Sabres' Nolan sticks up for Stafford
/The interim tag was officially removed from Ted Nolan Monday, as the Sabres awarded their coach a new three-year contract.
The press conference with Nolan and GM Tim Murray was wide-ranging and covered numerous worthwhile topics, including Nolan's thoughts on getting the most out of winger Drew Stafford (15-16-31 in 66 GP, although 18 of his 31 points have come in his past 24 outings).
"I told all the players a couple of days ago: When they sign a contract to play professional hockey, they're not signing it to be in the playoffs. They're not signing it to score 50 goals. They're not signing it to be a champion. They're signing it to be the best player they can possibly be and Drew Stafford is one of those players, that when he signed the contract to play here, he signed it to be.
"It's our position to make a good environment for him. I really like Drew. I think he's been here for awhile. He's had a rough start, but he loves this city and he loves to compete and we've just got to surround him with a good environment."
Source: Buffalo News (12:25 into the recording.)