The votes are in for Buffalo's top 6 defensemen.
They are:
#1 Phil Housely (85%) and #2 Brian Campbell (62%)
#3 Tyler Myers (54%) and #4 Michael Ramsey (51%)
#5 Alexei Zhitnik (47%) and #6 James Schoenfeld (41%)
Larry Playfair was the next closest at 37%.There were a few names that people believed should have been added to the poll, including Teppo Numminen and Tim Horton. Remember that we have two reserve skaters to choose tomorrow.
Phil Housley- 608 GP, 178 G, 380 A, 558 PTS. In all his time in Buffalo, he managed a plus 3 rating. He also scored 25 game winning goals.
Brian Campbell- I was surprised to see him so high up in the votes, but I believe he was a very good defenseman for us. 176 points in 391 games.
Tyler Myers- He's played three seasons and is already considered one of the best defensemen in Buffalo history?
Michael Ramsey- 911 GP, 73 G, 256 A, 329 PTS. Ramsey should have been higher up on the list.
Alexei Zhitnik- 712 GP, 55 G, 234 A, 289 PTS. So the top three Sabres defensemen in points made the list, but Doug Bodger and Gerald Korab (4th and 5th all-time) didn't get more than 16% of votes.
James Schoenfeld- 584 GP, 45 G, 183 A, 228 PTS. He was plus 231. Hajt holds the team record for defensemen with a plus 321 rating.
I admit that I never got a chance to see most of the older players and I think that goes the same for many people on this site. It helps explain how Campbell and Myers are so high up on the list. Regardless, I think there is a nice mixture of player for the top 6 defensemen.
Here's what we have done so far and what is coming up:
Monday - Goaltenders: Dominik Hasek and Ryan Miller
Tuesday - Phil Housley, Brian Campbell, Tyler Myers, Michael Ramsey, Alexei Zhitnik, James Schoenfeld
Wednesday - Forwards (12)
Thursday - Reserve skaters (2)
I will be posting the forwards shortly.
Buffalo Sabres Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»