The 1967-68 season would see a doubling of the number of teams in the NHL from 6 to 12. It was the end of the "Original Six" era. Spearheading the drive for a Buffalo team were the Knox brothers, Seymour and Northrup Knox. The drive for the team began early in the 1960's when the Knox brothers presented the benefits of locating a franchise in the Buffalo area. Despite their attempts, franchises were awarded to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Oakland and St. Louis. Undaunted by this temporary defeat, the Knox's purchased shares in the Oakland Seal franchise. The franchise promised to be one of the most successful if you judged success by the player roster. The Oakland franchise however, did not last.

The NHL announced that it would be adding two more franchises in the 1970-71 season. The Knox's again petitioned for a franchise in buffalo and this time they were successful. On December 2, 1969 both Vancouver and Buffalo were awarded franchises for the sum of $6 Million. In 1992 the Mighty Ducks paid $50 Million for a franchise! The "unnamed" club announced on January 16, 1969 that the former coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, George "Punch" Imlach would sign on as the first general manager of the club. Imlach had earlier guided the Toronto Maple Leafs to 4 Stanley Cup championships, so he seemed like the perfect choice to lead the Sabres.

In the spring of that same year, the city held a "Name the Club" contest. Over 13,000 suggestions were put forward as possible names. The club settled on the Sabres, because of its reference to the determination to succeed at a swift pace. Imlach also settled on similar colours of his former team, but added gold, saying that the Sabres were classier than the Maple Leafs.

In June of 1969 the Amateur Draft both the Sabres and the Canucks sought the services of the two most promising amateurs, Gilbert Perreault and Dale Tallon. Buffalo managed to gain first pick so Imlach took Perreault, and the Canucks took Tallon.

And so it was, the Sabres entered the NHL during one of the most chaotic times. The World Hockey Association was just getting started and was attracting players with huge salary offers and the world was watching as Canada and the USSR prepared to square off in the first "Summit Series".

In their first season the Sabres turned in a respectable 5th place in the East Division, finishing ahead of Vancouver and Detroit. Imlach's hunch paid off as Gilbert Perreault set a new record for scoring by a rookie, with 38 goals and won the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year. In 1971, the drafts yielded Rick Martin, who would have been the top pick for the Calder Trophy if it were not for Ken Dryden and his stellar goaltending. Buffalo also managed to acquire Craig Ramsey and Bill Hajt. That same year Punch Imlach suffered heart problems and his coaching duties were turned over to Joe Crozier.

In 1972, the "Entertainer", Eddie Shack was traded for Rene Robert and the French Connection Line of Martin, Perreault and Robert hit the ice. The Sabres also picked up Jim Schoenfeld as their first round draft pick and added Larry Carriere and Peter McNab. In 1972, the Sabres went to the playoffs for the first time. They faced off against the Montreal Canadiens and were eventually eliminated in six games.

1974 saw Floyd Smith replace Joe Crozier as coach and promptly guided the Sabres to their best season in franchise history(up to 1999-2000 season) with a 49-16-15 record. Danny Gare joined the club from the Calgary Centennials of the Western Canadian Junior Hockey League and on his first shift, promptly scored his first goal just 18 seconds into his shift, only 3 seconds shy of the record held by Gus Bodnar. Gare helped lead the Sabres to the Stanley Cup finals that year against the Philadelphia Flyers. As tough as the Sabres were, they were no match for the Flyers, who went on to win the Stanley Cup. Despite the fan fare that year, tragedy marked the Sabres. In just his second season with the Sabres, defense star Tim Horton was killed in a car accident on his way back to Buffalo from Toronto. A true Iron Horse of hockey, Tim's presence on the ice was a force to be reckoned with by all who tried to cross his blueline.

Throughout the rest of the '70's the Sabres continued to finish high in their division, but could not capitalize on their strengths and bring home the Stanley Cup. Punch Imlach was relieved of his duties in 1978, and Marcel Pronovost took over the reigns, but he too was replaced by Scotty Bowman in 1979. For the next 5 years Bowman tried to make changes and spark the club to new heights. He brought in players like Mike Ramsey, Phil Housley, Mike Foligno, Dave Andreychuk and Lindy Ruff, and goalies Tom Barrasso and Darren Puppa. He even drafted Keith Gretzky who could not make the team. Despite all his efforts, the team could not break out of its rut, and was replaced by Gerry Meehan and Ted Sator.

In 1987 Gilbert Perreault announced his retirement. With a career record of 512 goals, and 1326 points, he still holds 7 Sabres team records. That same season the Sabres drafted Pierre Turgeon in the Entry Draft in the hopes he would replace the spot vacated by Gilbert Perreault. In 1991 Turgeon was traded to the New York Islanders for Pat LaFontaine.

During the 1988-89 season one of the most gruesome accidents in hockey occurred when goalie Clint Malarchuk's neck was severed by a skate. Anyone who saw the game will never forget the sight of Malarchuk skating toward the bench with his hand on his neck, as blood spurted out. Several fans fainted and TV networks refused to show the replay because of its graphic nature. Malarchuk was treated and made a full recovery thanks to the quick efforts of the medical staff.

In the early '90's John Muckler, former coach of the Edmonton Oilers, took over the reigns as director of hockey operations and in 1992-93 he took over the coaching duties. That same year the Sabres defeated the Bruins in 4 straight, advancing to the second round for the first time since the 1983 season. However the Canadiens eliminated the Sabres in the next round.

Dominik Hasek joined the Sabres that same year and it wasn't long before he was named the Sabres number one goaltender. It didn't take Hasek long to start setting records and producing numbers close to existing records on a regular basis. He had a .930 save average and posted a 1.95 GAA coming close to Bernie Parent's record setting 1.85 in 1973-74. Hasek continued to baffle the best scorers in the NHL for the next several years while earning the Vezina Trophy in 1994 and 1995, and later in 1997, 1998 and 1999.

On May 22, 1996, Seymour Knox III passed away at the age of 70. It was because of the work of the Knox Brothers that Buffalo had an National Hockey League team. One of the many contributions to the city left by the Knox brothers was the Marine Midland Arena which was slated to open later that fall. That same year with the new arena and uniforms the Sabres jumped out to lead the Northeast Division with 92 points. With Hasek in net, the next 3 seasons saw Buffalo rise to new heights in the playoffs. In 1997 they made it to the Conference Semi Finals where they were beaten by the Flyers 4 games to 1. In 1998 they made it all the way to the Conference Finals where they were defeated by Washington 4-2 in games. The following season, the Sabres defeated Ottawa, Boston, and Toronto to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals against Dallas where they (Buffalo) was defeated by a 4-2 game margin.