This Day in Buffalo Sports History: Peca departs
June 24, 2001 -- Michael Peca had missed the entire 2000-01 season in a contract dispute. Neither side had budged much from their financial positions, so Peca stayed home and waited.
A trade was an obvious solution, and one finally came just after the NHL Entry Draft. Tim Graham of The News had the details on the swap:
Four hundred and sixty days after playing his last NHL game, Michael Peca has a new team.
The Buffalo Sabres' former captain, who missed the entire 2000-01 season because of a nasty contract dispute, was traded Sunday to the New York Islanders for center Tim Connolly and left wing Taylor Pyatt.The deal was announced after the conclusion of the 2001 NHL draft, which took place at the National Car Rental Center.
"Obviously, the temporary feeling is I'm relieved it's over," Peca said. "Professionally, I look forward to moving on with my career. Personally, my family is looking forward to moving on with our lives."
The deal is the story of the addition of two youngsters with potential and the subtraction of a veteran leader who wishes he had been out of the equation long ago.
Peca and agent Don Meehan are convinced the Sabres could have struck a similar deal with the Islanders at last season's March trading deadline. Connolly had been on the block since then, and Pyatt was said to be available.
"Speaking with the New York people, something could have been done in March," Peca said. "I'm second-guessing why it wasn't done in March.
"I'm sure, like I maintained all along, a message was intended to be sent. They realized they came to a point where we both had to move on. Thankfully, the Islanders were persistent."
The trade came as a pleasant surprise to Peca. He was optimistic he would have a new team by Saturday afternoon, but when nothing happened Meehan became irate, calling the Sabres "petty, vindictive and mean-spirited."
--- Budd Bailey
