Record: 24-39-15 (63 points)
Finish: 5th in NHL East Division
Coach: Punch Imlach
In 1970, the Buffalo Sabres were created along with their Canadian cousins, the Vancouver Canucks, to help expand the NHL from 12 teams to 14. The owners of the new team in Buffalo were Seymour and Northrop Knox, who in 1967, tried to get Buffalo a hockey team but were passed over by the NHL for expansion in California with the Oakland Seals (present-day Dallas Stars).
Buffalo picked recently fired legendary Maple Leafs coach Punch Imlach to build the Sabres. Imlach had an eye for talent and did a great job quickly building the Sabres into a contender, but he needed a little luck for the centrepiece of this team.
That year, the NHL draft was led by a Quebec phenom named Gilbert Perrault. With Buffalo and Vancouver being the two expansion teams, the first overall pick was decided by using a wheel with 20 numbers. Numbers 1-10 were the Canucks and 11-20 were the Sabres. When the wheel stopped it looked as though Vancouver won with the pointer on the No. 1.
Imlach told the NHL president, Clarance Campbell, to look again and sure enough, No.11 was the number. The Sabres had their centrepiece and Perrault had his number… 11.
Stats
Schedule/Results
Highlights
Stats
1970-71
POS
GP
G
A
PTS
+/-
PIM
Gilbert Perreault
C
78
38
34
72
-38
19
Phil Goyette
C
60
15
46
61
-17
6
Gerry Meehan
C
77
24
31
55
-10
8
Don Marshall
LW
62
20
29
49
-13
6
Eddie Shack
LW
56
25
17
42
-28
93
Steve Atkinson
RW
57
20
18
38
3
12
Paul Andrea
RW
47
11
21
32
-15
4
Al Hamilton
D
69
2
28
30
-22
71
Larry Keenan
LW
51
7
20
27
-11
6
Doug Barrie
D
75
4
23
27
-19
168
Ron Anderson
RW
74
14
12
26
-12
44
Dick Duff
LW
53
7
13
20
-18
12
Floyd Smith
RW
77
6
11
17
-13
46
Reggie Fleming
LW
78
6
10
16
-8
159
Cliff Schmautz
RW
26
5
7
12
-11
10
Jim Watson
D
78
2
9
11
-28
147
Skip Krake
C
74
4
5
9
-21
68
Kevin O'Shea
RW
41
4
4
8
-11
8
Tracy Pratt
D
76
1
7
8
-17
179
Jean-Guy Talbot
D
57
0
7
7
-20
36
Randy Wyrozub
C
16
2
2
4
-10
6
Joe Daley
G
38
0
1
1
0
12
Dave Dryden
G
10
0
1
1
0
0
Billy Inglis
C
14
0
1
1
-4
4
Francois Lacombe
D
1
0
1
1
-2
2
Terry Ball
D
2
0
0
0
0
0
Roger Crozier
G
44
0
0
0
0
0
Butch Deadmarsh
LW
10
0
0
0
-3
9
Jean-Guy Lagace
D
3
0
0
0
0
2
Brian McDonald
C
12
0
0
0
-8
29
Mike McMahon
D
12
0
0
0
-9
4
Hap Myers
D
13
0
0
0
-10
6
Brian Perry
C
1
0
0
0
0
0
Paul Terbenche
D
3
0
0
0
-3
2
1970-71
Record
GAA
SV%
SHO
Roger Crozier
9-20-7
3.69
.900
1
Joe Daley
12-16-8
3.74
.895
1
Dave Dryden
3-3-0
3.23
.903
1
Schedule/Results
Game
Date
H/A
Opponent
GF
GA
W/L
W
L
T
1
1970-10-10
@
Pittsburgh Penguins
2
1
W
1
0
0
2
1970-10-14
@
New York Rangers
0
3
L
1
1
0
3
1970-10-15
Montreal Canadiens
0
3
L
1
2
0
4
1970-10-17
@
St. Louis Blues
1
4
L
1
3
0
5
1970-10-18
Pittsburgh Penguins
1
1
T
1
3
1
6
1970-10-22
@
Philadelphia Flyers
2
4
L
1
4
1
7
1970-10-23
Detroit Red Wings
4
3
W
2
4
1
8
1970-10-25
Chicago Black Hawks
0
4
L
2
5
1
9
1970-10-27
@
Vancouver Canucks
2
7
L
2
6
1
10
1970-10-30
@
California Golden Seals
1
6
L
2
7
1
11
1970-11-01
@
Los Angeles Kings
2
4
L
2
8
1
12
1970-11-05
Vancouver Canucks
1
4
L
2
9
1
13
1970-11-07
@
Montreal Canadiens
2
11
L
2
10
1
14
1970-11-08
Philadelphia Flyers
1
3
L
2
11
1
15
1970-11-13
California Golden Seals
4
2
W
3
11
1
16
1970-11-15
Montreal Canadiens
2
2
T
3
11
2
17
1970-11-18
@
Toronto Maple Leafs
7
2
W
4
11
2
18
1970-11-21
@
Minnesota North Stars
0
3
L
4
12
2
19
1970-11-25
@
Pittsburgh Penguins
4
4
T
4
12
3
20
1970-11-26
New York Rangers
2
2
T
4
12
4
21
1970-11-29
California Golden Seals
1
2
L
4
13
4
22
1970-12-03
Boston Bruins
4
4
T
4
13
5
23
1970-12-06
Minnesota North Stars
1
0
W
5
13
5
24
1970-12-09
@
Chicago Black Hawks
1
6
L
5
14
5
25
1970-12-10
@
Boston Bruins
2
8
L
5
15
5
26
1970-12-12
@
Detroit Red Wings
3
5
L
5
16
5
27
1970-12-13
Toronto Maple Leafs
0
4
L
5
17
5
28
1970-12-16
@
New York Rangers
0
4
L
5
18
5
29
1970-12-17
Los Angeles Kings
4
3
W
6
18
5
30
1970-12-19
@
Toronto Maple Leafs
0
2
L
6
19
5
31
1970-12-20
Toronto Maple Leafs
2
4
L
6
20
5
32
1970-12-22
New York Rangers
2
7
L
6
21
5
33
1970-12-26
@
Montreal Canadiens
4
4
T
6
21
6
34
1970-12-27
Detroit Red Wings
5
2
W
7
21
6
35
1971-01-01
Boston Bruins
4
9
L
7
22
6
36
1971-01-03
Chicago Black Hawks
3
5
L
7
23
6
37
1971-01-07
Detroit Red Wings
7
4
W
8
23
6
38
1971-01-09
@
Detroit Red Wings
2
3
L
8
24
6
39
1971-01-10
Los Angeles Kings
2
2
T
8
24
7
40
1971-01-13
@
Chicago Black Hawks
2
4
L
8
25
7
41
1971-01-14
St. Louis Blues
2
1
W
9
25
7
42
1971-01-16
@
Minnesota North Stars
4
3
W
10
25
7
43
1971-01-17
Montreal Canadiens
4
4
T
10
25
8
44
1971-01-21
New York Rangers
5
5
T
10
25
9
45
1971-01-23
@
St. Louis Blues
1
7
L
10
26
9
46
1971-01-24
Philadelphia Flyers
6
4
W
11
26
9
47
1971-01-27
@
Los Angeles Kings
3
3
T
11
26
10
48
1971-01-29
@
California Golden Seals
4
2
W
12
26
10
49
1971-01-31
@
Vancouver Canucks
6
1
W
13
26
10
50
1971-02-04
Los Angeles Kings
5
2
W
14
26
10
51
1971-02-06
@
Boston Bruins
3
4
L
14
27
10
52
1971-02-07
Toronto Maple Leafs
3
4
L
14
28
10
53
1971-02-09
@
Vancouver Canucks
3
6
L
14
29
10
54
1971-02-10
@
California Golden Seals
1
5
L
14
30
10
55
1971-02-12
California Golden Seals
3
0
W
15
30
10
56
1971-02-14
Philadelphia Flyers
3
2
W
16
30
10
57
1971-02-17
@
Chicago Black Hawks
1
5
L
16
31
10
58
1971-02-18
Pittsburgh Penguins
6
6
T
16
31
11
59
1971-02-20
@
Detroit Red Wings
5
6
L
16
32
11
60
1971-02-21
St. Louis Blues
1
3
L
16
33
11
61
1971-02-23
Boston Bruins
3
6
L
16
34
11
62
1971-02-25
@
Philadelphia Flyers
2
3
L
16
35
11
63
1971-02-27
@
Toronto Maple Leafs
0
2
L
16
36
11
64
1971-02-28
Minnesota North Stars
5
2
W
17
36
11
65
1971-03-03
@
Los Angeles Kings
3
3
T
17
36
12
66
1971-03-05
Chicago Black Hawks
2
2
T
17
36
13
67
1971-03-07
Vancouver Canucks
6
3
W
18
36
13
68
1971-03-13
@
St. Louis Blues
0
9
L
18
37
13
69
1971-03-14
@
Minnesota North Stars
5
0
W
19
37
13
70
1971-03-18
St. Louis Blues
5
3
W
20
37
13
71
1971-03-20
@
Montreal Canadiens
2
5
L
20
38
13
72
1971-03-21
@
Boston Bruins
7
5
W
21
38
13
73
1971-03-23
@
New York Rangers
2
7
L
21
39
13
74
1971-03-26
Vancouver Canucks
3
1
W
22
39
13
75
1971-03-28
Minnesota North Stars
4
2
W
23
39
13
76
1971-03-31
@
Pittsburgh Penguins
6
4
W
24
39
13
77
1971-04-01
Pittsburgh Penguins
3
3
T
24
39
14
78
1971-04-04
@
Philadelphia Flyers
3
3
T
24
39
15
Highlights
In the Sabres first game ever, they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, 2-1. They finished the season like a typical expansion team, going 24-39-15
Perrault had a stellar rookie year, scoring 38 goals and 72 points, helping him capture the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year
Imlach got revenge on his former club and the Sabres drew first blood in their rivalry against Toronto with a 7-2 victory
Perrault recorded the Sabres first hat trick on January 29th, 1971 against the California Golden Seals in a 4-2 victory. Ironically it was Perreault’s only hat trick of the year as veteran forward Eddie Shack led the Sabres with three hat tricks that season.
At the NHL All-Star game in Boston, Perrault was the Sabres lone representative. It was his first of eight All-Star appearances for Perrault
Buffalo finished over .500 at home with a respectable 16-13-10 record at the ”Aud”
The Sabres finished the season on a five-game unbeaten streak, winning three games and tying two others
