Looking back at the Sabres’ 1998-99 season, 25 years later

“The hardest working team in hockey”

After advancing to the second round of the playoffs in 1997 and losing to Washington in the Eastern Conference finals in 1998, the Sabers entered the 1998-99 campaign determined to make another long run.

Quartier Dixon, attacker: We all wanted to play hard, play for each other. We all felt like we had something to prove. Even our coach felt he had something to prove.

Curtis Brown, forward: I just think we had a very professional attitude. I think it all started from the top – Lindy Ruff obviously had high expectations of us. …And I thought we really came together at the right time. I think everyone had their role, which is very crucial.

Room: We started this years before – this mentality that we’re the Buffalo Sabres, we’re going to have to outplay teams. We had a group of guys who had the ability to work really hard. And the systems that they put in place and that they taught us were very, very valuable to us. Everyone was accountable to these systems.

Michael Peca, striker: Everyone was so in tune with what we were doing. It just created a lot of chemistry.

Brown: Everyone really played for the logo on the front. Nobody cared who got recognized when the puck dropped, and I think that was the key.

Peca: We put a lot of pressure on each other to play the right way – own the puck, focus on offense. We believed it had to be done as a group. I think our main goal was to literally outplay the other team, possess the puck and just be physical.

Dwayne Roloson, goalkeeper: Everyone contributed. And almost every playoff team, you can ask, the reason they were successful is because everyone bought in. From black aces to spare guys who come from the minors. Also give a lot of credit to the coaching staff – Lindy, Ramer (Mike Ramsey) and Donny (Don Lever) – they were prepared for every team.

Room: That year we were as prepared as ever for every game. People ask me all the time: who are the best coaches I’ve played for in my career? But Lindy was by far for me the best bench coach I ever played for. He could make mid-game adjustments in our structure and style to counteract what the other team was doing. These coaches were always willing to have a game plan for us. They built a game plan around what we were capable of. They weren’t asking us to do something we couldn’t do. They were just trying to make the most of what we could offer at that time. Obviously, with a system that revolved around the best goalkeeper in the world, it turned out to be a success for us.

Brown: In the end, if I’m telling the truth, we also had a guy who was spectacular to accompany us in many games – I think his last name was Hasek.

Stu Barnes, forward: I remember from the first day of practice and warming up for games how competitive he was. That’s what really surprised me. I didn’t realize he was as good and competitive as he was. I couldn’t score on him in practice so it seemed like a complete waste of time going down and shooting at him because they were never going in.

Roloson: That’s why he was so good: he was two steps ahead of everyone. I learned a lot from him and really enjoyed playing behind him.

Room: Other than Dominik, we didn’t have anyone who was head and shoulders better than the next guy. We were all just a group of guys. And sure, we had guys who performed well in certain situations, but everyone felt important and everyone respected each other. And that was the best part of this group.

Peca: If you define what a great team is, it’s a group of guys who are really focused on the same thing, regardless of their own success or intentions. We may not have had all the top talent at all positions like other teams, but I think what makes a great team, what we had, is that we got along so well outside of ice. Sometimes more than on the ice. This is such a powerful thing for any team, regardless of sport.

Room: My biggest takeaway was that none of us really took ourselves very seriously. We were just guys who came to play hockey. That’s the kind of memory I have. When we played, we played hard. But what a bunch of crazy guys and what a bunch of characters in the same locker room.

Peca: We felt like we were continuing to gain experience and put ourselves in a position to ultimately play and compete for a Stanley Cup. I think as we went through the trade deadline, the addition of a Stu Barnes and a Joe Juneau seemed to add a lot of character and unselfishness to the hockey team.

The Sabers then tallied 91 points during the regular season to secure their fourth straight playoff berth.