1970–71 Buffalo Sabres season
| 1970–71 Buffalo Sabres | |
|---|---|
| Division | 5th East |
| 1970–71 record | 24–39–15 |
| Home record | 16–13–10 |
| Road record | 8–26–5 |
| Goals for | 217 |
| Goals against | 291 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Punch Imlach |
| Coach | Punch Imlach |
| Captain | Floyd Smith |
| Arena | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium |
| Average attendance | 9,721 |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Gilbert Perreault (38) |
| Assists | Phil Goyette (46) |
| Points | Gilbert Perreault (72) |
| Penalties in minutes | Tracy Pratt (179) |
| Wins | Joe Daley (12) |
| Goals against average | Dave Dryden (3.37) |
The 1970–71 Buffalo Sabres season was the Sabres' first season in the National Hockey League.
The Sabres had the first pick in the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft, which they used to select Gilbert Perreault. Led by Perreault's NHL rookie record of 38 goals, the Sabres would 24–39–15, ahead of the Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings in the Eastern Division. However, they finished 19 points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs in the division, and finished 19 points short of a playoff berth.
The Sabres played their home games in the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. "The Aud" was previously home of the Buffalo Bisons AHL team. To make way for the Sabres the Bisons folded following the 1969–70 AHL season, which saw the Bisons win their fifth and final Calder Cup. For the Sabres first season played the Aud had an ice hockey seating capacity of only 12,280 for hockey. The arena would be renovated following the season to expand capacity.
The Buffalo Sabres, along with the Vancouver Canucks, joined the NHL in the 1970–71 season. The Sabres' first owners were Seymour and Northrup Knox, scions of a family long prominent in western New York. The team's name, selected through a fan contest, was chosen because it was known as a weapon carried by leaders, and it is also swift and strong on offense as well as defense. The Knoxes had tried twice before to get an NHL team, first when the NHL expanded in 1967, and then unsuccessfully attempting to buy the Oakland Seals with the intent of moving them to Buffalo. At the time of their creation, the Buffalo Sabres exercised their option to create their own AHL farm team, the Cincinnati Swords. On June 9, 1970, the 1970 NHL Expansion Draft was held to fill the Sabres' and Canucks' rosters.
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