1971–72 Buffalo Sabres season
1971–72 Buffalo Sabres | |
---|---|
Division | 6th East |
1971–72 record | 16–43–19 |
Home record | 11–19–9 |
Road record | 5–24–10 |
Goals for | 203 |
Goals against | 228 |
Team information | |
General manager | Punch Imlach |
Coach | Punch Imlach |
Captain | Gerry Meehan |
Arena | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium |
Average attendance | 15,324 |
Team leaders | |
Goals | Rick Martin (44) |
Assists | Gilbert Perreault (48) |
Points | Tie: Perreault, Martin (74) |
Penalty minutes | Al Hamilton (105) |
Wins | Roger Crozier (13) |
Goals against average | Roger Crozier (3.51) |
The 1971–72 Buffalo Sabres season was the Buffalo Sabres second season of operation in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Offseason
An $8.7 million (approximately $65.5 million in 2023 dollars)[1] renovation took place after the 1970–71 inauguration of the Sabres and Buffalo Braves franchises. The arena's roof was raised 24 feet, making room for a new upper level. This raised the total capacity of the arena to over 17,000 for basketball and 15,858 for hockey, making it a more suitable home for the NBA and NHL.[2]
Regular season
For the second consecutive season the Sabres had a breakout rookie performance by their first round draft pick. Rick Martin would score 44 goals breaking the NHL rookie scoring record of 38 set the previous season by Gilbert Perreault.[3] Despite the efforts of their young phenoms the Sabres would finish with a worse record than their inaugural season and again miss the Playoffs. During the season Eddie Shack was traded to Pittsburgh for Rene Robert.[4]
Final standings
GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIFF | Pts | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Boston Bruins | 78 | 54 | 13 | 11 | 330 | 204 | +126 | 119 |
2 | New York Rangers | 78 | 48 | 17 | 13 | 317 | 192 | +125 | 109 |
3 | Montreal Canadiens | 78 | 46 | 16 | 16 | 307 | 205 | +102 | 108 |
4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 78 | 33 | 31 | 14 | 209 | 208 | +1 | 80 |
5 | Detroit Red Wings | 78 | 33 | 35 | 10 | 261 | 262 | −1 | 76 |
6 | Buffalo Sabres | 78 | 16 | 43 | 19 | 203 | 289 | −86 | 51 |
7 | Vancouver Canucks | 78 | 20 | 50 | 8 | 203 | 297 | −94 | 48 |
Schedule and results
Regular season results | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
1 | W | October 10, 1971 | 2–1 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1971–72) | 1–0–0 |
2 | L | October 12, 1971 | 1–9 | @ St. Louis Blues (1971–72) | 1–1–0 |
3 | L | October 14, 1971 | 2–6 | @ Boston Bruins (1971–72) | 1–2–0 |
4 | L | October 16, 1971 | 3–9 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1971–72) | 1–3–0 |
5 | L | October 17, 1971 | 2–3 | Minnesota North Stars (1971–72) | 1–4–0 |
6 | W | October 20, 1971 | 7–2 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1971–72) | 2–4–0 |
7 | L | October 21, 1971 | 2–5 | Chicago Black Hawks (1971–72) | 2–5–0 |
8 | L | October 23, 1971 | 1–5 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1971–72) | 2–6–0 |
9 | L | October 24, 1971 | 2–3 | St. Louis Blues (1971–72) | 2–7–0 |
10 | W | October 27, 1971 | 3–2 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1971–72) | 3–7–0 |
11 | T | October 30, 1971 | 4–4 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1971–72) | 3–7–1 |
12 | T | October 31, 1971 | 2–2 | @ California Golden Seals (1971–72) | 3–7–2 |
13 | T | November 4, 1971 | 4–4 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1971–72) | 3–7–3 |
14 | W | November 5, 1971 | 5–2 | Philadelphia Flyers (1971–72) | 4–7–3 |
15 | T | November 7, 1971 | 3–3 | Detroit Red Wings (1971–72) | 4–7–4 |
16 | L | November 11, 1971 | 2–4 | Los Angeles Kings (1971–72) | 4–8–4 |
17 | L | November 13, 1971 | 2–5 | @ New York Rangers (1971–72) | 4–9–4 |
18 | T | November 14, 1971 | 2–2 | Montreal Canadiens (1971–72) | 4–9–5 |
19 | L | November 18, 1971 | 5–7 | California Golden Seals (1971–72) | 4–10–5 |
20 | L | November 21, 1971 | 3–4 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1971–72) | 4–11–5 |
21 | L | November 24, 1971 | 3–5 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1971–72) | 4–12–5 |
22 | L | November 27, 1971 | 2–5 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1971–72) | 4–13–5 |
23 | L | November 28, 1971 | 3–5 | @ California Golden Seals (1971–72) | 4–14–5 |
24 | L | December 1, 1971 | 2–7 | @ New York Rangers (1971–72) | 4–15–5 |
25 | W | December 2, 1971 | 2–0 | Los Angeles Kings (1971–72) | 5–15–5 |
26 | L | December 4, 1971 | 1–5 | @ St. Louis Blues (1971–72) | 5–16–5 |
27 | W | December 5, 1971 | 3–1 | Minnesota North Stars (1971–72) | 6–16–5 |
28 | L | December 9, 1971 | 1–3 | Chicago Black Hawks (1971–72) | 6–17–5 |
29 | T | December 11, 1971 | 3–3 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1971–72) | 6–17–6 |
30 | L | December 12, 1971 | 2–4 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1971–72) | 6–18–6 |
31 | L | December 15, 1971 | 1–2 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1971–72) | 6–19–6 |
32 | L | December 16, 1971 | 0–5 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1971–72) | 6–20–6 |
33 | L | December 18, 1971 | 1–8 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1971–72) | 6–21–6 |
34 | W | December 19, 1971 | 5–1 | Vancouver Canucks (1971–72) | 7–21–6 |
35 | T | December 23, 1971 | 4–4 | Boston Bruins (1971–72) | 7–21–7 |
36 | T | December 25, 1971 | 4–4 | @ St. Louis Blues (1971–72) | 7–21–8 |
37 | W | December 26, 1971 | 6–3 | St. Louis Blues (1971–72) | 8–21–8 |
38 | L | December 29, 1971 | 3–7 | Detroit Red Wings (1971–72) | 8–22–8 |
39 | T | December 31, 1971 | 3–3 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1971–72) | 8–22–9 |
40 | T | January 2, 1972 | 4–4 | California Golden Seals (1971–72) | 8–22–10 |
41 | L | January 6, 1972 | 2–5 | Boston Bruins (1971–72) | 8–23–10 |
42 | L | January 9, 1972 | 1–2 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1971–72) | 8–24–10 |
43 | L | January 13, 1972 | 2–5 | New York Rangers (1971–72) | 8–25–10 |
44 | L | January 15, 1972 | 2–6 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1971–72) | 8–26–10 |
45 | W | January 16, 1972 | 4–2 | Montreal Canadiens (1971–72) | 9–26–10 |
46 | W | January 20, 1972 | 1–0 | Vancouver Canucks (1971–72) | 10–26–10 |
47 | L | January 22, 1972 | 2–3 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1971–72) | 10–27–10 |
48 | T | January 23, 1972 | 3–3 | @ Boston Bruins (1971–72) | 10–27–11 |
49 | L | January 26, 1972 | 1–5 | @ New York Rangers (1971–72) | 10–28–11 |
50 | L | January 27, 1972 | 1–3 | Detroit Red Wings (1971–72) | 10–29–11 |
51 | T | January 30, 1972 | 2–2 | Los Angeles Kings (1971–72) | 10–29–12 |
52 | L | February 3, 1972 | 2–4 | New York Rangers (1971–72) | 10–30–12 |
53 | T | February 5, 1972 | 3–3 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1971–72) | 10–30–13 |
54 | W | February 6, 1972 | 8–2 | Boston Bruins (1971–72) | 11–30–13 |
55 | L | February 10, 1972 | 2–4 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1971–72) | 11–31–13 |
56 | L | February 12, 1972 | 1–5 | @ Boston Bruins (1971–72) | 11–32–13 |
57 | T | February 13, 1972 | 4–4 | Philadelphia Flyers (1971–72) | 11–32–14 |
58 | L | February 17, 1972 | 0–2 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1971–72) | 11–33–14 |
59 | L | February 19, 1972 | 1–4 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1971–72) | 11–34–14 |
60 | L | February 20, 1972 | 0–4 | Montreal Canadiens (1971–72) | 11–35–14 |
61 | W | February 23, 1972 | 2–1 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1971–72) | 12–35–14 |
62 | W | February 24, 1972 | 5–3 | Chicago Black Hawks (1971–72) | 13–35–14 |
63 | T | February 27, 1972 | 4–4 | California Golden Seals (1971–72) | 13–35–15 |
64 | L | March 1, 1972 | 1–4 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1971–72) | 13–36–15 |
65 | L | March 2, 1972 | 3–4 | New York Rangers (1971–72) | 13–37–15 |
66 | L | March 5, 1972 | 2–6 | St. Louis Blues (1971–72) | 13–38–15 |
67 | L | March 8, 1972 | 3–6 | @ California Golden Seals (1971–72) | 13–39–15 |
68 | L | March 10, 1972 | 2–3 | @ Vancouver Canucks (1971–72) | 13–40–15 |
69 | L | March 11, 1972 | 3–5 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1971–72) | 13–41–15 |
70 | W | March 14, 1972 | 4–3 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1971–72) | 14–41–15 |
71 | T | March 16, 1972 | 3–3 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1971–72) | 14–41–16 |
72 | L | March 17, 1972 | 2–6 | Vancouver Canucks (1971–72) | 14–42–16 |
73 | T | March 19, 1972 | 3–3 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1971–72) | 14–42–17 |
74 | W | March 22, 1972 | 4–3 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1971–72) | 15–42–17 |
75 | T | March 23, 1972 | 4–4 | Minnesota North Stars (1971–72) | 15–42–18 |
76 | T | March 26, 1972 | 2–2 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1971–72) | 15–42–19 |
77 | L | March 30, 1972 | 1–3 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1971–72) | 15–43–19 |
78 | W | April 2, 1972 | 3–2 | Philadelphia Flyers (1971–72) | 16–43–19 |
Playoffs
The Sabres failed to make the playoffs in the 1971–72 season.
Player statistics
Regular season
- Scoring
Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | PPG | SHG | GWG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rick Martin | 73 | 44 | 30 | 74 | 36 | −38 | 19 | 0 | 5 |
Gilbert Perreault | 76 | 26 | 48 | 74 | 24 | −40 | 11 | 0 | 1 |
Gerry Meehan | 77 | 19 | 27 | 46 | 12 | −28 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
Al Hamilton | 76 | 4 | 30 | 34 | 105 | −12 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Eddie Shack | 50 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 34 | −11 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Steve Atkinson | 67 | 14 | 10 | 24 | 26 | −22 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Jim Lorentz | 33 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 12 | −11 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
Chris Evans | 61 | 6 | 18 | 24 | 98 | −20 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Phil Goyette | 37 | 3 | 21 | 24 | 14 | −10 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Don Luce | 78 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 38 | −18 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Danny Lawson | 78 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 15 | −23 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Mike Byers | 46 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 12 | −20 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Craig Ramsay | 57 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Kevin O'Shea | 52 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 44 | −19 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mike Robitaille | 31 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 22 | −14 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Larry Hillman | 43 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 58 | −21 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Tracy Pratt | 27 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rene Robert | 12 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 2 | −5 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Jim Watson | 66 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 101 | −33 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Randy Wyrozub | 34 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 | −2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Doug Barrie | 27 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 45 | −21 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Dick Duff | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | −2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ron Anderson | 37 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 19 | −10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rod Zaine | 24 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −14 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Ray McKay | 39 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 18 | −12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Larry Keenan | 14 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Butch Deadmarsh | 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
John Gould | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | −1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Terry Ball | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | −7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Larry Mickey | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | −1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Floyd Smith | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Roger Crozier | 63 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dave Dryden | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Paul Terbenche | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | −13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Goaltending
Player | MIN | GP | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Roger Crozier | 3654 | 63 | 13 | 34 | 14 | 214 | 3.51 | 2 |
Dave Dryden | 1026 | 20 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 68 | 3.98 | 0 |
Team: | 4680 | 78 | 16 | 43 | 19 | 282 | 3.62 | 2 |
Awards and records
The Sabres were not awarded any individual or team awards in the 1971–72 season.
Transactions
Date | ||
May 25, 1971 | To Detroit Red Wings Joe Daley |
To Buffalo Sabres Don Luce Mike Robitaille |
November 16, 1971 | To Philadelphia Flyers Larry Keenan |
To Buffalo Sabres Larry Mickey |
December 16, 1971 | To Los Angeles Kings Doug Barrie Mike Keeler |
To Buffalo Sabres Mike Byers Larry Hillman |
January 14, 1972 | To New York Rangers 2nd-round pick in 1972 (Larry Sacharuk) |
Buffalo Sabres Jim Lorentz |
March 4, 1972 | To Pittsburgh Penguins Eddie Shack |
To Buffalo Sabres René Robert |
March 5, 1972 | To St. Louis Blues Chris Evans |
To Buffalo Sabres George Morrison 2nd-round pick in 1972 (Larry Carriere) |
March 5, 1972 | To New York Rangers Phil Goyette (Negotiating Rights) |
To Buffalo Sabres Cash |