Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek to be inducted into Sabres Hall next season
The 2005-06 Buffalo Sabres were in the house Thursday night for a 20-year reunion and two of their stars got a major surprise from the team. Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek were given the news that they will be inducted next season into the Sabres Hall of Fame.
The 2005-06 Buffalo Sabres were in the house Thursday night for a 20-year reunion, and two of their stars got a major surprise from the team.
Wingers Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek, a pair of young 20-somethings during that iconic campaign who went on to play many more seasons with the club, were given the news that they will be inducted next season into the Sabres Hall of Fame.
Pominville and Vanek got the word during a timeout in the second period of the Sabres' game against the Montreal Canadiens. They joined Ryan Miller in a suite on the second level and the goalie told his former teammates to watch the jumbotron for a special announcement.
When word was given to the sellout crowd of 19,070, Pominville and Vanek received a standing ovation. The Sabres used a similar tactic last season in announcing the Hall induction of legendary franchise pugilist and broadcaster Rob Ray.
Thomas Vanek, right, celebrates his third goal of the night with Jason Pominville late in the third period of a 4-2 win
over the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 5, 2011, at then-HSBC Arena. Buffalo News file photo
Pominville, 43, is eighth on the Sabres' all-time list in games played (733) and is behind only Ray (889) and Dave Andreychuk (837) among players who have appeared in Buffalo in the 2000s. Pominville is the leader since the 2005 NHL lockout, playing all but one of his games here since the start of the ’05-06 season. He captained the Sabres for two seasons (2011-12 and the 2013 lockout-shortened season).
Pominville, the Sabres' second-round pick in 2001, was waived early in ’05-06 but went unclaimed in what turned into a huge bit of good fortune in Sabres history. He had seven seasons of 20-plus goals, six with the Sabres and one with Minnesota. His career high was 34 set in 2006-07, and he posted career-high totals for Buffalo in assists (53) and points (80) in 2007-08.
On the Sabres' all-time lists, Pominville is ranked 10th in goals (217), and eighth in assists (304) and points (521).
Pominville, of course, is most remembered for his series-winning overtime goal in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Ottawa on May 13, 2006. Sprinting down the left wing at Corel Centre, with players on the Buffalo bench yelling "forward" to tell him the man defending was Senators standout Daniel Alfredsson, Pominville burst around Alfredsson and curled the puck past goalie Ray Emery into the net for the first short-handed goal in overtime that won a series in NHL history.
It sent the Sabres to the East final for the first time since 1999 and prompted the lives-forever call of "Now do you believe? Now do you believe? These guys are good. Scary good," from the voice of broadcaster Rick Jeanneret.
Pominville played eight seasons in Buffalo before he was traded to Minnesota in 2013. After five seasons with the Wild, he was dealt back to the Sabres and played his final two years in Buffalo. He retired following the 2018-19 season, which included his 1,000th career NHL game at Ottawa on Nov. 1, 2018. He was honored for the achievement prior to the Sabres' next home and scored two goals in a 9-2 rout of the Senators.
Pominville moved from Clarence to his native Montreal during the Covid period and has been working as an associate coach and skills advisors for the Lanaudiere Pioneers minor hockey organization near his hometown of Repentigny, Quebec.
Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula honor Jason Pominville on his 1,000th career game during a ceremony on Nov. 3, 2018.
Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
Vanek, 41, was drafted No. 5 overall by the Sabres in 2003, less than three months after earning most valuable player honors at the NCAA Frozen Four at then-HSBC Arena, where he helped lead the University of Minnesota to the national championship. Widely considered the greatest hockey player every produced by Austria, Vanek is currently working as a hockey operations advisor for the San Jose Sharks. Their general manager is Mike Grier, an ’05-06 Buffalo teammate.
Vanek scored 254 goals for the Sabres, starting with a 25-goal campaign in his rookie season of ’05-06 and stretching all the way to 2013, when he was traded to the New York Islanders. He's fifth in franchise history, behind only Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin, Dave Andreychuk and Danny Gare.
Vanek scored at least 20 goals in all eight of his seasons with Buffalo and twice hit 40. His best season was the Presidents' Trophy campaign of 2006-07, when he set career highs with 43 goals and 84 points. Vanek is 11th in franchise history in points with 497. He also is fourth in power-play goals (106) and game-winning goals (41) and tied for sixth in hat tricks with current Sabres star Tage Thompson at 8.
After leaving Buffalo, Vanek bounced around to seven other teams before retiring in 2019. He finished his career with 373 goals and 789 points in 1,029 games.
Both Vanek and Pominville have sons with eyes on an NHL career on the wing like their dads.
Blake Vanek, who is 6-3, was taken in the third round at No. 93 overall by the Senators in last year's NHL draft after playing for the Chicago Steel of the USHL. The 18-year-old currently is with the Western Hockey League's Calgary Hitmen after being acquired in a Jan. 7 trade with the Wenatchee Wild. Between those two clubs, he has nine goals and 10 assists in 40 games this season.
Pominville coached his son, Jayden, with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres in 2019-20. Jayden Pominville, 16, made his debut this year wearing his dad's No. 29 in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and scoring three goals in 11 games over multiple call-ups to Rouyn-Noranda. The Huskies selected him at No. 18 overall in the first round of the QMJHL draft last spring.