The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL).

The Sabres, along with the Vancouver Canucks, joined the NHL in the 1970–71 season. Their first owners were Seymour Knox III and Northrup Knox, scions of a family long prominent in Western New York. Buffalo had a history of professional hockey. The Buffalo Bisons were one of the pillars of the American Hockey League (AHL), winning the Calder Cup in their final season.

Wanting a name other than "bison," which was common among Buffalo sports teams, the Knoxes immediately commissioned a name-the-team contest. The winning choice, "Sabres," was chosen because Seymour Knox felt that a sabre, a weapon carried by a leader, could be used effectively on both offense and defense. The Knoxes tried twice before to get an NHL team, first when the NHL expanded in 1967, and again when they attempted to buy the Oakland Seals with the intent of moving them to Buffalo. At the time of their creation, the Sabres exercised their option to create their own AHL farm team, the Cincinnati Swords. Former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager and head coach Punch Imlach was hired in the same capacity with the Sabres.

Loui Eriksson (born July 17, 1985) is a Swedish professional ice hockey left winger and an alternate captain for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Eriksson started playing for Lerum BK at a young age and excelled beyond others his age quickly. By age 11, he was already playing with the older U-16 team. His talent was recognized at various tournaments and he finally landed on the junior team for Frölunda HC.

Eriksson's professional career began in Elitserien, where he played for Frölunda HC. Eriksson won Rookie of the Year honors in 2004 at the age of 18 after posting eight goals and five assists in 46 games. A year later Eriksson would post five goals and nine assists in 39 games, helping Frölunda HC win the Swedish ice hockey championship (SM-guld).

In the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, the Stars drafted Eriksson in the second round with the 33rd overall pick. After playing in his second season with Frölunda of Elitserien, Eriksson returned to North America and appeared in two preseason games for Dallas in 2005. His professional debut in North America came on October 6, 2005, with the Iowa Stars, a game where Eriksson posted his first assist and point of the season.

Jordan Leopold (born August 3, 1980) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman, currently playing with the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League.

Prior to joining the NHL, Leopold played US college hockey with the University of Minnesota from 1998 until 2002 where he helped the Gophers win an NCAA national championship despite pressure to leave early to the NHL. After his first year with Minnesota, scoring 23 points, Leopold was drafted in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft 44th overall by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim as a prospective offensive defenseman. After completing his sophomore season with the Gophers, Leopold became the property of the Calgary Flames, traded by the Ducks for Andrei Nazarov and a second-round draft pick. In 2001-02, his final season with Minnesota, he won the Hobey Baker Award for being the season's outstanding player in college hockey. He also played for the USA in the World Championships that year.

Leopold started his professional career in the NHL in the 2002–03 NHL season. He played 58 games for the Calgary Flames and scored 4 goals and 14 points. In his second season, Leopold would look like a seasoned veteran, playing in all 82 regular season games and scoring 33 points as well as contributing to the Flames' playoff run to the 2004 Stanley Cup Final, play which earned him a spot in the defense of the American national team for the 2005 World Championships and the 2006 Winter Olympics.