The Past and Present of the Sabres
Newly acquired Randy Burridge proved very valuable, winning the Tim Horton Award for scoring 25 goals. The 1996-97 season proved to be the golden era for The Buffalo Sabres as they won in the Northeast Division, coach Nolan and manager Muckler winning awards in their fields, goaltender Dominik Hasek winning two trophies and defense forward Michael Peca the Frank J. Selke Trophy. The Sabres performed well in the following seasons, despite differences between coach Nolan and Hasek. In 1998, Miroslav Satan, Donald Audette and Peca lead the teams to the Conference Finals.
Controversies continued to surround The Sabres, and they failed to make a huge impact the next three to four seasons. With stable management and younger players, the team won 52 games in the 2005-06 season and 110 points, making and breaking many records. Buffalo Sabres made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, and coach Lindy Ruff won the Jack Adams Award for the best Coach of the Year. In the 2006-07 season, they won 12 games in a row, setting another record. In March '07, The Sabres completed their 50th win of the season, winning the Northeast Division the following month. They ended the season winning the President's Trophy.