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28 // DECEMBER 2017 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM By Bill Hoppe J AC K E IC H E L K NOW S h i s ho c k ey h i s t o r y. S o , w h i l e P h i l H o u s l e y m a y h a v e r e t i r e d a l m o s t 1 5 y e a r s a g o , t h e B u f f a l o S a b r e s y o u n g s t a r a p p r e c i a t e s h i s n e w c o a c h 's illustrious play ing career. S omet i me s , E ic hel s e e s Hou sley like any fan would, as a Hall of Fame defensema n a nd one of the g reatest players to ever lace up the skates. " He's one of t he best hockey players of a l l time, one of the best A mer ica ns of a l l time," sa id the Nor th Chelmsford, Mass., native. "I mea n, he had over 1,000 points a s a defen sema n i n t he N H L . If you look at the things he did in our game, it 's pretty remarkable." S o , w h e n Ho u s l e y, w h o s t a r r e d e i g h t seasons for the Sabres, addresses his team, Eichel tries to soak in every word. "I'll just kind of sit back and think about the things he's accomplished in his hockey career and just appreciate it," Eichel said. "Not a lot of players have done what he did. Just to have him as a resource for us is pretty great. We're lucky to have him as our coach right now." H o u s l e y, o f c o u r s e , i s l u c k y t o h a v e E ichel , a 21-ye a r - old c ent er on t he c u sp of superstardom. The two Americans are at front and center of the Sabres' youth movement. Ho u s l e y i s t h e r o o k i e c o a c h w h o h a s r e t u r n e d t o h e l p l e a d B u f f a l o b a c k t o prominence. Meanwhile, the ultra-talented Eichel, who recently signed an eight-year, $ 8 0 m i l l i o n c o n t r a c t e x t e n s i o n , i s t h e franchise's cornerstone. While the Sabres have started slowly this season, there's a feeling in the dressing room the team is built for the modern NHL and also the long haul. "We have the pieces to win championships, that's what makes me excited," said Sabres' winger Kyle Okposo, a regular for Team USA over the years. " You look at the teams that have won the last 10 years … they all have No. 1 centermen, they're all good down the middle. They all have defensemen that are horses, and I think that we have them. We have the pieces in place to win for a long time." Most t e a m s a r e luck y t o h ave one A l l- Star-caliber center. The Sabres, with Eichel and Ryan O'Reilly, possess two. On the blue line, they have m inute-muncher R a smus Ristolainen and Americans Zach Bogosian and Jake McCabe, one of the league's most underrated young defenseman. Buf fa lo has a heav y U. S. presence aga in this season. Eig ht A merica ns —Bogosia n, E i c h e l , M c C a b e , O k p o s o , w i n g e r s Ju st i n B a i ley a nd Ja son Pom i nv i l le a nd d e f e n s e m e n Z a c h R e d m o n d a n d M a t t Tennyson —have played this season or are The Buffalo Sabres Look To An Icon From The Past To Lead Youth Movement Into The Future AND THE restless Young restless Young Talented blueliners like Jake McCabe (19) and Matt Tennyson (5) form the foundation of the Sabres youth movement.