By Budd Bailey, Buffalo Sports Page Columnist
No. 76: October 14, 1974 – The Sabres trade Gerry Meehan and Mike Robitaille to Vancouver for Jocelyn Guevremont and Bryan McSheffrey.
The Sabres wanted to upgrade their defense entering the 1974-75 season, and getting Jocelyn Guevremont was a good way to do it. Guevremont was the third pick in the 1971 draft, going to Vancouver after Guy Lafleur and Marcel Dionne went one-two. He played in the 1974 All-Star Game. The price was two veterans who had been contributors in the team’s early years, Gerry Meehan and Mike Robitaille.
The results worked out well for the Sabres. Guevremont became a big part of the team that went to the NHL Finals in 1975; he was +33 in 64 games that season and had a great shot from the point. The defenseman stayed through 1979, when he was dealt to the Rangers for a couple of draft picks.
Meehan played through the rest of the decade and had some success, while injuries derailed Robitaille’s career. But both players made contributions to the Sabres after they stopped playing. Meehan was a front-office executive for Buffalo, while Robitaille became a popular broadcaster for the team.
(Follow Budd on Twitter @WDX2BB)
Leave a Reply