#The french connection full#

More than a third of them off the sticks of the French Connection. All of this was too much to overcome and the Sabres finished with a record of 32-34-12, missing the playoffs.ДЎ974-75 вЂ“ The goals came in bunchesвЂ“354 for the team. 20, when Tim Horton died in a car accident on the Queen Elizabeth Way. The team then lost goaltender Roger Crozier with pancreatitis. (THW Media Library)ДЎ973-74 вЂ“ The Sabres came out of the gate strong, winning six of their first nine games, but Perreault suffered a broken leg and was sidelined for eight weeks. They fell to the veteran Montreal Canadiens in the first round in six games. Perreault, Robert and Martin led the team in scoring, finishing with 88, 83 and 73 points, respectively. The Sabres started the season with a ten-game unbeaten streak, went unbeaten in their first 21 home games and finished with a record of 37-27-14, good enough to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. With Perreault flanked by Martin and Robert, the Sabres were no longer a one-man show.

#The french connection full#

The Sabres finished in sixth place with a 16-43-19 record.ДЎ972-73 вЂ“The first full season with all three members of the French Connection was 1972-73. At the end of the season, Rene Robert was acquired from the Penguins in a trade for Eddie Shack. Martin tallied 44 goals in his first season, breaking the NHL rookie record of 38 set the year before by Perreault. He immediately had chemistry with Perreault as the two led the Sabres in scoring with 74 points each. They did so every season they were together, except for the 1973-74 NHL season when Perreault suffered a broken leg and missed a few months.ДЎ971-72 вЂ“ The Sabres selected Rick Martin fifth overall in the first round in the 1971 draft. Once together, they were the driving force behind the Sabres making the playoffs. The French ConnectionвЂ™s impact was immediate. Punch Imlach wanted an exciting team in Buffalo. After drafting Perreault and then Martin the following year, new coach Joe Crozier knew he wanted a winger who could complement them. When George вЂPunchвЂ™ Imlach, the Sabres first coach and general manager, built the team in 1970, his goal was to create an exciting, high-octane, high-scoring offense. Each player finished his Sabres career with more than 200 goals and better than a point-per-game average despite consistently facing the oppositionвЂ™s top defensive lineups. It was one of the most feared scoring lines in NHL history. The original source of the lineвЂ™s moniker has been claimed by different sources, but the reason for it was obviously the origins of the players and the 1971 Academy Award-winning crime thriller, The French Connection. New Englanders wanted to be Bobby Orr Western New Yorkers and those in Southern Ontario wanted to be part of The French Connection. With their flair and creativity, not to mention their mustaches and layered flowing hair of the era, they were looked up to admired and idolized by fans of all ages. The French Connection line was the leagueвЂ™s most electrifying and explosive combination of the era and one of the last great lines in the history of the game. In 1974-75 they led the upstart Sabres to the Stanley Cup Final, the franchiseвЂ™s first appearance. Together, they amassed 738 goals and 1,681 points in 1,536 games. Robert arrived via a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins late in 1971-72 and the trio had instant chemistry. Perreault and Martin were first-round draft picks in the franchiseвЂ™s first two years, starting in the fall of 1970. Martin, Perreault and Robert formed The French Connection (Vince Richard/The Hockey Writers)