There were some really fun players on that 1996-97 team, and Buffalo was in love with their grit and toughness. Remember the sections of fans that wore red hardhats to the games and generally went beserk whenever a check was thrown or the inevitable fight broke out with Boughner, Ray, May, Barnaby (although he was usually busy turtling), Peca, and Darryl Shannon? The only bad part was that 1996-97 was the year Pat LaFontaine played his final game as a Sabre. And of course the lasting memory we have was Derek Plante ripping one off Tugger’s glove in overtime of game seven, the team rushing the ice, and an exhuberant Ted Nolan jumping up and down behind the bench.