The following is a chronological history of all local broadcasters of the Buffalo Sabres. Since 1997, radio and television broadcast production has been largely consolidated into the Sabres Hockey Network unit.
Year | Channel | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Rinkside | Studio host | Studio analyst |
2022-23 | MSG Western New York | Dan Dunleavy | Rob Ray | Brian Duff | Martin Biron | |
2021–22 | MSG Western New York | Rick Jeanneret Dan Dunleavy | Rob Ray Martin Biron | Brian Duff Dan Dunleavy | Martin Biron | |
2021 | MSG Western New York | Rick Jeanneret Dan Dunleavy | Rob Ray Martin Biron | Brian Duff Dan Dunleavy | Martin Biron |
Year | Channel | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Studio host | Studio analyst |
1989–90 | SportsChannel New York | Ted Darling | Mike Robitaille | John Gurtler | Danny Gare |
WNYB | Jim Lorentz | Mike Robitaille | |||
1988-89 | WGRZ-TV | Ted Darling | Jim Lorentz or Mike Robitaille | Ed Kilgore | |
1987–88 | WNYB | Ted Darling | Jim Lorentz or Mike Robitaille | Ed Kilgore | |
1986–87 | WGRZ-TV | Ted Darling | Jim Lorentz or Mike Robitaille | Ed Kilgore | |
1985–86 | WGRZ-TV | Ted Darling | Jim Lorentz or Mike Robitaille | Ed Kilgore | |
1984–85 | WGRZ-TV | Ted Darling | Jim Lorentz | Ed Kilgore | |
1983–84 | WGRZ-TV | Ted Darling | Jim Lorentz | Ed Kilgore | |
1982–83 | WGR-TV | Ted Darling | Paul Wieland and Jim Lorentz | Ed Kilgore | |
1981–82 | WGR-TV | Ted Darling | Paul Wieland and Jim Lorentz | Ed Kilgore | |
1980–81 | WGR-TV | Ted Darling | Paul Wieland and Jim Lorentz | Ed Kilgore |
Year | Channel | Play-by-play | Color commentator | Studio host |
1979–80 | WGR-TV | Ted Darling | Pat Hannigan | Ed Kilgore |
1978–79 | WGR-TV | Ted Darling | Pat Hannigan | Ed Kilgore |
1977–78 | WKBW-TV | Ted Darling | Pat Hannigan | Rick Azar |
1976–77 | WKBW-TV | Ted Darling | Pat Hannigan | Rick Azar |
1975–76 | WKBW-TV | Ted Darling | Pat Hannigan | Rick Azar |
1974–75 | WKBW-TV | Ted Darling | Pat Hannigan | Rick Azar |
1973–74 | WKBW-TV | Ted Darling | Pat Hannigan | Rick Azar |
1972–73 | WKBW-TV | Ted Darling | Pat Hannigan | Rick Azar |
1971–72 | WKBW-TV | Ted Darling | Pat Hannigan | Rick Azar |
1970–71 | WKBW-TV | Dave Hodge and Rick Azar (seven away games) [1] |
Year | Flagship | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Studio host |
2022–23 | WGR | Dan Dunleavy | Rob Ray | Brian Koziol (Postgame) Mike Schopp, Chris Parker, or Brian Koziol (Pregame) |
2021–22 | WGR | Rick Jeanneret Dan Dunleavy | Rob Ray Martin Biron | Brian Koziol (Postgame) Mike Schopp, Chris Parker, or Brian Koziol (Pregame) |
2021 | WGR | Rick Jeanneret Dan Dunleavy | Rob Ray Martin Biron | Mike Schopp, Chris Parker, or Brian Koziol (Pregame) Brian Koziol (Postgame) |
Year | Station | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Studio host(s) | |
2009–10 | WGR | Rick Jeanneret | Harry Neale | Mike Schopp, Chris Parker, or Brian Koziol (Pregame) Brian Koziol (Postgame) | |
2008–09 | WGR | Rick Jeanneret | Harry Neale | Mike Schopp, Chris Parker, or Brian Koziol (Pregame) Brian Koziol (Postgame) | |
2007–08 | WGR | Rick Jeanneret | Harry Neale or Mike Robitaille | Mike Schopp, Chris Parker, or Brian Koziol (Pregame) Brian Koziol (Postgame) | |
2006–07 | WGR | Rick Jeanneret | Jim Lorentz | Mike Schopp, Chris Parker, or Brad Riter (Pregame) Brad Riter (Postgame) | |
2005–06 | WGR | Rick Jeanneret | Jim Lorentz | Mike Schopp, Chris Parker, or Brad Riter (Pregame) Brad Riter (Postgame) | |
2004–05 | No broadcasts due to 2004-05 NHL lockout | ||||
2003–04 | WNSA | Rick Jeanneret | Jim Lorentz | Josh Mora and Mike Robitaille | |
2002–03 | WNSA | Rick Jeanneret | Jim Lorentz | Brian Blessing and Mike Robitaille | |
2001–02 | WNSA | Rick Jeanneret | Jim Lorentz | Brian Blessing and Mike Robitaille | |
2000–01 | WNSA | Rick Jeanneret | Jim Lorentz | Brian Blessing and Mike Robitaille |
Year | Station | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Studio hosts |
1999–2000 | WHTT-FM | Rick Jeanneret | Jim Lorentz | Brian Blessing and Mike Robitaille |
1998–99 | WHTT-FM | Rick Jeanneret | Jim Lorentz | Tom Schuh 1st half of season and Mark Jeanneret 2nd half of season |
1997–98 | WHTT-FM | Rick Jeanneret | Jim Lorentz | Brian Blessing and Mike Robitaille |
1996–97 | ? | Pete Weber | Danny Gare | Dave Miller |
1995–96 | WWKB-AM | Pete Weber | Danny Gare | Dave Miller |
1994–95 | WGR | Rick Jeanneret | Larry Playfair | Barry Buetel |
1993–94 | WGR | Rick Jeanneret | Larry Playfair | Barry Buetel |
1992–93 | WGR | Rick Jeanneret | Larry Playfair | Pete Weber |
1991–92 | WGR | Rick Jeanneret | Danny Gare | Pete Weber |
1990–91 | WGR | Rick Jeanneret | Danny Gare | Pete Weber |
Year | Station | Play-by-play | Studio host |
1979–80 | WGR | Rick Jeanneret | |
1978–79 | WGR | Rick Jeanneret | |
1977–78 | WGR | Rick Jeanneret | |
1976–77 | WGR | Rick Jeanneret | |
1975–76 | WGR | Rick Jeanneret | |
1974–75 | WGR | Rick Jeanneret | |
1973–74 | WGR | Rick Jeanneret | |
1972–73 | WGR | Rick Jeanneret | |
1971–72 | WGR | Rick Jeanneret | |
1970–71 | WGR | Ted Darling [2] | Phil Soisson (home games) |
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along with the Vancouver Canucks, when the league expanded to 14 teams. The Sabres have played their home games at KeyBank Center since 1996, having previously played at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium since their inception. The Sabres are owned by Terry Pegula, who purchased the club in 2011 from Tom Golisano.
The California Golden Seals were a professional ice hockey club that competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1967 to 1976. Based in Oakland, California, they played their home games at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena. The Seals were one of six teams added to the league as part of the 1967 NHL expansion. Initially named the California Seals, the team was renamed the Oakland Seals during the 1967–68 season and then the Bay Area Seals in 1970 before becoming the California Golden Seals the same year.
KeyBank Center is a multipurpose indoor arena located in Buffalo, New York. Originally known as Marine Midland Arena, the venue has since been named HSBC Arena and First Niagara Center. Home to the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League since 1996, is the largest indoor arena in Western New York, seating 19,070. It replaced the Sabres' former home, Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, where the team played from 1970 to 1996. The venue is also home to the Buffalo Bandits of the National Lacrosse League.
Gilbert Perreault is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played for 17 seasons with the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. He was the first draft pick of the Sabres in their inaugural season in the NHL. He is well known as the centre man for the prolific trio of Sabres forwards known as The French Connection. The trio helped the Sabres reach the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals.
The MSG Network (MSG) is an American regional cable and satellite television network, and radio service owned by MSG Entertainment, Inc.—a spin-off of the main Madison Square Garden Company operation.
Rhett Adam Warrener is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played over 700 games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Florida Panthers, Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames between 1995 and 2008. He was a member of the Canadian national junior team that won a gold medal at the 1996 World Junior Championship. Warrener retired in 2009 after missing a full season due to a shoulder injury. He briefly remained with the Flames as a scout before turning to broadcasting. He co-hosts the morning radio show on Calgary's Sportsnet 960 radio. Warrener was born in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, but grew up in Frontier, Saskatchewan.
Garry Michael Galley is a Canadian broadcaster and former professional ice hockey player. Galley played in the National Hockey League from 1984 to 2001. Galley was a former co-host of the defunct "More On Sports" radio program on The Team 1200 in Ottawa, Ontario, and is a colour commentator on Hockey Night in Canada.
The Buffalo Bisons were an American Hockey League ice hockey franchise that played from 1940 to 1970 in Buffalo, New York. They replaced the original Buffalo Bisons hockey team, which left the area in 1936 after its arena collapsed. They were the second professional hockey team to play their games in the Buffalo city proper, after the short-lived Buffalo Majors of the early 1930s; the previous Bisons team had played across the border at an arena in Fort Erie, Ontario.
James Peter Lorentz, Jr. is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey centre who played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres between 1969 and 1978. He won the Stanley Cup with Boston in 1970. He was the color analyst for the Sabres on the MSG Network and the Sabres Radio Network. He worked alongside play-by-play commentator Rick Jeanneret.
The 2006–07 Buffalo Sabres season was the 37th season of operation, 36th season of play, for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on May 22, 1970. The Season began with the team attempting to rebound from a disappointing end to the 2005–06 season, in which the Sabres advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing in seven to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions, the Carolina Hurricanes.
The 2007–08 Buffalo Sabres season was the 38th season of operation, 37th season of play, for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on May 22, 1970.
The 2008 NHL Winter Classic was an outdoor ice hockey game played in the National Hockey League (NHL) on January 1, 2008, at Ralph Wilson Stadium near Buffalo, New York. It was the league's inaugural Winter Classic game, and was contested between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres; the Penguins won, 2–1, in a shootout on a goal by captain Sidney Crosby. The event was the NHL's second outdoor regular season game, and the first outdoor regular season professional ice hockey game to be played in the United States. Due to the snowy conditions, the game was at the time colloquially referred to as the "Ice Bowl" by residents of the area and Sabres' fans. The event was sponsored by AMP Energy, and was televised in the United States on NBC and in Canada on CBC and RDS.
The NHL Winter Classic is an annual outdoor ice hockey game played during the National Hockey League's (NHL) regular season on or around New Year's Day. It is generally held in a football or baseball stadium in an area with a resident NHL team. The Winter Classic is distinct from the league's two other series of outdoor games, the NHL Heritage Classic and the NHL Stadium Series. The first Winter Classic was held in 2008 at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, between the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins. Fourteen Winter Classics have been held as of January 2023. The most recent game was played during the 2022–23 NHL season at Fenway Park, with the Boston Bruins defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 2–1.
The 1970–71 Vancouver Canucks season was the Canucks' first in the NHL. They joined the league on May 22, 1970, along with the Buffalo Sabres. After not being awarded an expansion team in 1967 when the league added six teams, Vancouver finally joined the NHL in 1970 for a price of $6 million. The Vancouver Canucks of the Western Hockey League were promoted to the NHL, though the ownership group of the WHL Canucks, not willing to pay the $6 million to join the NHL, sold the team to Medicor, a group controlled by Thomas Scallen.
The Sabres Hockey Network is the official radio network and production company of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). The network is currently operated jointly by the Sabres and Audacy, Inc.
The National Hockey League has never fared as well on American television in comparison to the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, or the National Football League, although that has begun to change, with NBC's broadcasts of the final games of the 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2013 Stanley Cup Finals scoring some of the best ratings ever enjoyed by the sport on American television.
The 2015–16 NHL season was the 99th season of operation of the National Hockey League (NHL). Thirty teams competed in 82-game regular season schedules from October 7, 2015 to April 10, 2016.
MSG Western New York is an American regional sports network that is a joint venture between MSG Entertainment and Pegula Sports and Entertainment. The channel is a sub-feed of MSG Network, with programming oriented towards the Western New York region, including coverage of the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres and the National Football League's Buffalo Bills. It replaced MSG Network on television providers in the Sabres' media market in 2016.
The 1970–71 NCAA University Division men's ice hockey season began in November 1970 and concluded with the 1971 NCAA University Division Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on March 20, 1971 at the Onondaga War Memorial in Syracuse, New York. This was the 24th season in which an NCAA ice hockey championship was held and is the 77th year overall where an NCAA school fielded a team.
The 2018 NHL Winter Classic was an outdoor ice hockey game played in the National Hockey League (NHL) on January 1, 2018, at Citi Field in the New York City borough of Queens. The tenth edition of the Winter Classic, the game matched the Buffalo Sabres against the New York Rangers; the Rangers won, 3–2, on an overtime goal by J. T. Miller. The game marked the 10th anniversary of the Winter Classic.