THE SABRES FIRST DANCE, 24 YEARS AGO
By George Walters, Sabres History Correspondant
Monday, June 7, 1999

Now that the Buffalo Sabres are in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1975, questions keep coming up about how that "other" SCF Sabre team was. To provide some much demanded enlightenment about those "Glory Years", I will give you a detailed account of how the Sabres reached the finals in the first place. Then I will describe in following editions the two Stanley Cup victories over the Philadelphia Flyers (including that famed "Fog Game) along with the final game of the series when the Flyers won the Cup in Buffalo. I have done research in the old Buffalo News archives and will give full credit to the newspaper and the author of the articles where I gathered all my information.

MONTREAL, May 9, 1975 - The City of Buffalo is rejoicing! The Buffalo Sabres are going to the Stanley Cup for the first time in their short 5 year history! The Sabres beat the fabled Montreal Canadians in their storied home, the Forum, before a shocked audience by a score of 4-3.

"The feeling is unbelievably," Peter McNab cried out in the locker room after the game. "To be on one of the two top hockey teams in the world!"

"It's a great feeling. I can't describe it," added Larry Carriere. Both Carrier and McNab had to shout at the top of their voices to be heard over the pandemonium that was taking place in the Forum's visiting locker room (quite a contrast to how the current Sabres celebrated their admission into the finals).

McNab, celebrating his 23rd birthday, scored the Sabres third goal in the first period, assisted by Danny Gare. McNab was filling in for the injured Don Luce and scored his second goal of the playoffs. Dryden was down and out of the net after blocking a shot by Gare, so Larry Robinson played goalie as McNab pounced on the rebound. Robinson stopped two straight shots by McNab, but Pesky Peter finally jammed the puck home to put the Sabres up 3-1.

The game was only two minutes old and the Sabres were shorthanded when Craig Ramsay stole the puck away from Guy Lapointe near the Sabres blue line and he poked it into the Montreal zone. The Rammer went chasing after it and Ken Dryden pulled a Dominik Hasek and came out after it. As the two reached the puck, Ramsey nudged it away from the All-Star goalie and shot it into the empty net.

"I turned as fast as I could," Ramsay said, "just got the puck and shot it toward the goal. I didn't have time to look. I was afraid someone would get back. I couldn't believe it went in from that angle. Why, I miss empty nets from right in front."

Rick Martin, who scored 52 goals during the regular season, scored the Sabres second goal at the 8:57 mark of the period with a 35-foot blast that got past Dryden. Rico, wearing a fiber glass cast on his right thumb that had been bothering him all season, said after, "I really enjoyed that goal!"

The Canadians got back in the game when Don Awrey put a long shot on Gerry Desjardins and it glanced off Peter Mahovlich's skate, making the score 2-1.

"I had every confidence in Peter," Ramsay said. Being teamed with Don Luce for 4 years and teamed with him for killing all penalties, Ramsay wasn't worried about McNab replacing his long-time linemate. "He's a real hard worker. He played super, skated like crazy and just checked them to death. And (Brian) Spencer, he gave us the backchecking we've been looking for. And Spinner forechecked, and hit, and never was out of position."

The Sabres played a great defensive second period, limiting the Canadians to only one shot on goal until they finally mustered 2 in the final 10 seconds of the period. Jim Lorentz scored with over 9 minutes gone by in that period to put the Sabres up 4-1. He was assisted by Fred Stanfield and Spenser.

Stanfield, the former Boston Bruin, was injured in the previous game, a 5-4 overtime victory in Buffalo, decided to play this game even though his bruised right ankle was definitely bothering him.

"I wasn't going to play," the seasoned veteran and winner of 2 Stanley Cups while with Boston said after the game. "But Luce couldn't play, so I figured I would give it a try. I couldn't skate as well as I usually do. I had to change my style. Just check and pick up a loose man. Spencer helped me out. I couldn't get in there as fast as usual, so he took over. It's just great to see these young fellows feeling so good. I've been here before, so all my happiness is inside me."

In the third period, another deflection got past Desjardins, this time Guy Lafleur's shot deflected off the shin pads of Josh Guevremont. And the Habs made it too close for comfort when yet another shot went off a Sabre and into the Buffalo net. Mahovlich got his second of the game while the Canadians were pressing in the last minute of the game and Dryden out for the extra attacker. His shot went off Jim Schoenfield's skate and past a bewildered Desjardins. The Canadians kept Dryden off and they Habs were buzzing around the Buffalo net while the crowd was on its feet. The Sabres withstood the storm and had reached their ultimate dream of going to the Stanley Cup finals. When the final horn rang, the Sabres raced over the boards and mobbed Desjardins, who had made 16 saves on 17 shots in the first period and was instrumental in helping the Sabres gain that huge first period lead.

When the Sabres arrived at the airport after the game, there were over 10,000 fans to greet their heroes. It was a wild scene and one the fans hoped to repeat if the Sabres won the Stanley Cup.

(Source: Article written by Dick Johnston, News staff reporter, in the BUFFALO NEWS, printed on May 10, 1975)