Then Perreault Said to Rico: The Best Buffalo Sabres Stories Ever Told (Best Sports Stories Ever Told the Best Sports Stories Ever T) with CD

"Then Perreault Said to Rico..." unearths many treasures from the Sabres' early years, colorful stories about the players and games that cemented Buffalo's reputation as a great NHL city. Learn the inside story of how the Knox brothers, Norty and Seymour, convinced the NHL to give Buffalo a shot. Follow the team's first coach and general manager, Punch Imlach, as he built a Stanley Cup contender from scratch. Relive the birth of the famed French Connection--Martin, Perreault, and Robert--and classic contests such as the infamous Fog Game. Look back on triumphs such as Danny Gare's 50-goal seasons and tragedies such as Tim Horton's accidental death during the 1973-74 campaign. Recall the exploits of many other Sabres greats: Jim Schoenfeld, Fred Atkins, Craig Ramsay, Jim Lorentz, even Taro Tsujimoto, the greatest fictional player in NHL history.

The key to this timeless collection of Sabres tales is author Paul Wieland, former longtime public-relations director in Buffalo. Wieland was with the team from the beginning, and his stories ring with authenticity and heart. His insider's view and honest profiles of players, coaches, and other personalities will delight true Sabres fans and bring to life the people who were the franchise's first heroes. "Then Perreault Said to Rico..." is the perfect way to reconnect with the Sabres' early years, which helped cement the team's place in NHL lore and is the next-best thing to a seat behind the glass in the Aud.

Spotlight Reviews
Enjoyable (2008-11-22)
Customer Review : 3
For anyone who remembers sitting in the old Aud, the French Connection and the early days of the Sabres franchise, this is a good book. No real "flow" to it, in my personal opinion, more like a collection of remembrances put into short story or essay form, but quite enjoyable.

I'd forgotten a few of the incidents, like the illegal goal pads, so reading that really made me smile. Nice book to give as a gift to your favorite Sabres fan!

Fun and interesting (2008-10-20)
Customer Review : 5
I thought I knew most of the stories surrounding the history of the Sabres, but I obviously didn't. Paul Wieland's book, "Then Perreault Said to Rico..." filled in some of the gaps quite nicely. Wieland worked for the Sabres in a couple of capacities for the first 25 years of the franchise's history. He was around from the beginning, when pro sports had much more of a mom-and-pop feel to it than it does today. Therefore, he has plenty of inside stories about events with the hockey team, particularly in the first 10 years of play (1970-1980), and he often is surprisingly candid along the way. Wieland also talked with several players on those teams (Gil Perreault, Rick Martin, Rene Robert, Danny Gare, Jerry Korab, etc.) to fill out the text. Plus, the book comes with an audio CD of conversations with ex-Sabres. There are enough silly stories in here to keep any sports fan entertained, but obviously it will be of particular interest to longtime Sabres fans, who will race through it even faster than I did (which is saying something).

You Know We're Gonna Win That Cup! (2008-10-09)
Customer Review : 5
Finally a great, insightful book on the Buffalo Sabres and their storied history. Paul has done a wonderful job of retelling all the great stories of this popular team. From Taro Tsujimoto to the French Connection, he covers it all. Its filled with little known tidbits and pictures of all the great men behind the franchise, The Knoxes, Dave Forman, Fred Hunt, Ted Darling, Tim Horton, Roger Crozier, Gil Perreault et al. It was a pleasure helping Paul on this book and I highly recommend this to anyone who calls themself a Sabres or hockey Fan. John Boutet