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The Buffalo Sabres Quarter-Century Teams have been unveiled, consisting of 12 players who represented the organization from 2000 to 2025.

The NHL has been revealing Quarter-Century Teams for each of the league’s 32 clubs daily since Dec. 31. The rollout will culminate with an announcement of the NHL Quarter-Century Team, which will comprise the top 25 players of the last 25 years as determined by a fan vote. Only players who were named to a club’s Quarter-Century First Team will be eligible.

The Sabres’ Quarter-Century Teams are as follows:

First Team

Forward: Daniel Briere

Forward: Jason Pominville

Forward: Thomas Vanek

Defenseman: Brian Campbell

Defenseman: Rasmus Dahlin

Goaltender: Ryan Miller

Second Team

Forward: Chris Drury

Forward: Derek Roy

Forward: Jack Eichel

Defenseman: Jay McKee

Defenseman: Tyler Myers

Goaltender: Dominik Hasek

The teams were selected by a voting panel consisting of Sabres alumni and broadcasters Martin Biron and Rob Ray; fellow Sabres broadcasters Brian Duff and Dan Dunleavy; and longtime beat reporters Bill Hoppe of The Olean Times Herald, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News, and Paul Hamilton of WGR 550.

Here’s more on each of the selections.

First-Team

Danny Briere, forward (2003-07)

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Briere had enjoyed a productive season and a half with Phoenix before the Sabres acquired him in March 2003 – but it was in Buffalo where his career, and his reputation as one of the game’s foremost clutch performers, flourished.

Briere averaged 1.02 points per game during his career in Buffalo, the best mark by any Sabres player since 2000. His five regular-season overtime goals are tied for fourth in that span despite playing fewer than half as many games as the three players ahead of him.

While Briere’s career in Buffalo ultimately lasted less than four full seasons, his role as a co-captain of back-to-back Eastern Conference finalists in 2005-06 and 2006-07 left an indelible mark on the franchise. He scored 34 points in 34 playoff games with the Sabres, including two unforgettable overtime winners during the 2006 run.

His 95 points during the club’s Presidents’ Trophy season of 2006-07 remain the most by a Sabres player in a single season this century.

“Just a feisty dog competitor,” Dunleavy said. “Any time you watched Danny Briere play a game, you noticed him. He was all over the ice, finding ways to contribute. And fans loved him.”

Briere’s 13 career game-winning goals in the playoffs are tied for third (in a group that includes his co-captain in Buffalo, Drury) in the NHL over the last 25 years – ahead of names like Patrick Kane, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Only Joe Pavelski (18) and Patrick Marleau (16) have more.

“One of the most competitive human beings I’ve ever met, and not just at hockey,” Briere’s former teammate Biron said. “Whether it was hockey, golf, cards, whatever, he was extremely competitive, which is why he was so good.”

Jason Pominville, forward (2003-13; 2017-19)

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Pominville’s 733 games played in a Sabres uniform are the most by any player in the last 25 years and the eighth most in franchise history.

Within that span, Pominville authored one of the Sabres’ most memorable moments with his series-clinching, “scary good” shorthanded goal against Ottawa in 2006; served two seasons as captain; and returned for a second stint as a veteran contributor in 2017.

From 2000 to 2025, Pominville ranks second among Sabres players in goals (217), first in assists (304), and first in points (521).

“He really understood the game,” Dunleavy said. “Not being a big player, he had a sense of where to be when it came to being in areas that you could score goals. I would just think his success came from his hockey sense, his understanding of the game.”

Thomas Vanek, forward (2005-13)

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Vanek is the Sabres’ leading goal scorer this century with 254, the fifth highest total in franchise history. His 497 points rank second to Pominville since 2000.

The winger – remembered for his nose for the net and trademark shootout moves – also had 15 goals in 36 playoffs games with Buffalo, second this century behind Drury (17).

“Without hesitation he was my number one choice among forwards,” Duff said. “The stats will show that no one scored more goals, or at a higher rate per game. Marry that with the fact that his playoff goal scoring output was virtually identical to his regular seasons in Buffalo, and you have one of the best in franchise history. If he started his career today, he would be even more appreciated for his uncanny playmaking ability.”

Vanek scored 40-plus goals in two separate seasons, including a career-best 43 in 2006-07. He finished that season with an NHL-leading plus-47 rating, the highest mark by a Sabres player this century.

Brian Campbell, defense (2000-08)

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Campbell etched his place on the Sabres’ all-time highlight reel with his thundering open-ice hit on Philadelphia’s R.J. Umberger during the 2006 playoffs.

But, as his former teammate Biron can attest to, the defenseman’s personal highlight reel extends far beyond that one moment.

“Every time he had the puck, it lifted people off their seats,” Biron said. “They wanted to see what Soupy was going to do next with the puck. They loved the flash with the spin-o-ramas and the offensive ability. The flash was what made Brian Campbell dominant.”

Campbell represented the Sabres at consecutive All-Star Games in 2007 and 2008. His 176 points with Buffalo are the third most by a Sabres defenseman since 2000.

Rasmus Dahlin, defense (2018-25)

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The current Sabres captain already has the most points by a Buffalo defenseman this century, with 323. So, let’s expand the scope.

Since 2000, Dahlin ranks 12th among all NHL defensemen with an average of 0.69 points per game (minimum 82 games played).

Let’s expand it even further. Dahlin’s 323 points are the 12th most by a defenseman in NHL history through their age 24 season, according to Stathead.

But even the points don’t fully speak to the totality of Dahlin’s game, which encompasses defensive physicality along with offensive ability. In addition to his 323 points, he has 591 career blocks and 710 hits. Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang is the only other NHL player with at least 300 points, 500 blocks, and 700 hits since Dahlin entered the league in 2018.

“It’s been amazing to watch a player come into the league at 18 years old and have the maturity to handle the learning curve that comes with playing his position and the expectations of being drafted as a cornerstone guy,” Dunleavy said. “I remember seeing that maturity early on in his time here, you could just tell he was a guy who wouldn’t be afraid to ask questions and do what it takes. And I thought, ‘He’s going to be just fine.’”

Ryan Miller, goaltender (2002-14)

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Miller’s 391 career wins rank seventh among NHL goaltenders since 2000. He earned a franchise-record 284 wins during his 11 seasons in Buffalo, which culminated in his No. 30 being raised to the KeyBank Center rafters in 2023.

A workhorse known for his meticulous preparation and quiet intensity, Miller turned in one of the best seasons of the last quarter century with his Vezina Trophy-winning campaign in 2009-10, when he posted a .929 save percentage in 69 games.

Miller played a career-high 76 games in 2007-08. Only Martin Brodeur, with 77 games played in 2009-10, has played more in a season since.

“Millsy combined incredible precision with attention to detail,” Biron said. “Studying the shooters, making sure every piece of equipment is the right way, communication with defensemen, his attention to detail was off the charts.”

Second-Team

Chris Drury, forward (2003-07)

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Briere’s partner in terms of both the captaincy and late-game heroics, Drury’s work ethic and clutch play made him a fan favorite during his three seasons in Buffalo.

Hall-of-Fame broadcaster Rick Jeanneret summed up Drury’s late-game reputation with his call of the forward’s game-tying goal with 7.7 seconds remaining in Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Rangers: “Who else?”

Drury finished that Presidents’ Trophy season with nine game-winning goals, one off the NHL lead.

“Who else? Seriously,” Duff said. “Drury was so good in so many ways for the Sabres in what was ultimately a shorter period of time than our minds truly want to believe. But his impact over 268 games (regular season and playoffs) will never be forgotten. The game face was always on. And I loved that.”

Derek Roy, forward (2003-12)

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A two-way forward whose 324 takeaways rank second only to Pominville among Sabres players since 2000 (despite playing in nearly 200 fewer games), Roy’s dependability earned him a Second-Team nod.

“He was fast, fearless, and dependable,” Ray, whose broadcast career coincided with Roy’s rookie season in 2005-06, said. “He made the most of his abilities, and I think that’s because of how much he truly loved the game.”

Roy exceeded 20 goals in four consecutive seasons from 2006-07 to 2009-10. His 427 points with the Sabres are the third most since 2000 (trailing Pominville and Vanek) while his career-best 81 points in 2007-08 stand as the sixth-best single-season total in that span.

Jack Eichel, forward (2016-21)

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The No. 2 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, Eichel’s deceptively fast skating and hard, precise shot made an immediate impact upon his arrival to the league as an 18-year-old and continued to do so throughout his tenure in Buffalo.

Eichel’s 355 points rank fourth among Sabres players since 2000. He was selected to three All-Star Games with Buffalo, had an 82-point season in 2018-19, and served as captain for three seasons.

“Electrifying skater, pass-first center, graceful and gifted,” Duff said. “He was my second choice among forwards and I'm grateful we got to see him up close for the first half-dozen years of his career. Being the Sabres quarter-century leader in overtime goals and empty-net goals are just a bonus!”

Jay McKee, defenseman (2000-06)

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After serving as a key contributor to one era of Sabres hockey that culminated with a run to the Stanley Cup Final in 1999, McKee carried his hard-nosed defensive presence into the new millennium.

Ray, his former teammate, remembers McKee as a skilled penalty killer, a committed shot blocker, and the ultimate team player.

“He was a super person and a dependable guy on the ice,” Ray said. “He could move the puck, block shots, was strong in front of the net, all the things you want in a defenseman. And he played banged up, but you would never know it because he put the team first.”

Tyler Myers, defenseman (2009-15)

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Myers, a first-round draft pick in 2008, became the third player in Sabres history to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year as a 19-year-old in 2009-10. He had 48 points, averaged 23:44 of ice time and played all 82 games for a Sabres team that won the Northeast Division.

“There’s a couple aspects of his game that, if you’re an opposing coach, you had to game plan for him,” Dunleavy said. “In that rookie year, not only did he grasp the shutdown part of the job, but you come to find out he can shoot the puck once he gets across the blue line.”

The 6-foot-8 defenseman played parts of six seasons for Buffalo before a trade sent him to Winnipeg in 2015. His 141 points are the fourth most by a Sabres defenseman in the last 25 years.

“Tyler Myers’ rookie of the year performance as a defenseman remains unique in Sabres history – just like his size and offensive showing that season, which was a big part of the team's Northeast division title in 2010,” Duff said. “What I came to admire most, and still do to this day, is the honesty with which Myers carries himself. With over 1000 games played and still going, it's pretty cool looking back on his first impressions in blue and gold.”

Dominik Hasek, goaltender (2000-01)

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While the bulk of his Hall-of-Fame resume came during the 1990s, Hasek’s season-and-a-half with Buffalo this millennium was enough to warrant a Second-Team selection.

Hasek won his sixth and final Vezina Trophy in 2000-01, when he had a .921 save percentage in 67 games along with a league-leading 11 shutouts – tied as the second highest single-season total in the last 25 years.

“He was still a dominating force and for that alone, he still belongs there,” Biron said. “Even if he had only played one game in the 2000s, he’d probably belong there.”