The Buffalo Sports Page

[BigAl33]

Bills to Unveil New Uniforms at Launch Party


BUFFALO, N.Y. - The Buffalo Bills will unveil their new uniforms for the 2011 season at a launch party at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Friday, June 24th.
The Launch party will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are required to attend. They are free but only available at select Verizon Wireless stores in the Buffalo and Rochester areas. A list of the stores can be found on the Bills website.
According to a news release issued by the Bills, the new uniforms will "incorporate the Bills storied history while keeping the team's signature charging buffalo logo."
WGRZ/ Buffalo Bills

[BigAl33]

Sabres to lose Dineen to Panthers

The Buffalo Sabres felt they caught a break last year when no NHL team decided to hire Kevin Dineen. It meant they had him around to coach their minor-leaguers for one more season.
It appears last season was the last one. The Florida Panthers have called a news conference for this afternoon, at which time they are expected to name Dineen as their head coach. It will be the first NHL job for Dineen, who has coached the Portland Pirates for six seasons, including the past three as the Sabres' affiliate.
Dineen, 47, was a finalist last year for the Columbus Blue Jackets job that went to Scott Arniel.
"He's ready for the National Hockey League as a head coach," Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier told the Maine Hockey Journal last month. "That's certainly how I feel. Whether someone else recognizes that and takes advantage of it, I don't know. If he gets the opportunity, on one hand we'd really miss him. On the other hand, I'd only wish him the best."

[Goodfellas]

there is still a team in florida?

[BigAl33]

yeah right... but Tampa did well this year.

[Goodfellas]

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- Forward Drew Stafford was already impressed with the fresh approach owner Terry Pegula has brought to the Buffalo Sabres in the three months since he purchased the franchise.

Now Stafford will have an opportunity to play a key role in the team's future.

The right wing agreed to a four-year contract on Friday in a deal that keeps the Sabres' second-leading goal-scorer from becoming a restricted free agent next month. Stafford will earn $4 million each year of the deal, financial figures first reported by The Buffalo News.

"I'm very, very excited that a deal got done," Stafford told The Associated Press by phone shortly after the deal was announced. "Buffalo's an organization that I believe is going in the right direction. I'm just so excited and feel very privileged to be a part of this organization's future. I just believe we have a chance to bring a championship to the city of Buffalo."

Buffalo's 2004 first-round draft pick is coming off a season in which he had 31 goals and 52 points -- both career highs -- in 62 games. He tied for third on the team in points and led the NHL with four three-goal games.
Stafford's offensive punch played a key role in helping the Sabres overcome the loss of top center Derek Roy to injury in December. The Sabres went 29-11-6 after Dec. 28 to finish seventh in the Eastern Conference.

"It was important for us to get Drew locked up," general manager Darcy Regier said. "What we saw from Drew this season is exactly what we envisioned when we drafted him. Drew will continue to be an important part of our team in the coming years."

In four-plus NHL seasons, Stafford has 94 goals and 196 points in 317 games.

The signing is considered to be the first of several significant moves the Sabres are expected to make to improve the team this offseason under Pegula, the Pennsylvania billionaire who purchased the team in February. Sabres management has already suggested it will take an aggressive approach in adding talent either through free agency or trades this summer.

That's a switch from the past, when the Sabres established an inconsistent track record for retaining star players and led to the team losing co-captains Chris Drury and Danny Briere to free agency on July 1, 2007.
Stafford said talks didn't take long, and added he is eager to build on his production.

"I believe I just took a step in the right direction in becoming a better player," Stafford said. "I plan on continuing to get better and build on last season."

[BigAl33]

Thanks GF...was just about to post this... Good start. Now lets get Richards!!

[BigAl33]

McCutcheon out as Sabres top assistant coach



Lindy Ruff has looked down the Buffalo Sabres' bench and seen Brian McCutcheon for 11 seasons. The coaching combination will not be together for a 12th.
The Sabres announced Thursday that McCutcheon will not return next season, a decision a source says was made last week. McCutcheon has been a member of Ruff's staff since 2000, including the last five as associate coach.
"This was a difficult decision for me to make," Ruff said. "After meeting with Brian, I felt that we needed to go in a different direction with my staff moving forward."
McCutcheon, who coached the Sabres' minor-league affiliate in Rochester for three seasons prior to joining the NHL club, may not be done within the organization. He is a candidate to join an expanded scouting department. He also is under consideration to assume the minor-league coaching job left open when the Florida Panthers hired former Portland coach Kevin Dineen on Wednesday.
"We have not closed the doors on a different opportunity within the organization for Brian in the future," Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier said.

[BigAl33]

2011 Buffalo Bills: Will the Bills Sign Ryan Fitzpatrick To a Long-Term Deal?

To my way of thinking, one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the 2011 Buffalo Bills is what they will do with regards to the long-term future of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
The veteran from Harvard University is hitting the last year of his contract in 2011. In his first year with the Bills in 2009, Fitzpatrick did an admirable job of filling in for starter Trent Edwards. That was the last year that Dick Jauron still coached the team, and also the year that Perry Fewell was the interim head coach.
In 2010, Chan Gailey entered the mix and once again Trent Edwards was named the stater. Once again, Fitzpatrick was asked to come in and pick up the pieces for Edwards, who was waived after the first two games of the season.
So now here we are in 2011, and Fitzpatrick is finally the clear starter. What would you do with Fitzpatrick from a short-term and long-term perspective, realizing how much trouble you have had in the past at finding a quarterback that could keep the team competitive?

[BigAl33]

I say Sign Him.....He can do the job... Upgrade TE and OL. I also say get rid of Lee Evans, too much money for what he brings....never goes over the middle and has lost a step, see what you can get in a trade.

[Goodfellas]

i would sign him in a second. hell of a qb not much to work with.

[BigAl33]

Buffalo Bills Officially Unveil New Uniforms

The news that we’ve known for months is now official. The Buffalo Bills have ditched their red helmets and predominantly navy blue uniforms in favor of a retro look featuring white helmets and royal blue jerseys. Since the lockout prevented players from taking part in the unveiling, the Bills asked members of the armed forces to take their place.
Curiously absent from today’s uniform unveiling were the blue pants that had been spotted in a trailer for Madden 12. Insiders who claimed to have seen the new uniforms before their unveiling confirmed that the set would include blue pants, but the Bills may have had second thoughts about including them. The NFL has very loose rules about how many different colors of pants a team can wear, so it will likely be very easy for the Bills to break out blue pants in the future, should they want to.
Interestingly, there was a discrepancy between the jerseys that were worn by the members of the military and those worn by Bills alumni. As you can see in the image above, only some of the jerseys appear to have a navy blue outline around the numbers. It remains to be seen whether the jerseys the Bills wear on the field in September will include navy blue detailing.

[BigAl33]

Sabres acquire Robin Regehr from Flames


The Buffalo Sabres acquired veteran defenseman Robyn Regehr(notes) from the Calgary Flames in exchange for defenseman Chris Butler(notes) and forward Paul Byron(notes) on Saturday.
The Flames also dealt forward Ales Kotalik(notes) and their second-round draft pick in 2012 to the Sabres.

Regehr, 31, had been a member of the Flames since they acquired him from Colorado on February 28, 1999. The stay-at-home defenseman recorded two goals and 15 assists in each of the past two seasons
He waived his no-trade rights in order for the deal to be completed. Sabres owner Terry Pegula was reportedly very influential in Regehr's eventual decision.
Kotalik returns to the organization that drafted him in the sixth round of the 1998 draft. He played seven seasons with the Sabres before being traded to Edmonton in 2009. He scored four goals and added two assists in 26 games with the Flames last season.
Butler, 24, played in 49 games last season, his third with the Sabres. He recorded five goals and 31 assists in 155 career games with the team.

[BigAl33]

Backed by new owner, Sabres GM anticipates team will be active in free agency


BUFFALO, N.Y. - The days of the Buffalo Sabres all-too-familiar, cost-conscious, conservative approach to free agency just might be over.
Backed by an enthusiastic new owner with deep pockets and a desire to win, general manager Darcy Regier said Monday he has the green light to be in the thick of the bidding once the NHL's free agency period starts Friday.
"It's both different and exciting," Regier said. "In the past, it was largely about trades and drafting and developing your own players. So a third area has been opened up on the unrestricted side where we can compete for the best, top unrestricted free agent."
The Sabres' key needs are adding a top-line centre and a veteran defenceman to a Ryan Miller-led team that was eliminated from the playoffs in the first round for the second straight season. The building process has already begun after Buffalo acquired veteran defenceman Robyn Regehr — and the US$8 million he still has left on his contract over the next two years — in a trade with Calgary last weekend

[BigAl33]

Sabres go after Ehrhoff, trade away Montador

Also sign Gerbe to three-year deal


Terry Pegula said the Buffalo Sabres would be aggressive in free agency. After they acquired the rights to Christian Ehrhoff, one of the premier defensemen remaining on the marketplace, it became obvious the owner wasn't kidding.
The Sabres sent a fourth-round pick in next year's draft to the New York Islanders on Wednesday night just for the right to talk with Ehrhoff, who helped Vancouver reach the Stanley Cup finals.
The Sabres weren't done, trading the rights of defenseman Steve Montador to Chicago late Wednesday night for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2012 or 2013 NHL draft.
Ehrhoff was the night's biggest move. The pending unrestricted free agent was shipped earlier this week to the Isles, who were unable to sign him despite an offer reported to be for five years and more than $23 million. He made $3.4 million last season.
The Sabres were unable to talk with Ehrhoff on Wednesday night because he was in his native Germany, which has a six-hour time difference. The Sabres did talk with Ehrhoff's agent, Rick Curran, who will set up a call today.
"Sabres management will have an opportunity to reach out and chat with him a little bit about their organization, express to him their aspirations for bringing him to Buffalo and what they hope to accomplish," Curran said by phone.
Ehrhoff will be available to all 30 NHL teams at noon Friday if the Sabres fail to sign him before then.

[BigAl33]

Sabres sign Ehrhoff to long-term deal

As we confirmed with agent Richard Curran on Eyewitness Sports at 6pm, the Buffalo Sabres have signed defenseman Christian Ehrhoff to a long-term contract. TSN is reporting that it is a 10 year deal worth $40 million dollars. According to the report the contract includes a no movement clause, and will pay Ehrhoff 18 million dollars over the first two seasons of the contract. “I was originally going to wait and see what was available on the free agent market,” said Christian Ehrhoff via Sabres release. “After the Sabres acquired my rights and I spoke with Terry Pegula and Darcy Regier, I did my due diligence on the team and I was very impressed. I called some former teammates and others in the NHL who also had great things to say and I was aware that Robyn Regehr had waived his no-trade clause in his contract this week to join the Sabres. My goal is to win the Stanley Cup, and after the offer I received from Buffalo, I believe this is the best place to make it happen.”, Ehrhoff continued. Sabres GM Darcy Regier addressed the media at the HSBC Arena on Thursday evening to talk about the signing. The move was the second in less then a week for the Sabres, who also acquired, and introduced on Thursday morning, Robyn Regher. "For us the focus has been on our defense. We feel strongly that the goaltending is there, we wanted to improve our defense. With Robyn and Christian it goes a long ways to making our defense a very good NHL defense", said Regier. "The focus tomorrow (Friday) is to do something up front". Regier says the recent moves point to the change of landscape for the Sabres under new owner Terry Pegula. "I think one of the things that has happened is we are starting to get the benefit of both the combination of the ownership, and the news out there about Buffalo. Turning the perception that exists which is an incorrect image. This is a great place to play hockey, this is a great place to live, this is a great place to raise a family, this is a great place to be" said Regier. Ehrhoff (7/6/1982, 6’2”, 203 lbs., shoots left) played with Vancouver this season and was seventh among all NHL defensemen in scoring. He posted career highs in points (50) and assists (36) in 79 games, and matched his career best with his second straight 14-goal season. Ehrhoff collected 28 (6+22) of his 50 points on the power play, good for fourth among NHL blueliners. He was also second on the team in blocked shots (108) and time on ice (23:59).