You’re staring at the grid, coffee’s getting cold, and there it is: Buffalo hockey player NYT. Five letters. Maybe you’re thinking of a specific guy—a legend like Perreault or a modern star like Dahlin—but the crossword doesn't always care about the "who." It usually cares about the "what."
Honestly, it's one of those clues that makes you overthink. Most people dive straight into their mental Rolodex of NHL rosters, searching for names like Eichel, Miller, or Hasek. But if you’re playing the New York Times Mini or a weekday daily, the answer is almost always SABRE.
That’s the thing about the NYT crossword. It loves a good metonym. It’s rarely asking for a person when it can ask for the team’s identity. But let’s be real—if you’re a die-hard hockey fan in Western New York, calling a player a "Sabre" feels kinda basic. You want the deep cuts. You want the names that actually built the blue and gold.
Why the answer is usually SABRE (and why that’s boring)
The NYT puzzle constructors are masters of the 5-letter word. In the world of crosswords, "Sabre" is gold. It’s got two vowels, it’s a common noun, and it fits perfectly into those tight corners of the Mini.
If you see this clue on a Monday or Tuesday, don't over-calculate. Don't start counting the letters in "Tage Thompson" or "Rasmus Dahlin." It’s a trick of simplicity. However, if the grid is wider or the clue is more specific—like "Buffalo hockey legend"—you might be looking for PERREAULT (9 letters) or HASEK (5 letters).
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The trick is looking at the crossing words. If you have an "S" at the start and an "E" at the end, it’s a lock. It’s SABRE. Just remember that the NYT uses the "RE" spelling, sticking to the official team name, rather than the Americanized "Saber."
The real legends behind the clue
Kinda wild when you think about it, but the Buffalo Sabres have one of the most dedicated fanbases in the league despite a playoff drought that feels like it started in the Mesozoic era. When people search for "Buffalo hockey player NYT," they aren't just looking for a crossword answer; they're often looking for the identity of the current squad.
Right now, in 2026, the team is finally turning a corner. Under Lindy Ruff—who returned to the bench like a hero in a sequel nobody expected—the vibe in Buffalo has changed. Here’s who the city is actually talking about:
- Rasmus Dahlin: The Captain. If a clue ever asks for a "Buffalo defenseman," he's your guy. He's the first Sabres captain to really embrace the grit of the city since the Briere/Drury days.
- Tage Thompson: The "Unicorn." At 6'6", his reach is insane. He’s the guy who scores five goals in a game and makes the rest of the league look like they’re playing in slow motion.
- Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: UPL. If the clue is "Buffalo goalie" and it's 3 letters (UPL) or 9 letters (LUUKKONEN), he’s the answer. He's stabilized a crease that was a mess for a decade.
Crossword variants you might see
The NYT likes to get cute. Sometimes the clue isn't "Buffalo hockey player," but something slightly adjacent.
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- Buffalo skater: Still usually SABRE.
- Hasek's team: SABRES.
- KeyBank Center athlete: SABRE.
- French Connection member: This is for the experts. You’re looking for PERREAULT, ROBERT, or MARTIN.
In the 2025-26 season, the team has become a "tight group," as Lindy Ruff put it recently. They’re drawing comparisons to the 2005-06 team—the one that came out of the lockout and just blitzed everybody. That team had Danny Briere and Chris Drury. If you see "Former Buffalo co-captain," those are the two names to keep in your back pocket.
What most people get wrong
The biggest mistake? Assuming the clue is about a person.
In crossword-ese, a "Buffalo hockey player" is a member of the species Sabre. It’s a collective noun masquerading as an individual.
Another mistake is forgetting the historical context. Buffalo is a "small market" team, but its history is massive. Between the "French Connection" and the "Dominator" (Dominik Hasek), the team has provided more crossword fodder than most Original Six teams.
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Actionable insights for your next puzzle
Next time you hit a wall on a hockey-related clue, follow these steps:
- Check the letter count first. 5 letters? It's SABRE.
- Look for "legend" or "Hall of Famer." If those words are in the clue, it’s a specific person. Think HASEK or PERREAULT.
- Mind the spelling. It’s S-A-B-R-E, not S-A-B-E-R. This is a common trip-up for American solvers who forget the team uses the French/British spelling.
- Current context matters. If the clue mentions a "young star" or "2018 #1 pick," it’s DAHLIN.
Buffalo hockey is more than just a crossword clue; it’s a weirdly beautiful obsession for a city that lives and breathes on the ice. Whether you’re solving for the team name or the superstar defenseman, just remember that in Buffalo, the "RE" always comes before the "E."
To get faster at these, start tracking how often the NYT uses sports team mononyms as answers. You'll notice a pattern: "Aver," "Met," "Sabre," and "Oiler" are the four horsemen of the sports crossword world. Keep them handy.