1974-1975 Buffalo Sabres: Upstate Upswing

1974-1975 Buffalo Sabres: Upstate Upswing

1974-1975 Buffalo Sabres: Upstate Upswing

In 1970 Buffalo, New York officially began its journey in the National Hockey League when the Buffalo Sabres were introduced as a new franchise. Thankfully for a community of fans who took to hockey very easily, the Sabres only took 4 years to develop into a legitimate contender for the Stanley Cup.

The Sabres went 49-16-15 with 113 points in the 1974-1975 NHL season, winning the Adams Division and finishing in first place in the Prince of Wales Conference. The Sabres finished 9.5 games and 19 points ahead of the Boston Bruins for the division crown, going 4-1-1 against the Bruins in head-to-head play. The Sabres were very impressive overall, going 28-6-6 on their home ice, the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, while going 21-10-9 on the road.

Head-to-head play was very enjoyable for this Sabres squad as they went 5-0 against the Washington Capitals, 4-0 against the Kansas City Scouts, 4-0-1 against the Montreal Canadiens, 4-0-2 against the California Golden Seals, 4-1-1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-1 against the New York Rangers, 3-0-2 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-1-1 against the Detroit Red Wings, 3-1 against the Chicago Blackhawks and the Minnesota North Stars, 2-0-2 against the New York Islanders and the St. Louis Blues, and 2-2 against the Vancouver Canucks.

Left winger Rick Martin had 52 goals and 43 assists for 95 points with 21 power play goals, 17 power play assists and 6 game-winning goals off 301 shots. Right winger Rene Robert had 40 goals and 60 assists for 100 points with 14 power play goals, 27 power play assists and 3 game-winning goals off 264 shots. Center Gilbert Perreault had 39 goals and 57 assists for 96 points with 12 power play goals, 26 power play assists and 8 game-winning goals off 245 shots. Center Don Luce had 33 goals and 43 assists for 76 points with 8 short-handed goals, 5 short-handed assists and 6 game-winning goals off 245 shots.

Left winger Rick Dudley had 31 goals and 39 assists for 70 points with 4 power play goals, 4 power play assists and 6 game-winning goals off 226 shots. Right winger Danny Gare had 31 goals and 31 assists for 62 points with 5 power play goals and 4 power play assists off 274 shots. Left winger Craig Ramsey had 26 goals and 38 assists for 64 points with 7 short-handed goals, 5 short-handed assists and 7 game-winning goals off 200 shots. Right winger Jim Lorentz had 25 goals and 45 assists for 70 points with 6 power play goals and 15 power play assists off 140 shots.

Center Peter McNab had 22 goals and 21 assists for 43 points with 4 power play assists in 53 games. Defenseman Jerry Korab had 12 goals and 44 assists for 56 points with 19 power play assists off 218 shots. Left winger Brian Spencer had 12 goals and 29 assists for 41 points with 4 power play assists off 126 shots. Center Fred Stanfield had 12 goals and 21 assists with 6 power play goals and 9 power play assists in 32 games.

Two goaltenders emerged as reliable options for the Sabres. Gary Bromley was the primary option, going 26-11-11, allowing 144 goals in 2787 minutes while recording a 3.10 Goals Against Average and 4 shutouts. Roger Crozier was a solid backup, going 17-2-1, allowing 55 goals in 1260 minutes while recording a 2.62 Goals Against Average and 3 shutouts.

As a result of their successful regular season the Sabres set a franchise record for scoring the most goals in a season with 354, and there were many individual accomplishments to go around. Luce, Korab, Robert and Martin all made the NHL All-Star Game while Robert and Martin made the NHL All-Star Team. Robert made the 1st Team while Martin made the 2nd Team. Luce went on to win the Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy.

The Sabres had the luxury of relaxing in the First Round of the playoffs as they had a bye. The Sabres jumped into postseason action in the NHL Quarterfinals against the Chicago Blackhawks, where they went on to win the series 4 games to 1. The Sabres were credited for having an 18-2 penalty minute differential advantage, which was a deciding factor.

In Game 1 on April 13 at home the Sabres beat the Blackhawks 4-1. In Game 2 on April 15 at home the Sabres beat the Blachawks 3-1. In Game 3 on April 17 at Chicago Stadium the Blackhawks defeated the Sabres 5-4 in overtime to claim their only victory in the series. In Game 4 on April 20 at Chicago Stadium the Sabres won 6-2, and then returning home for Game 5 on April 22 the Sabres put the Blackhawks away with a 3-1 win.

In the NHL Semifinals against the Montreal Canadiens, the Sabres had a tougher test but passed the test with flying colors. In Game 1 on April 27 at home the Sabres beat the Canadiens 6-5 in overtime. Danny Gare scored the game-winning goal. In Game 2 on April 29 Buffalo won again 4-2. Though Rene Robert was down with the flu and Rick Dudley was nursing a sprained knee, the combination of Don Luce, Craig Ramsey and Danny Gare playing on the same line proved to be too much for Montreal to handle as they scored 1 goal each.

The Canadiens fought back to take Games 3 and 4 at the Montreal Forum by the scores of 7-0 on May 1 and 8-2 on May 3. Needing to bounce back from back-to-back losses, the Sabres rallied to take Game 5 with a thrilling 5-4 overtime win back at home. Recovering from the flu, Robert scored the game-winning goal. Finally in Game 6 on May 8 the Sabres eliminated the Canadiens with a 4-3 win.

The 1975 Stanley Cup Finals would be the only time between 1965 and 1979 when neither the Boston Bruins nor the Montreal Canadiens, traditional hockey powerhouses, would participate as the Buffalo Sabres and the Philadelphia Flyers participated instead. Unfortunately for the Sabres all their hard work didn’t result in a Stanley Cup win as they fell to the Flyers 4 games to 2. However, one game that cemented the “Upstate Upswing” of New York State would be Game 3 on May 20 at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.

This game was nicknamed the “Fog Game” due to the unusually frequent heat waves that plagued Buffalo in the late spring season. Coupled with the lack of an air conditioning system in the building, Sabres fans would witness a hockey game played through the fog. Before the fog settled in a bat found its way onto the ice, and thanks to the stick of Jim Lorentz, the bat was put away. The Sabres won the Fog Game 5-4 in overtime as Robert had the game-winning goal. In Game 4 on May 22 the Sabres tied the series at 2 games apiece with a 4-2 victory.

1974-1975 had set the standard for the Buffalo Sabres franchise going forward, though it would take a while for the franchise to return to the Stanley Cup Finals.