Sharpen Up: January 5, 2021｜Remembering John Muckler

We'll start with some sad news as we look back on John Muckler's legacy and tenure with the Buffalo Sabres.
Then we'll get into some hockey from yesterday. We got our first look at the team in game action during the first Blue & Gold Scrimmage of training camp presented by BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York. The team is off today and will return to practice on Wednesday.
Here's what you need to know.

John Muckler passes away

Hockey icon John Muckler passed away last night at the age of 86. Known for his stellar tenure with the Edmonton Oilers, where he won four Stanley Cups as an assistant coach and a fifth as head coach in 1990. He then joined the Sabres organization as Director of Hockey Operations in 1991 and quickly left his mark in Buffalo.

The team issued the following statement this morning:
The Buffalo Sabres organization mourns the passing of John Muckler. The five-time Stanley Cup champion was a fixture for the team during the 1990s, serving as head coach from 1991 to 1995 and general manager from 1993 to 1997. Our thoughts are with John's family and friends during this difficult time.
Muckler also worked with the Canucks, Rangers, North Stars, Senators and Coyotes throughout his storied career.
Here are how a few members of the hockey (and Buffalo hockey) community responded to the news:

"On behalf of the Edmonton Oilers organization and John's many friends in the game of hockey, I want to extend my heartfelt condolences to Audrey and the entire Muckler family. When you have 22 pretty good hockey players and have enjoyed some success it's hard imagine that the addition of an Associate Coach would be the final piece to getting the Edmonton Oilers to the top of the mountain, but that's exactly what happened when John joined the team.
"He was tough, strict, but most importantly fair, and he helped lay the groundwork to make our team more accountable to each other which propelled us to become champions. A wonderful family man and great friend, he personally took my career to another level, and I will always cherish the hours we talked, from breaking down defenses to raising a family. Rest in peace, John, you will be missed." -Wayne Gretzky

Blue & Gold Scrimmage recap

Team Blue won 5-1. Henri Jokiharju scored twice and and we saw a goalie goal as Carter Hutton put one into an empty net with under a minute to play.
Check out our recap of the scrimmage here.
Jack Eichel and Victor Olofsson did not play due to injuries (Linus Ullmark was also held out due to a post-quarantine immigration issue). Zemgus Girgensons left with an injury and we'll likely have an update tomorrow when the team returns to the ice.
We learned a few things and here's one of them:
The absence of Eichel and Olofsson left a void to fill alongside Taylor Hall. Arttu Ruotsalainen and Tage Thompson - two players on the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of recent experience - made the most of their opportunity.
Ruotsalainen begins his second NHL camp with the benefit of having played pro games as recently as recently as November. He was off to a scorching start with Ilves of Finland's top pro league, having scored a league-best 16 goals and 27 points in 19 games before the season paused.
The centerman set up a chance for Thompson upon entering the offensive zone on the very first shift of the game. He won a battle down low to feed Henri Jokiharju for the scrimmage's first goal and later buried one of his own on a feed from Thompson inside the blue paint.
"We thought Arttu looked strong," Krueger said. "You can see, he's been playing over in Europe. His game was compact. He makes good decisions, a good skater, supports the puck well and also works well without it. So, overall, a good entry for him and another fresh face in our roster. The depth that we're gonna need for the season ahead, it was great to see him in action."
The rest are in the recap so make sure you click on it.

Going for gold

The gold medal game of the 2021 World Junior Championship is tonight.
Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn, representing Team Canada, advanced and will face Ryan Johnson and Team USA.

Cozens had a three-point night against Russia to work his way into a tie with Trevor Zegras for the tournament lead in points. Both players have 16 heading into tonight's matchup.
We'll have more on the game later.