Darcy Regier

Darcy Regier
Born	(1956-11-27) November 27, 1956 Swift Current, SK, CAN
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position	Defence
Played for	New York Islanders (NHL) Indianapolis Checkers (CHL) Fort Worth Texans (CHL) Cleveland Barons (NHL) Binghamton Dusters (AHL) Phoenix Roadrunners (CHL) Salt Lake Golden Eagles (CHL)
NHL draft	77th overall, 1976 California Golden Seals
Playing career	1976–1984

Darcy John Regier (born November 27, 1956 in Swift Current, Saskatchewan) is the current general manager of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. He also played 26 games in the NHL for the Cleveland Barons and New York Islanders as a defenceman. Regier joined the Sabres in 1997 and since has become the longest-serving GM in Sabres history.

Playing career

Regier started his career with the Lethbridge Broncos of the Western Hockey League in 1974. After two seasons with the Broncos he was drafted by the California Seals of the NHL, and made the NHL in 1977–78 with the Cleveland Barons, who had moved from California the season he was drafted. He played 15 games with the Barons before being sent down to the minors. He was traded on January 10, 1978, to the New York Islanders with Wayne Merrick for J. P. Parisé and Jean Potvin.

Regier stayed in the minors until 1982–83, when he was called up to the Islanders. However, he only played in 11 NHL games during the next two seasons, and then retired as a player to join the Isles' front office.

Administrative career

Regier served under various capacities with the Islanders, before becoming an assistant coach with the Hartford Whalers for the 1991–92. For the Islanders, he served as Assistant GM to Don Maloney and served as interim GM when Maloney was fired during the 1995–96 season. Regier was hired as GM of the Buffalo Sabres in the summer of 1997. In his second season as GM (1998–99), his Sabres made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals before losing to the Dallas Stars in six games.

In his years in Buffalo, he has been in charge when the Sabres drafted and developed such players as Maxim Afinogenov, Henrik Tallinder, Aleš Kotalík, Ryan Miller, Paul Gaustad, Derek Roy, Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek. He has also made some important acquisitions as well, such as trading for Chris Drury, Tim Connolly, Danny Briere and J. P. Dumont while trying to maintain a strict budget. Now the Sabres have developed as one of the league's elite, making it as far as the final four in the 2006 and 2007 Playoffs as well as winning the Presidents' Trophy in the 2006–07 regular season.

In the summer of 2007, after Buffalo won the Presidents' Trophy for the league's best regular season record, Regier and Sabres Managing Partner Larry Quinn failed to re-sign Buffalo co-captains Chris Drury and Daniel Briere. Prior to that failure to re-sign both captains, the Sabres had gone 105-46-13 in the previous two seasons (2005–06 and 2006–07) making two consecutive trips to the Eastern Conference Finals.

In March of 2008, Regier and Quinn decided not to re-sign All Star defenseman Brian Campbell as he would demand a heafty salary, instead trading him along with a 7th round pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft to San Jose for a 1st round pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and forward Steve Bernier , who has since been traded to Vancouver for a 2nd round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. During the 2007–08 NHL season, the first season without co-captains Drury and Briere, aside from losing Campbell, the Sabres went 39-31-12, missing the playoffs for the first time since the NHL lockout.

References

• NHL Official Guide & Record Book 2007 ISBN 1-894801-02-4

External links

• Darcy Regier player profile at NHL.com
• Darcy Regier career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Darcy Regier biography at Legends of Hockey (archived)