

 From the early to late Seventies Don Luce was an amazing two-way forward

As a teenager Mr. Luce played for the OHA Kitchener Rangers where he led the team in assists in 1967-68 and CHL Omaha Knights where he won the CHL regular season 1969-70 title along with fellow future Buffalo player Mike Robitaille.

Both players are called up to the NHL NY Rangers where Mr. Luce plays only 21 games over the end of the 1969 season and beginning of the 1970 season garnishing a goal and three assists.

On November 2^nd, 1970 the Rangers trade Mr. Luce to the Red Wings for a player who never plays an NHL game.

After only six months and 58 games with 14 points as a Red Wings player Detroit trades Mr. Luce along with Mr. Robitaille to Buffalo for a mask-less goalie that only plays 29 games for Detroit earning a 3.15 GAA before jumping to the WHA.

Mr. Luce played for Buffalo from 1971 until 1981 and for the 1974-75 Cup Finals run Mr. Luce scored 76 points in 80 games on the strength of 33 goals, his playoff pace was similar with 13 points in 16 games.

During the Inaugural Draft of the World Hockey Association of February 1972, Mr. Luce was selected by the Chicago Cougars, fortunately for the Sabres Mr. Luce stayed with Buffalo.

Three days before Christmas 1974 Mr. Luce records his lone Hat Trick which was a Natural Hat Trick scored in the second period. Within less than four minutes Mr. Luce scores three times with the last two goals incredibly Short-Handed. Mr. Luce’s stunning offensive was so quick that his Hat Trick still stands as a Buffalo record for: Fastest Three Goals by One Player.  

His play throughout the 1974-75 NHL season earned Mr. Luce the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to Hockey.

 In the 1975 Season the NHL All Star Game changed to a battle between Conferences with the Wales Conference dominating the Campbell Conference in a 7-1 seemingly easy victory. Mr. Luce scored just over 12 minutes into the first period to make the game 2-0.

Playing for the Buffalo expansion team Mr. Luce became the first Sabres player to score a playoff assist in April 1973 against the Canadiens. Mr. Luce also scored the first playoff shorthanded goal for the team in May of 1975 once again against the Canadiens.

During the late Seventies when the Sabres were flying high and Mr. Luce was paired with Mr. Ramsey they became Buffalo’s top Penalty Killers with their stellar defensive play.

It was during this time that Mr. Luce in the late 1970s was a Frank J. Selke Trophy finalist, (“to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game”), three years running in the first three years of the Trophy’s existence. 

Mr. Luce has held a wide range of management positions for Buffalo:

Assistant Head Coach, Pro Scout, Director of U.S. Scouting, Director of Amateur Evaluation and Development, Director of Player Personnel which Mr. Luce was until the 2005-06 season.

 After his last season with Buffalo Mr. Luce filled the same Director position for the orange colored Hockey sweater clad team from Eastern Pennsylvania until 2012-2013 when Philadelphia then named Mr. Luce one of their Pro Scouts until 2015 when Toronto added Mr. Luce to their staff.

The Soviet Affair

It cannot be overstated how much personal danger Mr. Luce put himself in by assisting Mr. Mogilny’s expatriation.

Mr. Mogilny was a Lt in the Central Red Army of the Union Soviet Socialist Republic, an officer in the Soviet Regime towards the end of the Cold War before the Wall came down in Berlin.

Mr. Luce did not just assist a foreign national defect to the United States of America to play Hockey it was also support of a Soviet Officer deserting the Central Red Army of the USSR.

As a Cold War Veteran I understand that Mr. Mogilny was not a combat officer but a Hockey player, still I highly appreciate what Mr. Luce did for Mr. Mogilny, the Sabres, and the fans that support Buffalo.

The Sabres open their pre-season on the road versus Columbus tonight and a post-Capt Jack era will officially start with a young core of players under the guidance of a Head Coach who has won both as a player and HC will endeavor to take Buffalo to the playoffs.

     I appreciate and enjoy the pomp and ceremony of Hockey even in pre-season but as we all know as soon as the regular season begins the pre-season is soon forgotten.

     What has stoked my interest historically about this NHL 2021-22 Season is it has been approximately 97 years since the cities of Vancouver and Seattle played each other in the same professional Hockey league that could eventually led to the Stanley Cup Finals.   

  The battle between the two PCHA Stanley Cup champions, with Seattle being the first team in the United States of America to win the Stanley Cup, resumed on a late September day nearly a century between games with an NHL pre-season contest on September 26^th 2021.

     Professional Hockey history is rich with storied teams and leagues and the Kraken victory over the Canucks in a 2021-22 pre-season game brings into sharp relief how deeply embedded professional Hockey is in North America.

     In 1924 the Pacific Coast Hockey Association folded after only nine seasons, but what an interesting nine seasons it was. Both PCHA league teams Seattle and Vancouver beat their rival league champions from the National Hockey Association for no less than two Stanley Cup Championships.

     The 1919 Stanley Cup Finals tied at 2-2-1 had game six cancelled just hours before puck drop because of a number of Canadiens players having come down with feverish temperatures.  This cancellation happened during the height of the Spanish Flu in the United States of America.

    There was an offer for Seattle to claim victory but the Metropolitans HC refused to accept the Cup due to the circumstances surrounding game six.

     Officially 1919 is listed in NHL history of the Stanley Cup as “no winner”, admirably though when the Cup was redesigned in 1948 the NHL had the inscription added, “1919 Montreal Canadiens Seattle Metropolitans Series Not Completed”.

    As the 2021-22 gets under way for the Buffalo Sabres with a pre-season contest in Ohio versus the Blue Jackets I will watch and listen with a renewed enthusiasm for a “meaningless game” that might just not be.

In the late Fifties a very young Fred Stanfield played for the Mississauga Dixie Beehives then played Major Junior Hockey for the OHL’s St. Catherine’s TeePees/Black Hawks for three seasons with fellow teenage players Dennis Hull and Ken Hodge.

     Mr. Stanfield’s first NHL team would be Chicago and was also assigned to play in the now defunct CHL minor league during his three season 10-game tenure for the Chicago Blackhawks.

     In his third Chicago season Mr. Stanfield is traded to Boston and produces 64 points with 20 goals in 73 games. For six straight seasons Mr. Stanfield scores 20 or more goals and contributes to two Stanley Cup championships for Boston.

    Then Boston trades Mr. Stanfield to Minnesota for a goalie when Mr. Cheevers left Boston. Although Mr. Stanfield was afforded the opportunity to play on the North Stars number one line, he did not produce as expected.

     Approximately halfway through Mr. Stanfield’s second Minnesota season the North Stars trade 31 year old Mr. Stanfield to the Buffalo Sabres and in 32 games for Buffalo Mr. Stanfield scores 33 points. His veteran leadership assisted Buffalo on their march to the 1975 Cup Finals.

As with every NHL player all good things must come to an end, Mr. Stanfield in his early thirties played for two and half more season for Buffalo.

     His final Sabres season was 57 games with 11 points, so he went down to the AHL Hershey Bears where Mr. Stanfield recorded 60 points in 50 games in his first AHL season.

     That first season in Hershey he played then he coached the Bears into the playoffs as a mid-season Head Coach replacement as he was the following season in the OHA coaching the Niagara Falls Flyers into the playoffs as well.

      An excellent ending to an excellent Hockey career, Mr. Stanfield decided to spend the rest of his life with his wife in one of Buffalo’s beautiful suburbs while running a successful business furniture store that grew into an impressive operation.

     In the work force you know a good boss or owner when the employees speak highly and emotionally of them and just the case with Mr. Stanfield.  Found memories of Mr. & Mrs. Stanfield hosting players at home for weekend get-togethers. (Weekend at Freddy’s)   

     Always a willing participant with the Buffalo Sabres Alumni Association,   Mr. Stanfield continually exercised throughout his retirement while also playing in 30 to 50 games of Hockey a year and stayed in great shape.

When my Hockey History calendar approaches May 4^th (his birthday) I will reflect and continue to write about his Hockey accomplishments.