Darcy Regier

Darcy Regier has been GM of the Buffalo Sabres since 1997-98. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)

Mark Malinowski
2011-02-27 09:40:00

Status: GM of the Buffalo Sabres and former NHL defenseman.

Ht: 5-foot-11 Wt: 190 pounds

DOB: Nov. 27, 1956 In: Swift Current, Sask.

Hockey Inspirations: "Probably Al Arbour, because he wore glasses and I wore glasses. I remember, as a kid, you couldn't play hockey if you had a sunken chest, knock knees and you wore glasses. I wore glasses since I was 10. I was just talking about this with James Patrick (Sabres assistant coach). Then I saw those old Esso hockey cards - one was of Al Arbour and he had glasses on. I thought, ‘Oh, I could play hockey.’ It's funny, as it turned out, I later worked with Al Arbour with the Islanders and we have remained friends today."

Early Hockey Memory: "Scoring six goals in a game in pee-wee."
 
Nicknames: "Reegs, Starsky."
 
Current Car: "Lexus RX 350."

Favorite Movies: "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and Shawshank Redemption."

Last Book Read: "Tell you in a second (looks at Blackberry)... Beyond Halftime by Bob Buford."

First Job: "Construction."

Favorite Sport Outside Hockey: "Golf and tennis."

Greatest Sports Moment: "Oh I just think any time you go the furthest in the playoffs. Probably Stanley Cup final in '99."

Most Painful Moment: "Probably the Stanley Cup final in '99."

Favorite Uniforms: "Well, I think our third jerseys. I'll go with that one."

Closest NHL Friends: "Probably people like - people I played with? (Yes.) An example is Kevin Devine, our director of amateur scouting."

Funniest Players Encountered: "A guy by the name of 'Swoop.' I probably should leave it at that and not give you his real name. And he was from Roblin, Manitoba - a small town. And there was a rumor that after he retired, his barn burnt down and his whole town was stoned for about three days (smiles)."

Toughest Competitor Encountered: "Oh I played against George McPhee in the minors (Central League). George would have been one of those guys. Just a fierce competitor. Tough player to play against."

Most Memorable Goal: "(Laughs) That's so long ago to remember. Probably the one that was the most fun...I went 100 and some games in the minors without scoring a goal. And my teammates were so happy that they were cheering even though we were losing 6-1. That happened in Fort Worth, Texas."

Embarrassing Hockey Memory: "Scoring on my own goal. Only did it once (smiles)."

Favorite Players To Watch: "Past would have been Bobby Orr. (Current players?) There are a lot of them right now. I like watching some of our own players. An obvious guy is Gretzky."

Personality Qualities Most Admired: "Trustworthiness. They're all kind of combined. Character, integrity, honesty, hard workers."

Mark 'Scoop' Malinowski is the author of "Heavyweight Armageddon: The Tyson-Lewis Championship Battle" and creator of two websites: www.thebiofile.com  and www.tennis-prose.com.