Author: Buffalo Winter

Highlighted with Kraft Hockeyville Celebration

The Buffalo Sabres play seven preseason games that include a trip to St. Thomas to play the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Joe Thornton Community Centre on the 27^th of September.

Kraft Hockeyville winner West Lorne near St. Thomas are both above the middle Northern Lake Erie shoreline in Ontario separated by a 45-minute drive and about three hours from either Buffalo or Toronto which gives the “home-ice” nod to the Leafs.

This is Buffalo’s fifth appearance in Kraft’s Hockeyville NHL preseason games.

The first two Buffalo Sabres preseason contests begin with a Sunday two o’clock road game versus the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on September 24^th then Tuesday the 26^th at 7pm Buffalo hosts Boston at the Key Bank Center.

The last four preseason games are against opponents Pittsburgh and Columbus both home and home series over the end of September and beginning of October with one afternoon game.

Buffalo at Washington          September 24, Capital One Arena 2pm

Boston at Buffalo                  September 26, Key Bank Center 7pm

Buffalo at Toronto                 September 27, Hockeyville JTCC TBA

Buffalo at Pittsburgh             September 28, PPG Paints Arena 7pm

Columbus at Buffalo             September 30, Key Bank Center 3pm

Buffalo at Columbus             October 4, Nationwide Arena 7pm

Pittsburgh at Buffalo             October 6, Key Bank Center 7pm

Kraft Foods Inc. has for over the last 17 seasons donated millions of dollars to communities across Canada so each municipality could upgrade their arena and receive youth Hockey equipment.

Since 2015 the United States of America Kraft Hockeyville has been in operation also providing Hockey passionate communities across the USA with upgrades and youth Hockey equipment.

The NHLPA Goals & Dreams fund also contributes thousands of dollars of youth equipment to all four community finalists.

These corporate events connected to NHL preseason games are a boon to pocket-sized communities and their Hockey passionate populace and if cheese sales increase it does not matter this is good for everyone connected and Hockey in general.

From 1989 to present…

Most fans can name Alexander Mogilny who came to Buffalo in 1989 and Ilya Lyubushkin from last season as Russians that have and do play for the Sabres, but how many overall have come from Russia to represent Buffalo in the NHL?

Mr. Mogilny was the first to play for Buffalo and including the three on last season’s roster, there have been a total of 21 USSR/Russian Federation players over the past 30 NHL seasons that have played or are currently with the Sabres.

“Magic” as he was known on his USSR Red Army team Mr. Mogilny was all that and more for Buffalo, the only Sabres player to score 70 or more goals in a season and his journey to the United States of America was exciting and dangerous.

A Lieutenant in the Soviet Red Army Mr. Mogilny was not just under contract to play in Russia he was a commissioned officer in the Union Soviet Socialist Republic, although he played Hockey and did not see combat his “defection” made him a deserter carrying severe consequences.

With the German people pulling down the Berlin Wall in 1989 and Glasnost taking hold the danger of the Soviets was still real to Mr. Mogilny and his family but politically the belligerency was waning to the point where his family was left alone and eventually the USSR dissolved.

Unheralded and undrafted after five seasons in the KHL the Arizona Coyotes took a chance on Ilya Lyubushkin the Lokomotiv defenseman but after nearly five years traded him to the Maple Leafs who used him for 31 games in 2021-22 before the Sabres made an offer to steep for Toronto to counter.

Mr. Lyubushkin is not here to be another scoring defenseman (1 even strength and 1 SHG last season) his role is more physical as a traditional defenseman who averaged 15 minutes of ice time while dishing out 99 hits and blocking 104 shots in just 68 games played last season.

Mr. Mogilny was the first Sabres Russian player and Mr. Lyubushkin is the most recent here are the other 19 players for Buffalo in chronological order.

1989-90                                           

Alexander Mogilny        RW  b. 1969 Khaborovsk, USSR                        

1992-93                                            

Viktor Gordiouk              LW  b. 1970 Odintsovo, USSR

Yuri Khmylev                 LW  b. 1964 Moscow, USSR                                      

1993-94

Sergei Petrenko            LW  b.  1968 Kharkov, USSR    

Denis Tsygurov             D    b. 1971 Chelyabinsk, USSR

1994-95

Alexei Zhitnik                D   b.  1972 Kiev, USSR

1995-96

Andrei Trefilov               G   b.  1969 Kirovo-Chepetsk, USSR

1996-97

Anatoli Semenov          C/LW  b.  1962 Moscow USSR

1999-00

Maxim Afinogenov        RW  b.  1979 Moscow, USSR

Dmitri Kalinin                D  b. 1980 Chelyabinsk, USSR

Vladimir Tsyplakov       LW  b. 1969 Inta, USSR   (a town next to the former Corrective Labor Camp, Intagulag)

2000-01

Peteris Skudra             G  b. 1973 Riga, USSR

2001-02

Vyacheslav Kozlov      LW  b. 1972 Voskresensk, USSR

2006-07

Dainius Zubrus            RW/C  b. 1978 Elektrenai, USSR

2012-13

Mikhail Grigorenko      C  b. 1994 Khabarovsk, Russian Federation

2013-14

Nikita Zadorov               D  b. 1995 Moscow, Russian Federation

2014-15

Andrey Makarov            G  b. 1993 Kazan, Russian Federation

2016-17

Dmitry Kulikov               D  b. 1990 Lipetsk, USSR

2022-23

Ilya Lyubushkin             D  b. 1994 Moscow, Russian Federation

Nikita Novikov               D  b. 2003 Moscow, Russian Federation

Vsevolod Komarov       D  b. 2004 Chelyabinsk, Russian Federation

The last two Russian players listed were drafted in 2021 and 2022 and are not currently called up from the Quebec Remparts (Komarov) and from the Dynamo Moscow (Novikov) to date.

Congratulations Mr. Bettman

SC 5 – FLA 2 In an anticlimactic game five the Knights, Draft Kings, Fan Duel, (sports books in general) the Board of Governors (BOG), and sin city now have the Stanley Cup right where they want it, directly in the gambling center of North America…heavy sigh.

Mr. Bettman and the BOG endeavored to have the Stanley Cup awarded to a newly created franchise in its first season six years ago unlike cities granted a franchise before that were given cast-offs, unwanted, overpaid, underperforming, players without the guidance and care from the League’s commissioner. (But I digress)

I was able to enjoy the Stanley Cup playoffs even with the poor officiating and obvious bias as it was nice to watch players like Mr. Kessel (scratched) earn another ring, former players that skated for Buffalo Mr. Carrier, Mr. Reinhart, and Mr. Fitzgerald were often in the mix.

The Knights have outstanding players in net with three top-notch goalies to call on (one injured), Captain Stone, Misters Stephenson, Marchessault, Karlsson, Barbashev, and Alternate Captains Smith and Pietrangelo along with third and fourth-line contributions throughout the playoffs deservedly became the Stanley Cup Champions for 2023.

The Panthers run out of time

SC 3 – FLA 2 There are just some teams fans like to cheer against and the Knights are developing into one such team as their core and best players put forth a victorious effort on the road before succumbing to chaotic belligerency.

Misters Stephenson, Stone, Karlsson, and Marchessault led their team offensively in a game where only one Knights’ forward was a minus, and after building a 3-0 lead early most suppositions was that the game was over.

Florida played solidly and did get within one goal and with moments remaining in the game and on the power play with the goaltender pulled the Panthers were as close as you can get to scoring without scoring as time ran out affording the Knights a 3-1 series lead heading back to Nevada for game five.

Soon after the game expired goon goaltender Hill decided to engage in the scrum in front of the net as he went in swinging, embarrassing violence, and fan reaction spoiled what was for the most part a very entertaining Stanley Cup Finals game four.

Cats Conquer

FLA 3 – SC 2 OT  The Panthers continue to defy and defeat and Florida’s first home game of the Finals proved to be the tonic required to get their skates back under them.

Perhaps by earning lesser penalties, the Panthers would significantly improve their chances of capturing the Cup with Florida the second most penalized team in the regular season and now leading this year’s playoffs in penalties they are gift-wrapping power plays for the Knights.

Mr. Hill allowed all goals at even strength producing a .870 save percentage and Mr. Bobrovsky was scored on only during the power play and one was at 4 on 3 earning a solid .926 save percentage for the Cats.

Game Four is scheduled this Saturday night and the puck drops at eight o’clock EST.