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David Legwand Retires #Sabres https://t.co/viSilny60T pic.twitter.com/5mbBes8I2d
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) December 22, 2016
David Legwand announced his retirement today from the NHL following 16 NHL seasons. The forward was selected second overall by the Nashville Predators, making him the first draft pick in franchise history.
After playing nearly 14 seasons in Nashville, Legwand was traded on the 2014 trade deadline to the Detroit Red Wings for Calle Jarnkrok, Patrick Eaves and a second round draft pick. In the 2013-14 season, which he split between the Predators and his hometown Red Wings, Legwand scored a combined 51 points in 83 games and he set a career-high in assists (37), while helping Detroit continue their playoff streak.
On July 4, 2014, Legwand was signed as a free agent by the Ottawa Senators. He scored 27 points in 80 games and the Senators reached the 2015 playoffs in his lone season in Ottawa. On Nov. 29, 2014, he played in his 1,000th career game, at the Tampa Bay Lightning. Legwand was traded on June 26, 2015 to the Buffalo Sabres along with Robin Lehner for a first round draft pick. He played in 79 games with the Sabres and scored 14 points in 2015-16 — his final season in the NHL.
Throughout his career, Legwand showed his durability by playing in at least 78 games in eight seasons, and he also played in all 48 games of the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season. He recorded 0.54 points per game, had a career 10.8 per cent shooting percentage, scored 153 career power-play points and 11 shorthanded goals, as well as 43 game-winning goals of which included nine in overtime. Legwand averaged 16:48 of ice-time in the regular season, which increased to 18:27 in the playoffs. He also scored 13 goals and 28 points in 55 career playoff games, while he helped his teams reach the postseason in nine of his 16 seasons.
Internationally, Legwand represented the United States twice at the World Junior Championships (1998, 1999) and four times at the World Championship (1999, 2000, 2001, and 2005). He served as an NHLPA player representative, or alternate representative, for nearly eight seasons while he played in Nashville.
Legwand, 36, resides in Harrison Township, Michigan, with his wife Lindsey and their two children. He currently is a co-owner of the Sarnia Sting in the OHL, along with fellow former player Derian Hatcher.
(Thanks, NHLPA)
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You can laugh at Marcus Foligno for slicking his hair back before entering the battle that Florida veteran Shawn Thornton dragged him into on Tuesday night. Chuckle if you will. Spew your snark and tweet your "edgy" commentary. I give Foligno ten gold stars for not only accepting the challenge but dotting the jawbone of Thornton, who is a two time Stanley Cup champion and one of the toughest SOB's to have ever laced them up in the NHL.
Foligno was challenged and he answered the bell. Why did a dusty grinder like Thornton choose to tangle with the younger, stronger and more athletic Foligno.
Then Moose got loose on Thornton, who knew in advance that Moose possesses a heavy, teeth-loosening right jab. Foligno's right hand is like NyQuil. Take two sips and you are out cold for 24 hours.
Why would Thornton go there? Why did Foligno throw hands with a known veteran heavyweight?
It is what each player felt that his team needed at that moment.
The score was tied at 2-2 with 2:33 remaining in the second period and Florida had just puked up a 2-0 lead. Foligno wanted another goal to send his team to the intermission with money in the bank. Thornton was trying to wake up his slumbering teammates.
How about Rasmus Ristolainen burying the go ahead goal at 12:19 of the third period against the Panthers? That was a clutch goal from a young Norris Trophy candidate. Risto confidently fired a rocket past Roberto Luongo's legendary glove hand to give Buffalo the lead.
Four minutes later, a struggling Nick Bjugstad scored his first goal of the season on a record tying assist from Jaromir Jagr.
All because the Sabres were sloppy with the puck in their own end and it energized the 44 year old Jagr, who tied Mark Messier for second overall on NHL point scoring list with 1,887 career points.
Emotion.
It's a beautifully necessary element that is essential to being a successful NHL player.
The most successful players are the ones who play out of character and are willing to sacrifice their body for their teammates.
“We need to get more emotionally attached to the game right from the start,… Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said on Thursday morning. “We’ve responded in virtually every one of our games in the last 10 (games), some point in the game we go down or something happens in the game where we responded.…
The Sabres appear to be a team who are satisfied to be more engaged in the final forty minutes than they were in the first twenty minutes.
Bylsma has had enough of the waiting for his team to arrive for games when they start at 7:05pm rather than in the dying moments of the contest at 9:35pm.
“We get emotionally attached to the game in the second period, come with a lot after that point,… Bylsma said. “Our challenge is we got to get emotionally attached to the game right from the drop of the puck.…
Bylsma said his team has to be more proactive from the opening draw rather than chasing the game.
“You have to have an understanding of how we are going to win the game right from the start of the game, not wait for it to react.…
The Sabres left money on the table in back to back games in Raleigh and Sunrise. They should have spanked the Canes and Cats, however, they were late to work two days in a row and it cost them two critical points in the tight Eastern Conference race.
Buffalo have lost eight overtime games or shootouts this season .
You want to your team to be undefeated in OT and the shootout? Tell each man to play the first period like its sudden death OT and not coast his way through shifts in games. Win the first, second and third periods and your team will win in regulation. Screw OT and the shootout. Who needs that drama?
The Sabres only trail Boston by five points for the final Atlantic Division playoff spot.
Imagine if Buffalo could have won half of the games that they frittered away in the shootout.
Imagine if every Sabres player handled his business like Marcus Foligno and Rasmus Ristolainen.
You wanna go? Let's go!
Anyone who has who has ever had a fist fight will tell you that it's imperative that you land the first punch. I can speak from experience. Don't let the opponent bloody your lip and get the upper hand. Give him something that will shake his belief system at the core.
Don't just stand there. Slick your hair back, bob-n-weave, and throw the first three punches or you will live to regret it.
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The Sabres enter tonight’s game with a 7-3-4 record (.643) in their last 14 games.
Buffalo was ranked fourth in the NHL in power play percentage (23.2%), ninth in team faceoff percentage (51.5%) and 10th in goals against per game (2.52) before Wednesday’s games.
The Sabres are 4-0-1 in their last five games against the Hurricanes and are looking to extend their point streak to six games for the first time since the team went 5-0-1 against the Whalers from October 23, 1994 to April 4, 1995.
Buffalo has won each of its last four home games against Carolina. A win tonight would extend that streak to five regular-season games for the first time since Oct. 20, 2006 to Jan. 17, 2009.
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Brian Gionta has seven points (3G, 4A) in his last seven games against Carolina.
Matt Moulson has 19 points (6G, 13A)in his last 18 games against the Hurricanes.
Evander Kane has four points (2G, 2A) in his last four games against Carolina.
Marcus Foligno has a point in each of his last three games against the Hurricanes (1G, 2A).
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With a win tonight, Dan Bylsma would become the 47th head coach in NHL history to record 300 regular-season wins.
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Rasmus Ristolainen has 15 points (3G, 12A) in his last 13 games, including 14 points (3G, 10A) his last nine.
Kyle Okposo has 12 points (4G, 8A) in his last 13 games.
Ryan O’Reilly has nine points (3G, 8A) in his last 10 games.
Evander Kane has nine points (6G, 3A) in his last 10 games.
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Rasmus Ristolainen entered play Wednesday tied for 12th among all NHL skaters with 20 assists.
Ristolainen has recorded an assist on 31.3 % of his Buffalo teammates’ goals.
This is third-highest such percentage in the NHL. Ristolainen trails only Connor McDavid (33.3%) and Erik Karlsson (32.9%).
This would rank as the second-highest percentage in Buffalo Sabres team history, behind only Pat LaFontaine (33.7%) in 1992-93.
Only one Sabres defenseman has ever recorded an assist on more than 20% of his teammates’ goals: Phil Housley (22.6%) in 1989-90.
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