Sabres GM Legacy
Buffalo Sabres Mourn Influential GM Gerry Meehan, Architect of Iconic Teams
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Gerry Meehan, one of the founding players of the Buffalo Sabres and the general manager who built the team's greatest roster, died on Friday, June 5, 2026. He was 79. Buffalo Sabres announced his passing on Saturday after being contacted by a family member.
Meehan wore two hats over his five decades with the franchise. He played in the very first Sabres game in 1970 and later, as GM, acquired four future Hall of Famers — Dominik Hasek, Pat LaFontaine, Alexander Mogilny, and Dale Hawerchuk — in the span of just three years. He is survived by his wife, Mirella, children Adam and Kate, and four grandchildren.
From First Game to the Front Office
Meehan was born in Toronto in 1946 and was drafted by the Maple Leafs in 1963. He landed in Buffalo when the Sabres joined the NHL as an expansion team. On October 10, 1970, he played in the franchise's very first game and recorded its first-ever assist. He went on to serve as the team's second captain, leading Buffalo to its first playoff berth in 1973, according to NHL.com.
After retiring in 1979 with 670 NHL games, 180 goals, and 423 total points, Meehan did something almost no player of his era did. He went to law school. He earned a law degree from the University at Buffalo in 1982. That legal training would later shape how he ran the Sabres front office. He joined the team as assistant GM under Scotty Bowman in 1984 and was promoted to GM in 1986, Yahoo Sports reported.
The Mogilny Defection Changed the NHL Forever
Meehan's boldest move came on May 4, 1989. He helped orchestrate the defection of Soviet star Alexander Mogilny from Stockholm, Sweden. Mogilny had been drafted by Buffalo in the 5th round — 89th overall — in 1988. Getting him out of the Soviet Union meant dodging KGB agents and risking a serious diplomatic incident, according to WGRZ.
The Soviet news agency Tass accused the Sabres of "piracy." Meehan pushed back, calling Mogilny's departure "voluntary" and "above-board." The move paid off. Mogilny became one of the NHL's top scorers. More importantly, his defection opened the door for other Soviet stars — Sergei Fedorov, Pavel Bure — to follow. At his 2025 Hall of Fame induction, Mogilny called Meehan his "guiding light."
Three Years, Four Hall of Famers, One Golden Window
Between 1989 and 1992, Meehan assembled one of the most talented rosters in Sabres history. On June 16, 1990, he traded Phil Housley to Winnipeg and got Dale Hawerchuk back. On October 25, 1991, he sent 22-year-old Pierre Turgeon — coming off a 106-point season — to the Islanders for Pat LaFontaine. Fans were furious. LaFontaine then scored 148 points in 1992–93, the best offensive season in team history, according to NHL.com.
The quietest deal may have been the biggest. On August 7, 1992, Meehan acquired goalie Dominik Hasek from the Chicago Blackhawks for backup goalie Stephane Beauregard and a 4th-round draft pick. Beauregard played zero games for Chicago. Hasek went on to win six Vezina Trophies and two Hart Trophies in Buffalo. Daily Faceoff analysts called Meehan's 1989–1992 stretch the "Golden Era of Acquisition."
League and Peers Remember a One-of-a-Kind Executive
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman called Meehan a "pillar of the franchise" and described him as "shrewd and successful" in both his playing and executive roles. Meehan left the GM post in 1993 and later served as Executive Vice President of Sports Operations before founding his own consulting firm, Cardinal Consultants Ltd., Associated Press reported.
What made Meehan rare was the combination of skills he brought. Fewer than 5% of NHL players in his era earned a graduate professional degree. He used that legal background to navigate complex contracts and international law in ways other GMs simply could not. The Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame noted that his ability to blend a captain's instincts with a lawyer's precision made him one of the most effective executives of the late 20th century.
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