Gerry Meehan, former Sabres captain and GM, passes away at 79

Gerry Meehan, a member of the inaugural Buffalo Sabres team who went on to serve impactful stints as both team captain and general manager, died Friday at age 79.

Meehan was selected by the Sabres in the 1970 expansion draft, thus beginning a lifelong association with the organization and Western New York. He ranked third on the team in goals and points during its inaugural season, including the first assist in Sabres history.

He was named the second captain in franchise history the following year, a role he held through the end of his Sabres tenure in October 1974. Meehan’s stint as captain included Buffalo’s first-ever playoff berth in 1972-73, when he scored a career-best 31 goals.

"The idea that an expansion team was coming - not only to Buffalo - but close to my home in Toronto, and to be selected by them and get a chance to play as an NHL regular, obviously made my career," Meehan said years later.

Meehan went on to play 10 NHL seasons for Toronto, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Vancouver, Atlanta and Washington. Upon retirement, he received his law degree from the University at Buffalo and joined the Sabres’ front office under general manager Scotty Bowman in 1984.

Meehan replaced Bowman as Buffalo’s fourth-ever general manager during the 1986-87 season. As general manager, he executed some of the most impactful transactions in Sabres history, including trades to bring in future Hall of Fame players Pat LaFontaine, Dale Hawerchuk and Dominik Hasek, plus the draft selection and subsequent defection of Alexander Mogilny from the Soviet Union.

Mogilny’s defection in 1989 proved to be a trailblazing moment in NHL history, with other Soviet players following suit in the ensuing years. Meehan and Don Luce, then the Sabres director of player development, played pivotal roles. The duo traveled to meet Mogilny in Stockholm, Sweden and ushered him through the process while evading the reach of the KGB.

Mogilny thanked Meehan and Luce during his Hall of Fame induction last November.

“You were my guiding lights when I came into the NHL,” Mogilny said.​

Mogilny’s career reached new heights following the acquisition of LaFontaine from the New York Islanders in 1991 – though their connection never would have happened had the Islanders gotten their way.

Revisiting the deal during a 2019 interview, Meehan said it was Mogilny that Islanders general manager Bill Torrey intended to acquire in the deal for LaFontaine. Meehan stood his ground, instead sending Pierre Turgeon to New York.

"I said, 'Well, that's why I'm trading for LaFontaine, to play with Mogilny. So, it's Turgeon or it's not going to happen,'” Meehan recalled. “That's what really closed it."

LaFontaine and Mogilny went on to have an all-time great season as linemates in 1992-93, when LaFontaine had 148 points and Mogilny had 76 goals – both Sabres franchise records.

Meehan’s trade for Hasek, meanwhile, stands as one of the most one-sided deals in league history. A backup in Chicago at the time of the trade, Hasek went on to win the Vezina Trophy six times and the Hart Trophy twice during his time in Buffalo.

The deal was a testament to Meehan’s foresight; the general manager had seen Hasek play an international game for Czechoslovakia and came away enamored with the goaltender’s potential.

"He was their goalie and I think they played the Russians, but he faced something like 100 shots and they either tied or won, 2-1," Meehan recalled. "I said, 'He's unconventional, he's athletic, he's wiry, and he stops the puck as much as possible of any human being as a goalie.'"

Meehan remained in the Sabres’ front office through the 1995-96 season. He was an active member of the Sabres Alumni Association in retirement and was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.

Meehan is survived by his wife, Mirella; their children Dan, Adam, and Kate; and their grandchildren Christian, Alexander, Nathan, and Juniper.