We here at WGR Sports Radio 550 have asked each of our staff members to submit their opinions on their five most memorable events or moments in this decade of Buffalo sports history. The hope was to create a Top Ten. Actually, hope is a terrible choice of word. The probability of getting it done is 100 percent. So, the votes were weighted (No. 1 vote worth five points, No. 2 worth four, etc.) and the number of individual mentions were used as tiebreakers. We hope you enjoy this trip down (mostly) Broken Heart Lane.

10. Buffalo Sabres at Carolina Hurricanes, Eastern Conference Finals, Game Seven, June 1, 2006

– Seriously, bleepity-bleep the first of any month for Buffalo sports. The Hasek trade, Drury/Briere-Gate and the Day of the Depleted Defenseman all took place on the date celebrated by Bone Thugs ‘N Harmony. I remember getting this text on the drive into work early that morning and thinking it was a joke.

“McKee in hospital. Might not play tonight.”

Honestly, with three regular blue liners already missing from the Eastern Conference Finals line-up, I laughed and continued my drive. Arrival at the station brought the truth: It wasn’t a rumour. It was a staph infection. A leg demon of some sorts had attached itself to Jay McKee’s old, trusty shin pad, later working its way into a cut on his leg. Already missing Henrik Tallinder, Teppo Numminen and Dmitri Kalinin, the Sabres would be without the veteran shot-absorber.

Can you name the six defensemen the Sabres suited up for Game Seven of the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals? Maybe you can now, but this question will be a prize-winner come the “Best of 2010-2019” survey. Brian Campbell, Toni Lydman, Rory Fitzpatrick, Nathan Paetsch, Jeff Jillson and Doug Janik. With all due respect to those players, if those guys were your Top Six, you might not win seven games in a year.

In retrospect it’s amazing that Sabres fans didn’t feel doomed entering that game, especially given the attitude toward Buffalo sports in 2009, but this team felt different. A colleague of mine at the station and I would have discussions about what we’re going to do when the Sabres win the Cup; where we wanted to be and who we wanted to be with… POOF. This was before medallions and waiting lists. This team was like the first month of a whirlwind romance, and it was between a city, team and fans spurned by plenty of potential lovers. We were a collection of underdogs right out of "Born To Run."

Ronald McDonald, er, Mike Commodore’s second goal of the playoffs made it 1-0 in a first period that featured just 16 total shots, and life didn’t feel all that good. Those valiant Sabres fought back however with a brilliant second period, with two goals against Carolina netminder in 4:05. First, Janik – seriously, Doug Janik – netted a shot from the right point with help from Ales Kotalik and Jochen Hecht. Then, with five seconds left in the period, Western New York leapt to the ceiling. Hecht had beaten Ward – with guys named Drury and Campbell with helpers -- and the Sabres were 20 minutes from the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Canes were not to be deterred from re-establishing the lead on their home ice, striking twice on tallies by Doug Weight and Rod Brind’Amour. One goal came when Fitzpatrick lost the puck between his feet and a screen shot beat Ryan Miller.

Surely, these Sabres wouldn’t go out on a weak goal like that!

Surely, these Sabres would muster the gumption to reclaim the lead!

Yet like “Casey at the Bat,” Sabres fans were left wanting with under a minute to play as Justin Williams’ fifth goal of the playoffs punched destiny right in the gut. Dan Hager, producer of The Howard Simon Show, remembers the night as such:

"This is the closest we had been to a championship since 'Wide Right' and I still can't believe this one didn't happen," Hager said. "When this series came to an end I knew this was our chance and we were foiled again.  That team fought through injuries throughout the line-up all year long and it finally caught up to them in the end, a Game Seven loss to the Hurricanes.  But I can also say that I have never had a better time in this city than during that playoff run." 

There was no joy in Mudville that night, but there was an awful lot of pride.

Log-on Friday for The No. 9 Buffalo Sports Moment of the 2000s so far.

Email: nick@wgr550.com