On the eve of training camp comes news that the Buffalo Sabres have hired a retired, decorated NHL defenseman to work in their player development department.
My friend Elliotte Freidman reports that the Sabres have hired former NY Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning star defenseman Dan Girardi. Details are not known at this time. I'm certain that Girardi will be tasked with working with the defensemen in the Sabres organization.
Girardi, 36, retired from the NHL after the 2018-19 season.
He played the first 11 seasons of his pro career with the NY Rangers. He played the final two season of his career with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He averaged 21:33 TOI for his career.
Girardi was a top four, mobile defenseman who wasn't afraid to throw his body around.
Known as a cerebral player and a fierce competitor, Girardi blocked 1,913 shots in his career. He also landed 2,046 hits.
Welland native Dan Girardi used to train at @Harborctr now he’s working with Kevyn Adams, Adam Mair and Matt Ellis. Great hire for #Sabres https://t.co/Qwzj18M27N
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) December 31, 2020
In 927 career regular season games with the Rangers and Bolts, Girardi scored 56 goals and 208 assists for 264 points. He also accumulated 314 career PIMs. In 143 career playoff games, he scored 8 goals and added 28 assists.
Some may look at the Girardi hire as being a stretch.
Not me. To know Sabres GM Kevyn Adams is to know that he likes to surround himself with intelligent hockey minds who have a passion for teaching. Adams used to run the HARBORCenter complex in Buffalo for the Pegulas. Girardi used to train in the summers with the instructors and staff at HARBORCenter. Newly hired Director of Player Development Matt Ellis was hired by Adams in the offseason. Like Girardi, Ellis used to work out with the other pros at HARBORCenter. After he retired from the NHL, Ellis was hired by Adams to be the Director of Hockey Operations for the Academy of Hockey which has its HQ at HARBORCenter.
Ellis and Girardi are close friends having grown up together in nearby Welland, Ontario.
Recently, Adams hired former Sabres forward Adam Mair to be a player development coach.
During the NHL lockout of 2013, I remember talking with Gioradi after he would skate with Ellis, Mair and the Sabres at the Northtowns Center in suburban Buffalo.
Seamus Kotyk is Buffalo's goaltending development coach.
Girardi's hiring comes on the same day that his great friend and former teammate Ryan Callahan announced his retirement after 16 season of NHL hockey.
Big day for two former Rangers. @TheRealCally24 officially retires and Dan Girardi joins Sabres organization. https://t.co/ThyezYz8t0 pic.twitter.com/1LwLsURo0z
— Steve Napolitani (@Stevenapolitani) December 31, 2020
Callahan, a Rochester native, sure would look good in Royal Blue and Gold. Adams should hire Callahan as a development coach. Hey, you never know.
Congratulations! https://t.co/E0QNbTYvxI
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) December 30, 2020
**
Congratulations to Team Germany for clinching their berth in the quarterfinals at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships .
The determined Germans continued their ascent in the Group A standings, slapping Switzerland, 5-4, in a wild game in Edmonton.
With the win the Germans have earned a place in the quarter-finals at the expense of those Swiss, finishing in third spot.
The Germans were fueled the 3G,2A performance of J.J. Peterka and a 2G,3A outing from Ottawa Senators first rounder Tim Sutzle against the Swiss.
Watch Peterka's hat trick here:
🚨🇩🇪Elias + Stutzle to Peterka = @deb_teams ON THE BOARD! #WorldJuniors@BuffaloSabres pic.twitter.com/42P3XXEP6y
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) December 30, 2020
Stützle sets up Peterka for his second goal of the night! pic.twitter.com/HBVrG0ov8M
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 30, 2020
PETERKA!!!!!! Empty netter and a hatty and @deb_teams are that much closer to their first ever #WorldJuniors quarter-finals appearance! pic.twitter.com/EOV1wxBkBd
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) December 31, 2020
Peterka was selected in the second round of the 2020 NHL Draft by the Sabres.
Peterka's five point explosion now gives him 10 points , good enough for a piece of a three way tie for first place in the WJC scoring race.
Peterak, Stutzle and Trevor Zegras (USA) are now tied with 10 points each.
Dylan Cozens, Buffalo's 2019 first rounder, has nine points.
Peterka and Team Germany teammate Tim Stutzle now have scored 10 points each at #WorldJuniors and are tied for tourney lead with Trevor Zegras of Team USA https://t.co/4wqj0W4NAN
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) December 31, 2020
I spy with my own eye @peterka_jj atop the #WorldJuniors scoring race. @Dylan_Cozens is in second place with 9 points. @jackquinn_19 has 1G,3A thus far in the tournament. @BuffaloSabres prospects are doing Buffalo proud on the worldwide stage. Take a bow, boys! pic.twitter.com/8YtyPOgUXe
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) December 31, 2020
Peterka's stellar play at the WJCs has not gone unnoticed by Sabres GM Kevyn Adams and head coach Ralph Krueger who continue to rave about the young German's offensive output. I fully and completely expect Adams and Krueger to invite Peterka to fly to Buffalo to participate in training camp after the WJCs conclude on January 5. Its likely that Germany will make an early exit from the knockout round which would give Peterka the green light to fly to Buffalo to begin his two week quarantine before joining training camp practices. Peterka is a dark horse candidate to be added to Buffalo's taxi squad this season.