Richie Dunn Pregame Tribute

Richie Dunn spent 327 of his 483 NHL games with the Buffalo Sabres organization, tallying a total of 36 goals and 176 points. The defenseman's career began in Buffalo during the 1977-78 campaign and he finished out his last five seasons between Buffalo and Rochester of the AHL.

Dunn left such an impact on the Amerks franchise that he was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in March. In 276 games for Rochester, Dunn recorded 161 points on 41 goals and 120 assists, along with 226 penalty minutes. His 161 points rank him 8th all-time among Amerks defensemen. He also ranks 7th in both goals and assists among Rochester defensemen and served as a team captain during the 1988-89 season.
He then left his mark as a prominent member of the alumni associations of both organizations.
He passed away on Tuesday at age 59. While former Sabres remember him as a wonderful teammate, they also remember a special man who is now gone much too soon.
LARRY PLAYFAIR (Sabres Alumnus)
I was fortunate to have played with Richie in my early years as a Sabre. He was fun and he was a good defenseman. I would see him often at Sabres games, over the years, with his wife Cathy, he loved the game. We lost a good guy, a way too soon.
SCOTT McMANIGLE (Sabres Alumni Association)
When I first began my relationship with Richie as an alum, he was one of the most active we had. Over the years, he became a big brother to me and an uncle to my kids. We became best friends and was one of the best people I have ever met.
He always said 'Yes' to any appearance before I could even finish the ask. He may not have had the illustrious career stat-wise as some of our other alums, but when he left the game to become an alum, he was - and always will be - an All-Star.
RIP SIMONICK (Sabres Equipment Manager)
He was one of the nicest men you'd ever meet. As an American player, he held his own and one of the classiest guys to wear our jersey.
DANNY GARE (Sabres Alumnus)
He was an American-born player playing the role he did on such a strong team and he played an important part in our success. On our team, he was a very dependable player. As a man, he wasn't a flashy guy, but one of the nicest people you'll ever come across on and off the ice. He was always there anytime you needed him.
KENT WEISBECK - (Amerks Athletic Trainer)
He was one of the best guys I had the opportunity to work with. He always had such a great happy disposition and was always in a good mood.
DEREK SMITH (Sabres Alumnus)
We were great pals playing together and away from the game. We saw each other a lot and spent a lot of time with each other. We met our wives around the same time. He was a quiet, but amazing teammate.
And he was always, by far, our best three-point shooter during our alumni basketball games. He clearly was our team leader and scored more than half our points every time.

Richie Dunn

Richie Dunn (1957-2016)