Sabres Classics: Buffalo downs Soviet Wings in 1976 exhibition game

Four years before the Miracle On Ice, the Buffalo Sabres became the first NHL club to defeat a Russian hockey team when they trounced the Soviet Wings in front of 16,433 fans at The Aud.
On January 4, 1976, the Sabres defeated the Wings 12-6 and to this day, Sabres alumni count the victory among their greatest achievements. The Wings won the other three games they played in during the '76 Super Series
"It was a big night," Danny Gare, who scored twice, said. "There was a lot of controversy going on in the global aspect of it, but that was a special, special night."
Rick Martin led the team with five points (2+3) while 12 players recorded points for Buffalo - nine of them with multiple points.
The game will re-air Thursday night on MSG at 8 p.m. as part of "Sabres Classics."

"When we played the Soviet team, that was like the seventh game of the Stanley Cup. That's the way we approached it. There was a genuine hatred, I think, for the Russian team," Jim Lorentz recalled. "It seemed to permeate throughout the NHL and not just with Buffalo. But that was one game we were really prepared for.
"We wanted to win, we wanted to win big, and we did. I think it was the worst defeat they ever suffered. I remember that. You talk about high intensity and you talk about players who were ready to go when the puck was dropped, that was the Buffalo Sabres."

The Sabres jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the first period and controlled play the rest of the way. Buffalo led 4-2 after the opening period and 9-4 after the second.
Sabres alumni credit the physical play of defenseman Jerry Korab as a key to victory. "King Kong" Korab was no slouch on the offensive side of things that day, either, as he registered a goal and two assists.
"Korab had a lot to do in that game," Lorentz said. "The French Connection was running wild. [Don] Luce, [Craig] Ramsay, and Gare were great. I mean, just running right down through the lineup, we were determined. We were not going to lose that game."

Sabres goaltender Gerry Desjardins made 19 saves in the win.

The Philadelphia Flyers were the only other NHL team to beat the Russians during the series. They would defeat the Red Army 4-1 on Jan. 11.
The Sabres faced off against the Red Army in 1980 and we'll feature that game on "Sabres Classics" on Friday.