The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle lived well before hockey ever existed,
but his quote, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts" certainly
applies to the Buffalo Sabres' French Connection. The famous Sabres line,
comprised of Gilbert Perreault, Richard Martin and Rene Robert was a
point-producing, highlight-making trio from 1972 until the fall of 1979. Each
of the three French-Canadians from Quebec was talented individually, but when
they were put together on the same line, magic ensued. The trio was
unstoppable.Martin, Perreault and Robert formed The French Connection (Vince
Richard/The Hockey Writers)

Perreault and Martin were first-round draft picks in the franchise's first two
years, starting in the fall of 1970. Robert arrived via a trade with Pittsburgh
 late in 1971-72 and the trio had instant chemistry. Together, they amassed 738
 goals and 1,681 points in 1,536 games. In 1974-75 they led the upstart Sabres
to the Stanley Cup Final, the franchise's first appearance.The Sum: The French
Connection Line

The French Connection line was the league's most electrifying and explosive
combination of the era and one of the last great lines in the history of the
game. With their flair and creativity, not to mention their mustaches and
layered flowing hair of the era, they were looked up to admired and idolized by
 fans of all ages. New Englanders wanted to be Bobby Orr; Western New Yorkers
and those in Southern Ontario wanted to be part of The French Connection.

The line was dubbed the French Connection by writer Lee Coppola referring to
both to the origins of the players and to the 1971 Academy Award-winning crime
thriller, The French Connection. It was one of the most feared scoring lines in
 NHL history. Each player finished his Sabres career with more than 200 goals
and better than a point-per-game average despite consistently facing the
opposition's top defensive lineups. It even had a song written about it.Through
 the Years

When George ΓÇÿPunch' Imlach, the Sabres first coach and general manager, built
 the team in 1970, his goal was to create an exciting, high-octane,
high-scoring offense.  After drafting Perreault and then Martin the following
year, new coach Joe Crozier knew he wanted a winger who could complement them.
He found Robert and the rest is history.Punch Imlach wanted an exciting team in
 Buffalo.

The French Connection's impact was immediate. Once together, they were the
driving force behind the Sabres making the playoffs. They did so every season
they were together, except for the 1973-74 NHL season when Perreault suffered a
 broken leg and missed a few months.

1971-72 - The Sabres selected Rick Martin fifth overall in the first round in
the 1971 draft. He immediately had chemistry with Perreault as the two led the
Sabres in scoring with 74 points each. Martin tallied 44 goals in his first
season, breaking the NHL rookie record of 38 set the year before by Perreault.
At the end of the season, Rene Robert was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins
 in a trade for Eddie Shack. The Sabres finished in sixth place with a 16-43-19
 record.

1972-73 -The first full season with all three members of the French Connection
was 1972-73. With Perreault flanked by Martin and Robert, the Sabres were no
longer a one-man show. The Sabres started the season with a ten-game unbeaten
streak, went unbeaten in their first 21 home games and finished with a record
of 37-27-14, good enough to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise
history. Perreault, Robert and Martin led the team in scoring, finishing with
88, 83 and 73 points, respectively. They fell to the veteran Montreal Canadiens
 in the first round in six games.Perreault circa 1972. (THW Media Library)

1973-74 - The Sabres came out of the gate strong, winning six of their first
nine games, but Perreault suffered a broken leg and was sidelined for eight
weeks. The team then lost goaltender Roger Crozier with pancreatitis. Tragedy
struck on Feb. 20, when Tim Horton died in a car accident on the Queen
Elizabeth Way. All of this was too much to overcome and the Sabres finished
with a record of 32-34-12, missing the playoffs.

1974-75 - The goals came in bunches-354 for the team. More than a third of them
 off the sticks of the French Connection. Martin had 52, Robert tallied 40 and
Perreault 39. The trio all finished among the league's top-10 scorers while
leading the team to a tie for first in the regular season standings. All three
were chosen to play in the NHL All-Star game. Most important, they led the
Sabres to a Cinderella run towards the Stanley Cup. In only their fifth season
in the NHL, the Sabres made their way to the Stanley Cup Final. The Sabres
defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round. In the second round, Rene
Robert scored the game-winner in overtime to move past the Montreal Canadiens.
Then the met the Philadelphia Flyers.

Game 3 of the Final against the Flyers is still known as the famous ΓÇÿFog
Game' played in Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium. With early summer hot and humid
temperatures outside the arena, a raucous crowd and a lack of air conditioning,
 the ice was shrouded in fog. It was like a sauna inside, with temperatures
near the ice approaching 90 degrees. In an apparent attempt to cool off, a bat
flew down around the ice surface. That's when Sabres winger Jim Lorentz took
matters in his own hands and knocked it right out of the air with his stick.
From that point on, Lorentz became known as ΓÇÿBatman' by his teammates.Fred
Shero coached the Flyers. Players (l-r) Jimmy Watson #20, Dave Hoyda #8, Bobby
Clarke #16, Bob Kelly #20, Bill Barber #7 and Reggie Leach #27. (Photo by Steve
 Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)

The game was stopped a total of twelve times due to foggy conditions. Given the
 extremely poor visibility, Flyers coach Fred Shero and Sabres coach Floyd
Smith instructed their players to shoot as much as possible. With roughly a
minute remaining in overtime, Martin picked up a loose puck along the boards
and fed it to Perreault. After gaining the Flyers zone, he dished it to Robert
in the far right corner. Robert beat the Flyer defenseman to the puck and shot
the puck at an extreme angle. The puck surprised Flyers' netminder Bernie
Parent, slipping by him for the game winner. "It's almost impossible to score
from that angle," said Robert. "But I shot at the net, hoping somebody could
get the rebound. It seemed to me he (Bernie Parent) wasn't ready for the shot.
It went between his legs."

Though the French Connection scored four goals and 11 points in the series, the
 Sabres lost in six games. Little did they know it was the closest any member
of the French Connection would get to winning the Stanley Cup.

The playoff MVP was Flyers goaltender, Bernie Parent. "He was outstanding,"
said Perreault. "They had a great team, too, but he beat us. We just couldn't
score on him. He was stopping everything."

1975-76 -  The team continued their winning ways with an impressive record of
46-21-13. The dynamic line put up 286 points; Perreault finished third in the
league with 113 points, Robert with 87 and Martin 86.

During this season, the Sabres hosted part of a series against the Russia's
Soviet Wings. On Jan. 4, the French Connection piled up four goals and five
assists, leading the Sabres to a 12-6 win, the worst defeat ever by a Russian
hockey team in international competition.

1976-77 -  After a slow start, the Sabres finished in second place in the
division with a 48-24-8 record. Perreault led the team with 95 points, Robert
was second with 73 points and Martin, who only suited up for 66 games, had 65
points. They stampeded through Minnesota North Stars in the first round of the
playoffs but were swept by the New York Islanders in four straight close games
in the second round.Gilbert Perreault still leads the Buffalo Sabres in most
offensive categories. (THW Media Library)

1977-78 -  The Sabres topped 100 points for the fourth straight season
finishing with a record of 44-19-17. Once again, Perreault led the team with 89
 points. Robert had 73 points in 67 games, and Martin had 63 points in 65
games. The team got by the New York Rangers in a three-game series, before
losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in five games.

1978-79 - Once general manager Punch Imlach was fired mid-season and head coach
 Marcel Pronovost was shown the door, the Sabres picked up steam and finished
in second place again with a record of 36-28-16. Once again, Perreault led the
way with 85 points. Robert finished third on the team in scoring with 62
points. And Martin 53 points. The Sabres lost to Pittsburgh Penguins in the
first round of the playoffs.

1979-80 -  Scotty Bowman, who had led the Canadiens to four straight Stanley
Cup Finals, was hired as the Sabres coach and general manager by George H. Knox
 III. He broke up the French Connection by trading Robert to the Colorado
Rockies for defenseman John Van Boxmeer.

The move paid dividends as the Sabres won the Adams Division with a 47-17-16
record. Perreault tallied 106 points (40 goals and 66 assists) and Martin
notched 79 points during the season. In the playoffs, the Sabres got by the
Vancouver Canucks in four games, swept the Chicago Blackhawks but fell to the
New York Islanders in six games.

1980-81 -  Despite Perreault being sidelined for 22 games with rib injuries,
the Sabres won their second straight division title. On March 11, Martin was
traded to the Los Angeles Kings for draft picks.Stats, Accolades and Honors

Perreault spent his entire 17-year career with the Sabres. When he retired on
Nov. 24, 1986, he was at the top of every single offensive category in the
history of the franchise; ones he still retains today. He has the most regular
season games played, goals, assists, points, game-winning goals, 30-goal
seasons (ten), 20-goal seasons and shots on goal. In 1971, Perreault earned the
 Calder Memorial Trophy and the Lady Byng Trophy in 1973.

Martin holds the franchise career records for hat tricks (7), four-goal games,
40-goal seasons, consecutive 40-goal seasons, 50-goal seasons (tied with Danny
Gare) and consecutive 50-goal seasons.

While Robert's name does not fill the team's record book, his 40-goal and
60-assist 1974-75 season was the club's first 100-point season by a
player.Honoring The French Connection (THW).

During the seven full seasons the French Connection was together, Perreault led
 the Sabres in scoring five times while Robert and Martin led the team once
each. Martin led the team three times in goals, Perreault twice and Robert
once. Perreault led the team in assists four times and Robert did so twice.

All three members of the French Connection were selected for multiple All-Star
games; Perreault in nine (1970-71, 1971-72, 1973-74, 1974-75, 1976-77, 1977-78,
 1978-79, 1979-80, 1983-84), Martin in seven consecutive All-Star games
(1971-72 through 1977-78) and Robert was selected to two All-Star games
(1972-73, 1974-75). Each was named to the official NHL All-Star Team at least
once and to the All-Star Game at least twice while playing together.

In 1977, Martin was named the All-Star game's Most Valuable Player. In 1978
All-Star Game, hosted at Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium, Perreault scored the
game-winning overtime goal. In 1990, Perreault's No. 11 was retired by the
Sabres and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. "I didn't enjoy
attention when I played, but the Hall of Fame is different. It's the greatest
honor a player can have," beamed Perreault. "Having a chance to play for the
same team for seventeen years was a highlight. In my first year, I set a record
 in the NHL for scoring 38 goals. That was a highlight. Scoring 500 goals was a
 highlight."The Parts:Gilbert Perreault, Center

In 1970, when Sabres general manager Punch Imlach won the spin of the wheel for
 the No. 1 overall pick, he wasted no time choosing Perreault. The Vancouver
Canucks missed out, choosing Dale Tallon with the next pick.

In Perreault's first season, he scored 38 goals and added 34 assists and was
named the NHL's Calder Trophy winner as rookie of the year. "In my first
seasons, Imlach told me to go for goals and not worry about checking. That
really helped me get my confidence," Perreault admitted. "The first few years I
 was there, it was loose. I was rushing the puck a lot. We had style."Perreault
 during warmups prior to a game against the Canadiens circa 1970 at the
Montreal Forum. (Photo by Denis Brodeur/NHLI via Getty Images)

Perreault is the Sabres franchise leader in both goals (512) and assists (814);
 marks that are likely to stand for many years to come. He currently sits 28th
 on the all-time list for assists, 33rd for points and 41st for goals. He not
only led the team in stats, he led them from a newbie expansion franchise to
legitimate contenders in short order.

Perreault played his entire 17-season career with the Sabres. The centerpiece
of the French Connection was regarded as one of the most gifted playmakers in
the NHL. Former Sabres coach Floyd Smith once described Perreault as a blur. He
 had soft, playmaking hands to go with his effortless speed. His stickhandling
and head fakes posterized even the best defensive players in the world. The
talented Victoriaville native was capable of making an end-to-end rush at any
time.

"From pee wee to junior and even the first two or three years in the league, I
tried to beat everybody by myself," said Perreault. "But, after three years,
you have to change your style. You have to come up with something new. I had
better vision of the game. See more of my players on the ice. I was more of a
playmaker than a rusher, after a while. I was looking more to Rick and Rene to
make my plays."

"He carried the teams on his shoulders for many nights," said former NHL head
coach and broadcaster Jacques Demers. "Punch Imlach gave him all the ice time
that you could give any young kid. But the key to that franchise was getting a
guy like Gilbert Perreault. He lifted the franchise to a different level."

Demers was a huge fan of Perreault. "Very few players in hockey over the years
will bring the fans off their seats. Guy Lafleur, Bobby Orr, Gretzky and
Perreault was one of them. Gilbert Perreault was Jean Beliveau, in a more
physical way to get to the net than Jean. Smooth. Great vision. Electifying.
Perreault was the one who wanted to take charge. Give me the puck I'm going to
make something happen."Bobby Clarke and his million dollar smile admired
Perreault.

"It wasn't that long ago that the big guys were usually slower and cumbersome
on the ice. Then you get this big man who's so elegant and he's wide and thick
and can just fly on the ice," said fellow NHL Hall of Famer, Bobby Clarke. "You
 knew if you were gonna stop him it was gonna have to be through physical play
because you certainly weren't going to skate with him. He was an elegant
player. He wasn't physical, but he had great speed and great moves. Like a
great French Canadian player flying down the ice. For the years that I played,
he was as good as anybody who played the game."

"Every kid in Canada wanted to be Gilbert Perreault," said six-time Stanley Cup
 Champion Bryan Trottier. "His one-on-one skills and stickhandling skills and
his speed and how he went from one end to the other. I never did any of that,
but I tried to steal a little something from him."

Perreault played on a line with Lafleur and Gretzky in the 1981 Canada Cup. The
 line, perhaps the best ever constructed in the history of the game, totaled a
whopping 32 points in seven games. It was one of the highlights of Bert's
career. "It was an easy game to play with those two."Gretzky, Lafleur and
Perreault (not pictured) formed one of the most talented lines ever put
together. (Photo by Frank Lennon/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

"The Canada Cup in ';81 was the greatest experience of my life," recollected
Lafleur with a big smile. "We had so much fun. Every time that we see somebody
like Wayne or Gilbert, even myself when I was carrying the puck, I was
laughing...because I knew who was behind or beside me. It was something very,
very special."

The nine-time NHL All-Star is the first Sabre to have his number retired. In
1990, his No. 11 was raised to the rafters of the Memorial Auditorium. The same
 year he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

"People will suggest that Gilbert Perreault's career was incomplete because he
didn't win a Stanley Cup, that it doesn't measure to some other superstar
players through the years," said Broadcast journalist Mitch Melnick. "It was
not Gilbert Perreault's fault that he arrived in Buffalo in 1970 at a time when
 the Boston Bruins had Orr and Esposito and Hodge and Bucyk, followed by the
Canadiens of 1972-73 in Scotty Bowman's first year, followed by the
Philadelphia Flyers that beat the Sabres in one of those Finals, followed by
the Canadiens dynasty of four straight. It wasn't Perreault's fault. He was in
the wrong place at the wrong time for a Stanley Cup. That should not take away
from the incredible career that he had."

And look who was at his side when he signed...

Gilbert Perreault! #LetsGoBuffalo pic.twitter.com/9V73igUfHF

- Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) July 9, 2018

Rick Martin, Left Wing

Martin, a left winger from Trois-Rivieres, had a powerful and intimidating
shot. He was a sniper… a marksman, able to pick a corner and send a shot that
 would test the strength of the mesh surrounding the goal. In his NHL debut,
the opening game of the 1971-72 season, Martin fired a slap shot that literally
 tore the glove off the hand of Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Jim Rutherford.
The puck was cleared out of play, but the oohs and aahs that filled the Aud
were only foreshadowing for the excitement that remarkable career that "Rico"
would have. All but four games of his injury-shortened 11-season career were
played with the Sabres. The others were with the Los Angeles Kings

There's no question Martin was an excellent player, but with Perreault's and
Robert's skill and vision, he became even more of a force. For a few years,
some fans and media considered him the second-best left wing in hockey, after
Martin's idol, Bobby Hull. The five-time 40-goal scorer and two-time 50-goal
scorer finished with 701 points in 685 career NHL games.Martin skating during
an NHL game circa 1975. (Photo by Melchior DiGiacomo/Getty Images)

In addition to a passion for scoring, Rico had an affinity for pranks and
jokes. One of his favorites was to walk out of an airport restroom with toilet
paper trailing out of his pants. The entertainer on and off the ice was also
known to put a string through a $20 bill and tug it along the floor as
unsuspecting people attempted to pick it up.

Martin's No. 7 was retired by the Sabres in 1995. He raised his family in the
area was proud to call Buffalo his home, becoming a fixture at community
charity tournaments. On March 13, 2011, at the age of 59, Martin died of a
heart attack. The public memorial service held at HSBC Arena in Buffalo was an
emotional and significant event for the thousands who attended. Some related it
 to saying farewell to their favorite Beatle. Perreault, Robert, Danny Gare and
 others spoke.

"This is for you my friend," Robert said at a tribute held at the Aud. "Rico
used to say all the time, that if you can't have a laugh, this life ain't worth
 living. So, he lived it to the fullest."

In a horrible sequence of events, Robert had just lost an older brother that
morning to a heart attack. "It's like a bad dream - first my brother, then my
left winger," Robert said. "I lost Rico."Rene Robert, Right WingRobert awaits a
 faceoff. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)

Robert was a speedy right winger with a lethal shot. He was a complete
player-one of the league';s most highly regarded power play point men who also
commonly played on the penalty kill unit. He finished his checks and was a
workhorse in the corners.

The Verdun native sparked the creation of the famed French Connection line when
 he was acquired in a trade on March 4, 1972. He played twelve games for the
Sabres during the in the 1971-72 season. He also played for the Penguins,
Colorado Rockies (now the New Jersey Devils) and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Robert could fill the net as easily as he could dish a sweet pass. The
playmaker notched two 40-goal seasons and a 60-assist season. He's one of only
five Sabres to reach 100 points in a season-the others are Perreault, Pierre
Turgeon, Alexander Mogilny and Pat LaFontaine.Memorializing the French
Connection

The members of the French Connection were the first three players to accumulate
 200 goals in a Sabres uniform. They each have had the honor of having their
jersey numbers retired; Perreault's No. 11 was retired during a ceremony on
Oct. 17, 1990, Robert's No. 14 and Martin's No. 7 were retired on November 15,
1995. The three numbers hang together from the rafters of KeyBank Center under
a French Connection banner.

On Oct. 12, 2012, the Sabres unveiled an impressive 7-foot-high bronze statue
honoring the French Connection in the team's new alumni plaza outside First
Niagara Center (now KeyBank Center).Bronze statue of The French Connection
Sabres by sculptor Jerry McKenna (Fortunate4now via Wikimedia Commons)

Perreault, Robert, and family members of the late Martin attended the public
ceremony along with over 30 Sabres alumni and Sabres owners Terry and Kim
Pegula.

The sculpture was created by award-winning sculptor Jerry McKenna and styled
after a photograph taken during a playoff game in April 1975 by former team
photographer Ron Moscati. In that game, each player scored a goal against the
Philadelphia Flyers. Both McKenna and Moscati were in attendance. Legendary
Sabres play-by-play announcer Rick Jeanneret served as the master of
ceremonies.

Cory Martin, Gilbert Perreault, Terry Pegula & Rene Robert stand in front of
the French Connection Statue! #AlumniPlaza pic.twitter.com/ei5wL5ya

- Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 13, 2012

"The people in this city loved the French Connection and made that team an
instant success for a new team," said Moscati. "All these years I knew I had
that picture, and I wanted them to somehow make it big so people could enjoy
it."

"Our mission here was to put a great show on the ice for the Buffalo fans,"
said an emotional Perreault. "The French Connection was something very special.
 We had some great years together. It's a great honor. It's a very special
night. We sure miss Rico, but it's part of life."The Connection's Connection
with Fans

Beyond the goals, All-Star games and playoff runs, the French Connection stood
for so much more. The charismatic  trio connected with the fans in Western New
 York and the city of Buffalo in a special way. They launched one of the most
exciting eras in Sabres history.

When billionaire Terry Pegula bought the Sabres, the three players greeted him
with a surprise welcome at center ice. In his first official press conference
as the Sabres owner, Pegula was brought to tears when he started talking about
his long-term love affair with the Sabres. "Gil Perreault, you are my hero," he
 said. "Have you ever seen him skate? That's my hockey genesis right
there!"Sabres Owner Terry Pegula (Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports)

The French Connection reunited to give him a warm welcome on the ice prior to a
 game against Atlanta Thrashers and were greeted by a thunderous ovation from
adoring fans. It was Martin's last public appearance before he tragically died
of complications due to heart disease while driving his car in suburban
Buffalo.Related - Remembering an Old Friend: Buffalo';s Memorial
AuditoriumPleasure and Perfection

--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
 * Origin: TequilaMockingbird Online - Toms River, NJ (1:266/404)