'It's a blast' | An introduction to Sabres senior advisor John Davidson

Jarmo Kekäläinen’s front office continued to grow this summer with the addition of John Davidson.

Hired in July as a senior advisor, Davidson, 73, brings several decades of experience as an NHL goaltender, broadcaster and executive. The rundown:

• A fifth-overall pick by St. Louis, Davidson played 301 games across 10 NHL seasons from 1973 to 1982, winning 123 regular-season games between the Blues and Rangers and backstopping New York to the 1979 Stanley Cup Final.
• He worked two decades as the color commentator for Rangers’ MSG broadcasts. In 2009, Davidson won the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, which recognizes outstanding broadcasting careers.
• Davidson has been an NHL executive since 2006-07, his roles including president of hockey operations in St. Louis and Columbus, president of the Rangers, and senior advisor in Columbus and Buffalo.

Davidson briefly wore the headset again Tuesday night, joining Brian Duff and Marty Biron during the MSG pregame show in Montreal. Here’s what you might’ve missed.

Very brief retirement

Davidson retired from his job in Columbus at the end of June, but it took only a few weeks for Kekäläinen to come calling and offer this position in Buffalo.

“My wife basically opened the door and said, ‘You better go. Time to go,’” Davidson recalled. “I said, ‘Okay, I’d love to, that’s cool.’ So, here I am.”

So far, he’s had wide-reaching involvement with the Sabres. Attending home games. Joining the team for some road trips. Driving east to Rochester, as he did for last Friday’s 7-1 win over Syracuse – “(Radim) Mrtka played well,” he observed.

The senior advisor and GM have worked together since 2006-07, when Davidson ran the show in St. Louis and Kekäläinen (as assistant GM) oversaw the draft. Now together in a third NHL front office, they have an open relationship that allows Davidson to do his job: advise.

“If he asks, I tell him. Sometimes I say some things before he asks – can’t help myself – but it’s a blast,” Davidson said.

Jarmo insight

Biron asked Davidson what the publicly stoic Kekäläinen is like behind the scenes.

“He doesn’t show emotions when he gets angry, but it’s usually very measured,” Davidson said. “An example was the other night when we lost at home (vs. Utah) and we weren’t very good. Jarmo was upset, which he should be. You don’t want to get into a funk too long at this time of the year. Had some meetings with everybody. And that’s how it should be: bite it and tear it off right away.”

“… He’s the boss – that’s just it, that’s all there is to it – and I’ve enjoyed working with him all these years.”

Watching these Sabres

Buffalo (3-3-1) has had an up-and-down start to the season, and in Davidson’s experience, it’s never too early in the year for urgency. And he feels this front office – Kekäläinen, himself, Marc Bergevin, Josh Flynn – is well equipped to help the Sabres find their footing.

“I’ve been through a lot of different things when we tried to rebuild St. Louis, Columbus, New York for a while,” Davidson said. “I know how quickly you can be out of it. That’s the hard part, and that’s why you have to get after it. You can’t let it fester and hope it’s going to get better; you’ve got to go down there and help it get better.”

That said, Davidson thinks very highly of the Sabres’ roster and their style of play.

“This is a club that, man alive, this is fun to watch when this club’s going,” he said. “… This team, it’s electric to watch when they turn the puck up ice quick and scoring chances and things along those lines. It’s a blast. I’m having the time of my life.”