A storied 21-year career for Phil Housley culminated with his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday night, an honor bestowed upon only nine other players to have worn a Buffalo Sabres sweater.
Housley played for eight different teams, but the foundation for his candidacy was laid down in Western New York. Before becoming the second leading United States-born scorer in League history, he arrived as a baby-faced defenseman at the ripe age of 18 after Buffalo selected him with the sixth pick in the 1982 draft.
“They took a chance on a high-school kid that probably weighed 165 pounds soaking wet and gave me an opportunity,” Housley said when thanking the Sabres during his induction speech.