The French Connection is the
nickname
A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...
of a forward
line that played for the
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
from 1972 until 1979. The line consisted of
Hall of Famer
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...
Gilbert Perreault
Gilbert Perreault (born November 13, 1950) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played for 17 seasons with the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990. Known for his ability ...
at
centre
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
* Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentri ...
and
All-Stars Rick Martin
Richard Lionel Martin (; ; July 26, 1951March 13, 2011) was a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who played in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings for 11 seasons between 1971 and 1982. He was most famous for playing on the ...
and
René Robert
René Paul Robert (December 31, 1948 – June 22, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who played 12 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, and Col ...
at
left wing and
right wing
Right-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that view certain social orders and Social stratification, hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this pos ...
, respectively. All three players were
French-Canadians
French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...
from
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
: Perreault from
Victoriaville
Victoriaville is a town in central Quebec, Canada, on the Nicolet River. Victoriaville is the seat of Arthabaska Regional County Municipality and a part of the Centre-du-Québec (Bois-Francs) region. It is formed by the 1993 merger of Arthabaska, ...
; Robert from
Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières (, – 'Three Rivers') is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River across from the city of ...
; and Martin from
Verdun
Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department.
Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...
.
The name referred both to the origins of the players and to the 1971 movie ''
The French Connection'', based upon
the book of the same name.
[ The name was registered as a trademark by Robert with the approval of his linemates.
Perreault and Martin were the first-round draft picks of the Sabres in the franchise's first two years, while Robert was acquired in a trade late in the Sabres' second season. The trio accounted for most of Buffalo's scoring during their seven years together, amassing a total of 1,681 points over 1,536 man-games from 1972–79,]
while leading the Sabres to the franchise's first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
. They continue to hold many of the franchise's scoring records. Each member of the French Connection was named to the official NHL All-Star team
The National Hockey League All-Star teams were first named at the end of the 1930–31 NHL season, to honor the best performers over the season at each position.
Representatives of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association vote for the all-s ...
at least once and to the National Hockey League All-Star Game
The National Hockey League All-Star Game (french: Match des Étoiles de la Ligue Nationale de Hockey, links=no) is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many o ...
at least twice while playing together.
History
Perreault was acquired by the team with their first draft pick of their inaugural season in the 1970 Entry Draft. Martin followed the next year as the team's first pick in 1971. Both players were drafted after three seasons with the Montreal Junior Canadiens. Robert was acquired in a trade on March 4, 1972, for Eddie Shack
Edward Steven Phillip Shack (February 11, 1937July 25, 2020), also known by his nicknames "the Entertainer" and "the Nose", was a Canadian professional ice hockey player of Ukrainian descent who played for six National Hockey League (NHL) teams ...
. He played twelve games for the Sabres during the 1971–72 NHL season.[ Perreault played his entire 17-season career with the Sabres. Martin played all but 4 games of his injury-shortened 11-season career with the Sabres. The trio played together as a line most of the time until the fall of 1979. On October 5, 1979, ]Scotty Bowman
William Scott Bowman, OC (born September 18, 1933) is a Canadian former National Hockey League (NHL) head coach. He holds the record for most wins in league history, with 1,244 wins in the regular season and 223 in the Stanley Cup playoffs and ...
traded Robert to the Colorado Rockies for defenseman John Van Boxmeer
John Martin Van Boxmeer (born November 20, 1952) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He has also served extensively as a hockey coach with various teams from 1984 to the present.
Bio
John Van Boxmeer was considered a top prospec ...
. This ended the French Connection era in Buffalo, but not before the trio became the first three players to accumulate 200 goals in a Sabres uniform. Each player's jerseys were retired; Perreault's #11 was retired during a ceremony on October 17, 1990, and Robert's #14 and Martin's #7 were retired on November 15, 1995. All three numbers hang together from the KeyBank Center rafters under a French Connection banner.
In hopes of averting the lean years that troubled most expansion teams, George Imlach, the Sabres first coach and General Manager, attempted to build a high-scoring club to excite the local hockey fans. Perreault was regarded as a smooth skater and tremendous stickhandler.[Brewitt, p. 58.] Perreault was chosen to be the franchise player around which a team could be built and succeed. Although Martin and Perreault had played two years together with the Montreal Junior Canadiens (Perreault even lived with Martin's family during the 1969–70 season), they had never played on the same line before being paired in Buffalo. Since Martin was one of the few who could keep up with Perreault as a skater they were paired together after the Sabres drafted Martin. It was very clear during the 1971–72 season that Perreault and Martin were a natural pairing. Sabres coach Joe Crozier
Joseph Richard Crozier (February 19, 1929 – October 11, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and head coach who played and coached primarily in the minor leagues. After playing the better part of 12 seasons in the minor lea ...
felt the two just needed a third player who would stay high and check
Check or cheque, may refer to:
Places
* Check, Virginia
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Check'' (film), a 2021 Indian Telugu-language film
* ''The Checks'' (episode), a 1996 TV episode of ''Seinfeld''
Games and sports
* Check (chess), a thr ...
.[Brewitt, p. 56.] Sabres coach quickly teamed Robert with Perreault and Martin after the trade.[ The two players complemented Perreault and became a dynamic combination that dazzled fans.][
There are differing claims as to who dubbed the hockey line “The French Connection” as a reference to the Academy Award-winning film. Origination of the term was often given to writer Lee Coppola when he was operating the Buffalo Auditorium message board and who later became Dean of Journalism at St. Bonaventure University. Credit is also given to WKBW TV’s Rick Azar, the Dean of TV sportscasters in Buffalo, who used it first on a 6pm Eyewitness News sportscast and references it in his 2014 book, Tales from Azar’s Attic. A half century later, Erik Brady, in his July 22, 2021, Buffalo News column on who first named the French Connection line, suggested “maybe the answer is both, independent of one another.”
The trio played together as a regular line through the 1974–75 season. At times, they were split up during the last four seasons. When they played together they often faced the opposition's top defensive lineups. Since the trio were tremendous skating scoring threats these opponents would concentrate on checking them and staying on top of them. For example, against the ]Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
Bob Gainey
Robert Michael Gainey (born December 13, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens from 1973 until 1989. After retiring from active play, he became a hockey coach and later an executive wit ...
's line would oppose them. Rick Martin once said about this line "I had Jimmy Roberts
Jimmy Roberts (born 1957) is a sportscaster for NBC Sports. Roberts joined NBC in May 2000 after serving as a sports reporter for almost 12 years at ESPN and ABC Sports where he won 11 Sports Emmy Awards.
Early life and career
Roberts grew up i ...
between me and my shadow."[Brewitt, p. 59.]
Perreault was known as a naturally gifted skater and playmaker who was capable of making an end-to-end rush at any time. His fame was hampered by his own shy personality. His stickhandling and head faking confounded even the best defensive players in the world. Martin was considered the "marksman" of the three who was dangerous with the wristshot and slapshot. Robert was known for his "blinding speed and lethal shot". He made his mark with the French Connection, as one of the league's most highly regarded powerplay point men, and on the second line penalty kill
Short-handed is a term used in ice hockey and several related sports, including water polo, and refers to having fewer skaters (players) on the ice during play, as a result of a penalty. The player removed from play serves the penalty in the pen ...
ing unit. He was perhaps the least flashy of the three, but was the most complete. He was the player who checked and worked hard in the corners.
Perreault holds numerous club career records (including regular season games played, goals
A goal is an objective that a person or a system plans or intends to achieve.
Goal may also refer to:
Sport
* Goal (sports), a method of scoring in many sports, or the physical structure or area where scoring occurs
** Goals, the goal frame in ...
, assists, points, game-winning goals, 30-goal seasons, 20-goal seasons, and shots on goal). However, Martin holds the franchise career records for hat tricks, four-goal games, 40-goal seasons, consecutive 40-goal seasons, 50-goal seasons (tied with Danny Gare
Daniel Mirl Gare (born May 14, 1954) is a Canadian broadcaster, ice hockey coach and former National Hockey League (NHL) player, most notably of the Buffalo Sabres. During a 13-year professional career, Gare also played for the Detroit Red Wings ...
) and consecutive 50-goal seasons. Although Robert's name is not as prominent in the record books. his 40-goal and 60-assist 1974–75 NHL season was the club's first 100-point season by an individual.[ During the seven full seasons the trio was together, Perreault led the Sabres in scoring five times and Robert and Martin led the team once each.][ Martin led the team three times in goals, Perreault twice and Robert once during this time. Perreault led the team in assists four times and Robert did so twice. In addition, the two tied once for the lead in assists.][ Martin's 1975–76 season with 7 hat tricks continues to be tied with ]Alexander Mogilny
Alexander Gennadevich Mogilny (russian: Александр Геннадиевич Могильный; born February 18, 1969) is a Russian former professional ice hockey player and the current president of Amur Khabarovsk of the Kontinental Hoc ...
for the franchise single-season record. Martin and Perreault continue to be first and second for rookie season points and goals in franchise history (records set before the arrival of Robert).[
The trio led the Sabres to the ]Stanley Cup playoffs
The Stanley Cup playoffs (french: Les séries éliminatoires de la Coupe Stanley) is an elimination tournament in the National Hockey League (NHL) consisting of four rounds of best-of-seven series to determine the league champion and the winner ...
every full season they were together, except the 1973–74 NHL season when Perreault suffered a broken leg and only played in 55 games. The impact of the combination was obvious as the team began the first full season of the French Connection era with a ten-game unbeaten streak; the team made the playoffs for the first time in the history of the franchise and the three members of the French Connection were the team's three leading scorers. The team suddenly went unbeaten in their first 21 home games, while setting a record for post 1967 expansion teams by recording a home winning streak of 12 and while going unbeaten in New York state for 25 games including 1 win at the Nassau Coliseum and 3 at the Madison Square Garden. Their first playoff appearance during their first full season together (1972–73) was not only the franchise's first playoff appearance, but the series also marked history as the only National Hockey League Playoff series with brothers (Ken Dryden
Kenneth Wayne Dryden (born August 8, 1947) is a Canadian politician, lawyer, businessman, author, and former National Hockey League (NHL) goaltender. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was a Liber ...
and Dave Dryden
David Murray Dryden (September 5, 1941 – October 4, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender, who created and first used the modern goaltending mask, consisting of fibreglass and a cage. From 1962 to 1980, he played nine season ...
) as opposing goaltenders.[Brewitt, p. 44.] In the first game of the series, both goaltenders were chosen as being among the three stars of the game.[ During the 1974–75 NHL season, all members of the trio were selected to play in the National Hockey League All-Star game; they all finished among the top ten in league scoring, and they led the team to a tie for first place in the regular season standings.]
Among their postseason highlights was the May 20, 1975, game three of the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals. This game, known as the fog game, was memorable because Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, colloquially known as The Aud, was a multipurpose indoor arena in downtown Buffalo, New York. Opened on October 14, 1940, it was home to the Canisius Golden Griffins (NCAA), the Buffalo Bisons ( AHL), the Buffalo Bis ...
had no air conditioning
Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...
and the arena temperature matched the 90 degree outdoor temperature, which caused fog to shroud the ice surface. During the overtime, play was delayed seven times due to fog on the ice surface at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. The players were instructed by Flyer coach Fred Shero
Frederick Alexander Shero, nicknamed The Fog (October 23, 1925November 24, 1990) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, and general manager. He played for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). However, he spen ...
and Sabre coach Floyd Smith
Floyd Robert Donald Smith (born May 16, 1935, in Perth, Ontario) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and coach.
Biography
Smith grew up in Galt, Ontario, playing junior hockey with the Galt Black Hawks. He made his National Ho ...
to shoot whenever possible because of the impaired goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...
vision. Eventually, the French connection combined to score a Martin to Perreault to Robert game-winning goal. This came after the French Connection swarmed Flyer goalie enabling Bill Hajt
William Albert Hajt (born November 18, 1951) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the NHL from 1973 until 1987. He is the father of Ontario Reign assistant coach Chris Hajt who played six games in the National Hoc ...
to knock in a Rick Martin
Richard Lionel Martin (; ; July 26, 1951March 13, 2011) was a Canadian professional ice hockey winger who played in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings for 11 seasons between 1971 and 1982. He was most famous for playing on the ...
rebound to send the game to overtime.
The 1975–76 season would also be memorable for the trio and the franchise. On January 4, 1976, the Sabres hosted part of the two-team eight-game NHL tour by the opposing the Soviet Wings. The Sabres handed the Russians the first of only two defeats on the tour. The French Connection contributed 4 goals and 5 assists to a 12-6 victory. The night marked the worst defeat by a Russian hockey team in international competition.
The trio was, and remains,[Malowicki, Jessica (February 24, 2011)]
Pegula era kicks off with surprise
. ''WGRZ''. Retrieved 2011-02-24. immensely popular in Buffalo, New York, as well as the surrounding Western New York
Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY i ...
area, and their international popularity and cultural prominence was also evident. They never won a Stanley Cup, but are an important part of hockey history. Rick Martin was the 1977 National Hockey League All-Star Game
The National Hockey League All-Star Game (french: Match des Étoiles de la Ligue Nationale de Hockey, links=no) is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many o ...
most valuable player and Perreault scored the game-winning overtime goal in the 1978 NHL All-Star Game at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. Perreault was selected to play in nine All-Star games (1970–71, 1971–72, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1983–84), Martin was selected to play in seven consecutive All-Star games (1971–72 through 1977–78)[ and Robert was selected to two All-Star games (1972–73, 1974–75).][ In addition, Martin was selected as the Official NHL All-Star first team Left Wing in 1973–74 & 1974–75 and the Official NHL All-Star second team Left Wing in 1975–76 & 1976–77.][ Perreault was selected as the Official NHL All-Star second team Center in 1975–76 & 1976–77.][ Rene Robert was selected as the Official NHL All-Star second team Right Wing in 1974–75.][ Perreault earned the ]Calder Memorial Trophy
The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League (NHL)." It is named after Frank Calder, the first president of the NHL. Serving as ...
in 1971 and the Lady Byng Trophy in 1973. All honours for all players were as Buffalo Sabres. All Official NHL All-Star team selections were earned while the three were teammates. Perreault was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990.[
The line made occasional appearances as members of the ]Buffalo Sabres Alumni Hockey Team
The Buffalo Sabres Alumni Hockey Team is an independent barnstorm (sports), barnstorming hockey (and occasionally basketball) team located in Buffalo, New York. Its roster consists entirely of retired National Hockey League players, mostly former ...
until Martin's death in March 2011. Their last appearance together was to introduce Terrence Pegula
Terrence Michael Pegula (born March 27, 1951) is an American billionaire businessman and petroleum engineer. He is the owner of Pegula Sports and Entertainment which owns the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL) and, with his wife ...
as the Sabres' owner on February 24, 2011.[ A statue of "The French Connection," unveiled in 2012, is located outside the Sabres' arena, now known as KeyBank Center.]
The French Connection years
Regular season
Playoffs
See also
* List of ice hockey linemates
Notes
References
:Brewitt, Ross, ''26 Seasons in Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium,'' Taylor Publishing Company, 1996, .
:Gilbert, John, ''Buffalo Sabres,'' Creative Education, 1996, .
:Maiorana, Sal, ''Thank You Sabres: Memories of the 1972–73 Season,'' Quality Sports Publications, 1997, .
:Podnieks, Andrew, Denis Gibbons, Pavel Barta, Dmitri Ryzkov, Tom Ratschunas, et al., ''Kings of the Ice: A History of World Hockey,'' NDE Publishing, 2002, .
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:French Connection, The
Buffalo Sabres
National Hockey League history
Nicknamed groups of ice hockey players