Where is Darcy Regier?

[Andrew Amerk]

Regier was fired by the Islanders in 1997, and hired by the Sabres the same summer. In his 2nd season, the Sabres went to the Cup Finals, where they were robbed by the Hull No-Goal. In 05-06, the Sabres were poised to win the Cup until an inexplicable rash of injuries hit the D. 

The Sabres did not re-sign Drury or Briere in summer 2007, matched an Oilers offer sheet for Vanek, then traded Campbell. The Sabres subsequently only made the playoffs 2 of the next 5 seasons, TPegs comes in, and fires Regier. 

Regier’s tenure with the Sabres was marked by three ownership changes and periods of economic hardship, particularly in 2003 when the team filed for bankruptcy protection. Regier was frequently praised for creating results despite severe budget restrictions. He is recognized as an NHL pioneer in video scouting and analytics. The Corsi number, a widely used advanced statistic, was originally to be named the "Regier number" by blogger Vic Ferrari, who first heard Regier discussing the principle (in the end, Ferrari preferred the sound of "Corsi number").

In summer 2014, Regier was hired to be AGM of the Coyotes. On 2/2/16, he leaves the Yotes for “personal reasons” - who after years had been bottom dwellers, and were finally in the middle of a playoff hunt. This was the season John Scott was voted into the All Star game. Scott was traded Jan 15, 2 weeks before the All Star game on Jan 31. At the time, Scott’s wife was due at any time with twins. Regier had signed Scott twice for the Sabres. Did this saga have anything to do with Regier suddenly leaving out of nowhere, 2 days after that ASG?

When I asked Scott about this in the Sabres locker room at the Sabres Fan Fest last year, he smiled and said “let’s take a photo.” 

So, what really happened with Regier and the Coyotes, and what has he been up to since? I wasn’t able to find much info. Does anyone think he will ever return to hockey? Regier is such a big part of Sabres history, and I’m curious what he’s been up to. He famously predicted “suffering,” and it’s what Sabres fans have been doing since he uttered the phrase. 

Edited April 15, 2021 by Andrew Amerk

[tom webster]

The Corsi number was actually started by Sabres goalie coach Jim Corsi which is probably why it sounded better.

[John Tucker]

I'm sure wherever he is, he's laughing his a$$ off at the state of this franchise.

[GASabresIUFAN]

At a bar hanging with Patty, DD, Nolan, Housley, TM, Rolston, and Jbot welcoming RK to the TP retirement party.

[darksabre]

My understanding of Regier's end with the Coyotes was that he resigned in protest over what management there did to John Scott after he won the ASG Fan vote.

[PromoTheRobot]

29 minutes ago, John Tucker said:

I'm sure wherever he is, he's laughing his a$$ off at the state of this franchise.

Oh, Darcy was the poster child for everything wrong with the Sabres. Couldn't wait to get rid of him. The last GM to build a cup contender in Buffalo, during bankruptcy no less. "Do better!" And on the topic of 1st round picks? Darcy got one from Nashville for... Paul Gaustad! 😂

Edited April 15, 2021 by PromoTheRobot

[GASabresIUFAN]

32 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Oh, Darcy was the poster child for everything wrong with the Sabres. Couldn't wait to get rid of him. The last GM to build a cup contender in Buffalo, during bankruptcy no less. "Do better!" And on the topic of 1st round picks? Darcy got one from Nashville for... Paul Gaustad! 😂

"Those were the days my friend"

Y'all realize that much of this team are still DR picks.  DR found 7 NHL players in his last 2 drafts, including Ullmark, McCabe, Risto, and Girgensons.

[Doohicksie]

8 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

"Those were the days my friend"

Y'all realize that much of this team are still DR picks.  DR found 7 NHL players in his last 2 drafts, including Ullmark, McCabe, Risto, and Girgensons.

Considering how long he's been gone, that's a pretty strong legacy.

[Zamboni]

Thank you for your service Darcy…

 

but There’s no freaking way I want you back!!

[Indabuff]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

At a bar hanging with Patty, DD, Nolan, Housley, TM, Rolston, and Jbot welcoming RK to the TP retirement party.

 

[Doohicksie]

53 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Considering how long he's been gone, that's a pretty strong legacy.

I feel like @Jävə Keith is stalking me....

[Jävə Keith]

3 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

I feel like @Jävə Keith is stalking me....

Nope, just generally agree/align with your takes on our Swordsmen.

But since you brought it up, can I get your autograph! 🤩

[Doohicksie]

Heheheh.

Don't say you agree with me.  People will doubt your mental faculties.

[GASabresIUFAN]

5 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

I feel like @Jävə Keith is stalking me....

 

[Kristian]

2 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Oh, Darcy was the poster child for everything wrong with the Sabres. Couldn't wait to get rid of him. The last GM to build a cup contender in Buffalo, during bankruptcy no less. "Do better!" And on the topic of 1st round picks? Darcy got one from Nashville for... Paul Gaustad! 😂

And he was also the architect behind the tank “There will be some suffering”.

And he brought us Tim Connolly and Taylor freakin’ Pyatt for Mike Peca, in his absolute prime.

We also had a 14-game losing streak under him at some point. I believe it was 2008.

My point? Darcy had his moments, but he damn sure had his gaffs too 😆

 

[Weave]

5 hours ago, Kristian said:

And he was also the architect behind the tank “There will be some suffering”.

And he brought us Tim Connolly and Taylor freakin’ Pyatt for Mike Peca, in his absolute prime.

We also had a 14-game losing streak under him at some point. I believe it was 2008.

My point? Darcy had his moments, but he damn sure had his gaffs too 😆

 

He also said the owner would determine the extent of the rebuild.

If Connolly doesn't get freight trained by Peter Schaefer in the 06 playoffs that trade goes down as a solid win by Buffalo.  That concussion preceded an injury run similar to Pat LaFontaine's, but unlike LaFontaine Connolly had only missed a handful of games before Buffalo traded for him.  Up until that time he had a Sam Reinhart level durability. 

[Derrico]

Darcy is like that girl you never appreciated until it was too late.....

 

Edited April 15, 2021 by Derrico

[Derrico]

29 minutes ago, Weave said:

He also said the owner would determine the extent of the rebuild.

If Connolly doesn't get freight trained by Peter Schaefer in the 06 playoffs that trade goes down as a solid win by Buffalo.  That concussion preceded an injury run similar to Pat LaFontaine's, but unlike LaFontaine Connolly had only missed a handful of games before Buffalo traded for him.  Up until that time he had a Sam Reinhart level durability. 

This exactly.  Unfortunately I was there live in Ottawa tor Game 2 when Tim got wrecked.  Game 1 of that series is still my favourite sabres game of all time.  Connolly was nothing short of wizardry in Game 1 and many games leading up to that point.  Losing all the D the next year hurt but losing Connolly was the biggest blow IMO.

[Kristian]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

He also said the owner would determine the extent of the rebuild.

If Connolly doesn't get freight trained by Peter Schaefer in the 06 playoffs that trade goes down as a solid win by Buffalo.  That concussion preceded an injury run similar to Pat LaFontaine's, but unlike LaFontaine Connolly had only missed a handful of games before Buffalo traded for him.  Up until that time he had a Sam Reinhart level durability. 

To be perfectly honest, Peca had his knee blown out by Tucker the next year so one could argue it was an evenly bad deal for everyone involved, but my point was  that at the time - That trade was horrible.

Two unproven prospect for your Selke winning captain - People would run Kevyn Adams out of town for that, and rightfully so. We're talking a deal similar to trading Eichel for Jack Hughes and some prospect.

45 minutes ago, Derrico said:

This exactly.  Unfortunately I was there live in Ottawa tor Game 2 when Tim got wrecked.  Game 1 of that series is still my favourite sabres game of all time.  Connolly was nothing short of wizardry in Game 1 and many games leading up to that point.  Losing all the D the next year hurt but losing Connolly was the biggest blow IMO.

Losing the D was the same year.

[SHAAAUGHT!!!]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

He also said the owner would determine the extent of the rebuild.

If Connolly doesn't get freight trained by Peter Schaefer in the 06 playoffs that trade goes down as a solid win by Buffalo.  That concussion preceded an injury run similar to Pat LaFontaine's, but unlike LaFontaine Connolly had only missed a handful of games before Buffalo traded for him.  Up until that time he had a Sam Reinhart level durability. 

2 things really hurt Timmy C

1) The Sabre's medical staff misdiagnosis of his neck injury that kept him off the ice and prolonged his recovery during his prime - once corrected he looked like a superstar until getting injured again

2) Never learning how to take a hit - everyone from Kasparaitis to Giroux blew him up

 

[Radar]

8 hours ago, Kristian said:

And he was also the architect behind the tank “There will be some suffering”.

And he brought us Tim Connolly and Taylor freakin’ Pyatt for Mike Peca, in his absolute prime.

We also had a 14-game losing streak under him at some point. I believe it was 2008.

My point? Darcy had his moments, but he damn sure had his gaffs too 😆

 

Darcy was better than anything since. I think he did better even with the cost restraints he had to operate under. He was here so long it seemed people under appreciated him. Same for Lindy.

[Weave]

2 hours ago, Kristian said:

To be perfectly honest, Peca had his knee blown out by Tucker the next year so one could argue it was an evenly bad deal for everyone involved, but my point was  that at the time - That trade was horrible.

No it wasn’t. It was a trade of now for next year.  Connolly had 2 full NHL seasons under him and was a proven 40pt center that was still moving up.  And Bernier had half an NHL season under him.  You could equate Pyatt to Tage Thompson but Connolly was a known quantity.

It seemed like a bad trade because Peca was a fan favorite, not because we got back unproven commodities.

[Lanny]

11 minutes ago, Weave said:

No it wasn’t. It was a trade of now for next year.  Connolly had 2 full NHL seasons under him and was a proven 40pt center that was still moving up.  And Bernier had half an NHL season under him.  You could equate Pyatt to Tage Thompson but Connolly was a known quantity.

It seemed like a bad trade because Peca was a fan favorite, not because we got back unproven commodities.

Agree with this, Connolly was 20 years old and a former 5th overall pick. Peca hadn't played in a year and Regier had to trade him - by todays standards it's crazy he got so much. 

 

BUT, I was really mad when it happened. 

Edited April 15, 2021 by Lanny

[dudacek]

Just now, Lanny said:

Agree with this, Connolly was 20 years old and a former 5th overall pick. Peca hadn't played in a year and Regier had to trade him - by todays standards it's crazy he got so much. 

So much this. It would be like the Sabres getting Kirby Dach and Adam Boqvist right now.

[PromoTheRobot]

10 hours ago, Kristian said:

And he was also the architect behind the tank “There will be some suffering”.

And he brought us Tim Connolly and Taylor freakin’ Pyatt for Mike Peca, in his absolute prime.

We also had a 14-game losing streak under him at some point. I believe it was 2008.

My point? Darcy had his moments, but he damn sure had his gaffs too 😆

 

Who doesn't? Especially when he was in that job so long. Darcy's sin was being too familiar. Like being married to someone and you start seeing every wart and thinking you can do better.