Brian Duff checked in on the former Sabres forward when we was in town for the annual Corporate Challenge. Here's a sampling (you can read the full Q&A here):
How did you end up with No. 76?
I wore 76 just really the one year [one game in 1994-95, two games in '95-96, and 45 games in '96-97]. It was because Charlie Huddy wore 22. I wore 22 in junior, and obviously Charlie Huddy had played so many games and won so many Stanley Cups I wasn't going to come in and take that from him. So, after my first year, he left, and I was able to get 22 again.
But that's my birth year and that's why I wore 76 for that one year.
Andrew Peters is the only other Sabre to wear 76.
Oh yeah, we've talked about that. The two 76 greats that have worn that jersey. Yeah right!
When you think back to the run in 1999, what do you think of?
Honestly, in my 14 years playing, it was my most enjoyable. Just from how the team came together.
And I really believe that when teams win championships, they need things to fall into place - whether it's injuries, or the right guy scoring at the right time, third and fourth-line scoring. We had a hard-working team, there's no doubt.
We had a good leader in Michael Peca and most of all, again, I think it's important that your best player be your goaltender and that's what we had [in Dominik Hasek] and I think he was in the minds of some teams. Especially when we played Ottawa in that first round.
In the first game, they might have outshot us by a large margin [the shots were 41-15 Ottawa] but Dom played great and we ended up winning that game [2-1]. And after that, it was free sailing. Just a great run. Lots of fun.
