The Buffalo Sabres have had some great players in their history, including the memorable French Connection, which featured Hall of Famer Gilbert Perreault along with Sabres greats Rick Martin and Rene Robert. They formed a dominant scoring line that starred during the franchise’s inception. All three have had their numbers retired by the franchise.
In fact, eight players have received the honor of having their numbers hang from the rafters, including Dominik Hasek, Pat LaFontaine, Danny Gare, Tim Horton, and Ryan Miller, and all were deserving.
Another former Sabre who deserves to have his number retired is Dave Andreychuk. A first-round pick by the Sabres in 1982, he went on to become a consistent goalscorer during a Hall of Fame career that spanned three decades.
Andreychuk was one of the headliners on some good Sabres teams for over a decade. He scored more than half of his 640 career goals and 1,338 points in Western New York. That included 161 of his former NHL record 274 power-play goals. A record that’s since been broken by Washington Capitals great Alexander Ovechkin (300).
Andreychuk’s Promising Start
After making the roster as a teenager, Andreychuk made a splash by scoring his first NHL goal in his debut versus the Quebec Nordiques on Oct. 6, 1982 – he scored twice more in his second game in Quebec on Oct. 9, 1982.
He scored five goals over the Sabres’ first five games. In his eighth game as a rookie, Andreychuk notched two goals and an assist against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 24, 1982. That gave him seven goals and eight points for a great start to his career.
Although injuries limited him to 43 games in his rookie season, Andreychuk finished with 14 goals and 23 assists – it was a sign of things to come.
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In his second season, he led the Sabres in goals with 38. He also recorded 42 assists to rank second in team scoring with 80 points. He finished second in team scoring behind Gilbert Perreault, who paced the Sabres with 90 in 1983-84. Unfortunately, the Sabres were eliminated by the Nordiques three games to none in the 1984 Division Semifinals.
Andreychuk Established Himself as a Consistent Scorer
After the 1983-84 season, Andreychuk scored 30 or more goals in eight seasons, including reaching the 40-goal mark twice – first at age 26 when he scored exactly 40 during 1989-90, including 22 even-strength goals and 18 on the power play. In 1991-92, he posted a career-high 41 goals with a career-best 50 assists to establish a new career high in points with 91.
He continued to be a huge part of the Sabres’ offense that included LaFontaine and Alexander Mogilny, and it looked like they’d be together for a while. However, it wasn’t meant to be.
During the 1992-93 season, after he’d already produced 29 goals and 61 points in 52 games, the Sabres traded Andreychuk to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 2, with Darren Puppa and a 1993 first-round pick (Kenny Jonsson) in exchange for goaltender Grant Fuhr and a 1995 fifth-round pick (Kevin Popp)
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It was a deal they would regret. After being acquired from the Leafs, Fuhr lost the starting job to Hasek in 1993-94. As it turned out, Hasek won the first of six Vezina Trophies by going 30-20-6 with a 1.90 goals-against average, a .930 save percentage, and seven shutouts. With Hasek establishing himself as one of the game’s best netminders, Fuhr was dealt to the Kings on Feb. 14, 1995. Alexei Zhitnik was a key defenseman the Sabres received in the six-player deal.
Meanwhile, with the Maple Leafs, Andreychuk scored 50 goals twice, including in 1992-93 when he combined for 54 between both teams. He also posted consecutive 99-point seasons – a career-best.
He remained productive into his 30s. After spending a few years in Toronto, Andreychuk was dealt to the Devils in 1995-96, where he would stay until 1999-00 when he was traded to the Boston Bruins. Following a brief stay in Boston, he was rented by the Colorado Avalanche to conclude the season.
Andreychuk’s Return Home
Nearly a decade after he was traded, Andreychuk returned to the Sabres for the 2000-01 season. Now 37, the popular left-winger played a secondary scoring role on a playoff-contending team that was one bounce away from reaching the Eastern Conference Final.
Andreychuk proved he still had something left, scoring 20 goals in 74 games, including eight on the power play. That allowed him to add to the most power-play goals in Sabres’ franchise history. His 161 rank first – 27 more than the all-time franchise scoring leader Perreault. Only two other Sabres have hit the century mark, including Martin (114) and Thomas Vanek (106).
The Case for Andreychuk
Not only does Andreychuk top the Sabres’ all-time list in power-play goals, but he also ranks amongst the best in team history in several other categories. He’s third all-time in goals with 368 – only Martin (382) and Perreault (512) have more. Gare comes in fourth with 267. After Perreault, who holds the Sabres’ record with 1,326 points, Andreychuk ranks second with 804. Martin rounds out the top three with 695.
As his career evolved, Andreychuk was known more as a finisher. He scored at least 20 goals or more in 19 seasons. However, he was often overlooked as a passer. With the Sabres, he totaled 436 assists to rank second all-time, trailing only Perreault (814).
He also ranks third in team history with 2,342 shots and ranks fifth with nine hat tricks. On Feb. 6, 1986, versus the rival Bruins, Andreychuk had a memorable game at Boston Garden. He scored five goals to highlight an 8-6 win. At the time, his five goals were one shy of Red Berenson’s single-game record of six.
In that particular game, Andreychuk scored from directly in front of the Boston net – the spot where he made his living throughout his 23-year career and why he had so much success on the power play. Andreychuk also ranks in the top five in even-strength goals (207) and game-winners (38).
His Sabres career merits strong consideration to join the eight players whose numbers are up in the rafters. No. 25 should be the ninth number retired, followed by Mogilny, but that’s a subject for another day.
Andreychuk in the Buffalo Greater Sports Hall of Fame
In 2006, Andreychuk was inducted into the Buffalo Greater Sports Hall of Fame. He was praised for his many contributions to the Sabres’ franchise.
“An immovable object in front of opposing netminders, Dave was perennially among the league leaders in power-play goals, and holds team (and league) records for power play goals for a season and career. When Andreychuk had completed his second stint with the Sabres after the 2000-2001 campaign, he also stood among team career leaders in games (sixth, 837), goals (third, 368), assists (second, 436), and points (second, 804); in the listing of assists and points, he stands first among team left wingers, and is second in goals only to Rick Martin. An often explosive scorer, his single-game outbursts of five goals (Feb. 8, 1986 against Boston) and four power-play goals (March 19, 1992 against Los Angeles) are unequalled in team history”
from “Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame Members Class of 2006: Dave Andreychuk,” Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame, October 2006.
Captained Lightning to Stanley Cup
Towards the end of his career, Andreychuk signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 11, 2001. Brought in as a veteran leader, he spent four years in Tampa Bay. He captained the Lightning to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup championship in 2003-04.
At 40, he still scored 21 goals during that memorable season. On a team that featured future Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis, along with Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards, the Lightning won the Stanley Cup with Andreychuk as their emotional leader.
While most of the ink focused on the Lightning’s young stars like Richards, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy over goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, Andreychuk had a good postseason, finishing with a goal and 13 assists to tie the clutch Ruslan Fedotenko for sixth in team scoring.
Most notably, his leadership helped the Lightning overcome the challenges of the final two rounds against the Philadelphia Flyers and Calgary Flames, winning both series in seven games. Andreychuk won his first Stanley Cup at 40. It was the crowning achievement of a brilliant career.
Hockey Hall of Fame
Andreychuk was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017. A well-deserved honor for one of the league’s best power forwards. He went in with a strong class that included Paul Kariya, Mark Recchi, and Teemu Selanne.
When asked to list the accomplishment he was most proud of, he immediately mentioned his games played in a story that appeared on NHL.com. His 1,639 games rank seventh in NHL history.
“My games played,” Andreychuk told the national media about what stood out after getting inducted. “I know that sometimes [that many games played] can be seen as kind of a black mark, or so it’s said,” he added. “I don’t think if you ask players if you play in 1,600 games they think it’s a black mark.”
“Actually, going through my career and passing some guys, some numbers, that was tough to fathom too. Those moments meant a lot to me. I guess selfishly you think, ‘Wow, I just scored more goals than Mike Bossy.’ You’re like, ‘Holy [cow], that’s something.’ Now going into the same Hall of Fame with all those guys that I idolized and watched, it’s pretty humbling”
Case Closed
Andreychuk’s outstanding career proves that he deserves to have his number retired by the Sabres. He scored more than half his 640 goals and 1,338 points with the organization. His ranks in several key offensive categories strengthen his case.
After being honored by the Hockey Hall of Fame six years ago in Toronto, it’s about time he has his moment in Buffalo. It’s where he spent half of his career. He had his most success with the Sabres. Andreychuk is very deserving of having his No. 25 retired by the franchise. Here’s hoping they recognize him soon.