Pominville, Vanek to be inducted into Sabres Hall of Fame during 2026-27 season

Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek will be inducted into the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame during the 2026-27 season.

The Sabres made the announcement at KeyBank Center on Thursday with Pominville and Vanek among the alumni in the building for 2005-06 Reunion Night. The reveal followed a tribute video showing highlights from the two players’ careers.

Pominville and Vanek both burst onto the scene as key contributors during that 2005-06 season, which is remembered in part for Pominville’s series-clinching, shorthanded goal in the Eastern Conference semifinal against Ottawa. The duo went on to become two faces of the team for nearly a decade, including stints for both players as Sabres captain.

Pominville, a second-round draft pick in 2001, played for Buffalo from 2005 to 2013 and returned for a second stint with the club to end his career, ranks eighth in franchise history in games played (733), 10th in goals (217), and eighth in both assists (304) and points (521).

Vanek, the fifth-overall pick in 2003, ranks fifth in franchise history with 254 goals, trailing four players already enshrined in the Sabres Hall of Fame (Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin, Dave Andreychuk, and Danny Gare).

The two forwards become the 45th and 46th members of the Sabres Hall of Fame. They will become the second and third players inducted from the mid-2000s teams that reached back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals, joining goaltender Ryan Miller.

The Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame committee is comprised of former players Danny Gare, Don Luce, Michael Peca, Larry Playfair and Rob Ray along with team owner, president and CEO Terry Pegula.