Darcy Regier

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Darcy John Regier (born November 27, 1957 in Swift Current, Saskatchewan) is the current general manager of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. He also played 26 games in the NHL for the Cleveland Barons and New York Islanders as a defenceman. Regier joined the Sabres in 1997 and since has become the longest-serving GM in Sabres history.

[edit] Playing career

Regier started his career with the Lethbridge Broncos of the Western Hockey League in 1974. After two seasons with the Broncos he was drafted by the California Seals of the NHL, and made the NHL in 1977–78 with the Cleveland Barons, who had moved from California the season he was drafted. He played 15 games with the Barons before being sent down to the minors. He was traded on January 10, 1978 to the New York Islanders with Wayne Merrick for J.P. Parise and Jean Potvin.

Regier stayed in the minors until 1982–83, when he was called up to the Islanders. However, he only played in 11 NHL games during the next two seasons, and then retired as a player to join the Isles' front office.

[edit] Administrative career

Regier served under various capacities with the Islanders, before becoming an assistant coach with the Hartford Whalers for the 1991–92. For the Islanders, he served as Assistant GM to Don Maloney and served as interim GM when Maloney was fired during the 1995–96 season. Regier was hired as GM of the Buffalo Sabres in the summer of 1997. In his second season as GM (1998–99), his Sabres made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals before losing to the Dallas Stars in six games.

In his years in Buffalo, he has been in charge when the Sabres drafted and developed such players as Maxim Afinogenov, Henrik Tallinder, Ales Kotalik, Ryan Miller, Paul Gaustad, Derek Roy, Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek. He has also made some important acquisitions as well, such as trading for Chris Drury, Tim Connolly, Daniel Briere and J.P. Dumont while trying to maintain a strict budget. Now the Sabres have developed as one of the league's elite, making it as far as the final four in 2005–06

During the 2007 off-season Regier has come under fire by fans and the Buffalo media after the team's two captains, Daniel Briere and Chris Drury, left for the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers respectively. Bucky Gleason of The Buffalo News reported that both players were available earlier in the year, but Regier missed the opportunity to sign them. Gleason wrote, in the July 8 edition of The Buffalo News, "The Sabres now have a recruiting problem. In April, the Hockey News released a poll of 288 players that showed Buffalo was the last place a player wished to be traded. And that’s when the Sabres were cruising toward the Presidents Trophy."