Top 50 Sabres Memories (Good and Bad)

[GASabresIUFAN]

I’m not going to do a Poll, but I was wondering what are Sabrespace members best and worst Sabres memories over the last 50 years.

For me - the 2005-06 season was so special and it re-invigorated my love of pro hockey, but my best single memory was attending the 1976 thumping of the Soviet Wings 12-6 by the Sabres.

Worst memory - 7/1/2007 - The day Quinn gutted the franchise as Briere and Drury walked.  We are still recovering.  

[stenbaro]

Best: Beating the Leafs to goto the Finals.

Worst: The loss to the Pens in game 6 the following yr.

[bob_sauve28]

Worst: B**** P**** OT goal in game 7 1983 (Sorry, there is a poster that gets angry even at the mention of BP name, so I left it blacked out) That one hurt. 

 

Best is Dave Hannan's OT goal. Honorable mention about Jason Pominvilles OT goal that eliminated Sens 

[Sabel79]

Dating myself a bit here but: 

Best: Geoff Sanderson’s one-handed goal to put the final hammer strike on the steak in Toronto’s heart in ‘99. 

Worst: Joe Juneau’s OT goal in game six of the ‘98 ECF.  Was I’m the building for that one.  Woof.  

[Weave]

Best: May day goal.  Beat the hated Bruins in the playoffs to snap a playoff losing streak.

 

Worst:  tied between the announcement of the charges against John Rigas and the announcement of “suffering “.

[Doohicksie]

Best:  Yet to come.

[mphs mike]

Best: "Robert, Rene Robert in overtime" 75 finals or "thank you Sabres" as the Habs won the series in 73.

Worst: Losing to Isles in 80. That was a great team; Darius Kasperitus in OT; or Pens OT winner in 79

[KD in CT]

Best:  Watching Hasek throughout the playoff run to the '99 Finals

Worst:   Watching the ECF slip away during the 3d period of Game 7 in '06

[repster]

6 hours ago, stenbaro said:

Best: Beating the Leafs to goto the Finals.

Worst: The loss to the Pens in game 6 the following yr.

I will second both of these opinions.

Especially enjoyed Ray scoring on Joseph during the series vs. Leafs.

Also the 2005-06 season was so incredibly exciting I could honestly say that even though they didn’t go to the final, I felt like I got the most entertainment value for the money I spent on tickets.

[#freejame]

Best: Miro Satan staying well after his time slot was done to play bubble hockey with every kid in line during the Sabres fan fest. 

I try not to keep bad memories. Been thinking about this for ten minutes now and I’ve got nothing. I know I’m disappointed, but nothing stands out. 

[Thorner]

So many good options for best memory. 

Dave Hannan's 4th OT goal against the Devils. Saw that the next morning on video tape, after reading the note my dad had left me explaining that it was all set-up and ready to watch. 

When Plante scored, for whatever reason CBC wasn't airing the game, they were just cutting to the highlights during another game. It was OT, and Ron MacLean did the voice over for the cut to the goal, and he said "Heartbreak in Buffalo", and as the game was being played in Buffalo, I immediately thought the Sens had won. It cut to the goal, and it was Plante's goal, heartbreak for Canada's Sens. 

Jason Wooley's goal. I thought we were going to win the Cup. 

Briere's goal in double OT, vs Philly in 2006. "Danny Briere!!!!!! Danny Briere!!!!! On at least his 13th shot of the night, in double OOOOOOOOVERTIME!!!!" - Classic RJ (The 8-2 beatdown we gave them the next game goes along with this one)

Drury 7-6 OT goal game 1 vs. Ottawa. Incredible game. Dumont OT goal game 3. Pominville game 5. 

(Drury final moments to tie it/Afinogenov OT winner the next year is up there, but that run wasn't close to how 2006 felt.)

- - - 

Worst memory? 

I remember the sinking feeling when Juneau scored. Can remember nothing of the goal, just the feeling in my stomach, redness in the face. I remember being very down after Hull, but, I was in the bathroom and missed the goal. I think it took the edge off a slight bit. First thing I remember is my dad saying the goal was "tainted!"

Losing against Carolina, knowing we were the best team in the league. 

 

 

Edited October 11, 2019 by Thorny
Honestly, was also SUPER jacked up when we WON the Dahlin lottery.

[Randall Flagg]

My favorites were the Briere game 6 goal against Carolina, the entire game 1 versus Ottawa, Pominville's winner, Max's winner, and the 10 game streak, though that one has a lot of personal stuff attached to it. 

My least favorites include the opening night of the 13-14 season, when we saw what was coming for the next two calendar years and 164 games. Talk about hopeless. Watching the McDavid lottery hurt a lot. Finding out Eichel sprained his ankle the day before the season. Miller-Lucic. Listening to Koziol one last time for the season after the last game of the year in 08 and 09, years where we really would have liked to make the playoffs but didn't quite have it, knowing six long months of no more hockey or post game interviews were coming. Coming home and seeing the ROR return just one day before I had to leave my loved ones to go back to Oklahoma, and take a bunch of qualifying exams, was a brutal few days all taken together. What a gut punch that was. I was too young when Briere/Drury happened, I still thought we were going to be good. I did cry when Alfredsson scored in 07 though. Game 6/7 against Philly in 2011, along with most of the Boston series the year before, sucked eggs

[SwampD]

21 hours ago, stenbaro said:

Best: Beating the Leafs to goto the Finals.

Worst: The loss to the Pens in game 6 the following yr.

I think it was game 7 and two years after, but yeah, that one stings. Mostly because with only a couple of minutes left and the Sabres really pressing, Darius Hepatitis closes his hand on the puck, goes to throw it, doesn't, and then throws it over the glass, and no penalty. And then he scores the series winner. Still pissed about that.

I can't decide which I like more, 7.7 or Stu in OT versus the Pens. I was at both and they were a blast.

[Taro T]

Interesting thread topic.

Might try over the weekend to pick a best & worst out.  It's difficult because there are so many.  And fortunately more good than bad.

[Thorner]

16 hours ago, SwampD said:

I think it was game 7 and two years after, but yeah, that one stings. Mostly because with only a couple of minutes left and the Sabres really pressing, Darius Hepatitis closes his hand on the puck, goes to throw it, doesn't, and then throws it over the glass, and no penalty. And then he scores the series winner. Still pissed about that.

I can't decide which I like more, 7.7 or Stu in OT versus the Pens. I was at both and they were a blast.

Wasn't there some fluky Mario goal in there somewhere? I'm thinking the puck landing on his stick, of all places, after an odd carrom.

[BagBoy]

In terms of games I attended...

1972 - Islanders first game ever against the Sabres.  Rick Martin scored 4 goals and Buffalo won 9-2.  I screamed so much and so hard that I was hoarse well into the following day.  I was 8 years old.  That may have been the last game I saw as a resident of Erie County.  We moved south just a month or so later.

1999 - I went to games 3 and 4 of the finals.  Game 3 was Red Sea of Sabres Fans t-shirts for everyone (Goat's Head jerseys back then).  I still have mine.  We managed only 12 shots on goal for the entire game; amazing we only lost 2-1 (Dom).  Game 4 I sat in the 200's and Buffalo won 2-1 to even the series.  Pretty sure Geoff Sanderson had the game winner in that one.

2006 - Game 2 of the Carolina series in Raleigh.  The game after the alleged multiple baby eating incidents.  I mentioned here before that I had never seen such collective insanity in person.  We lost that game.  I have never gone back to a Hurricanes game since.  Losing that series to this day bothers me more than anything else Sabres related.  The tank doesn't even come close.