Larry Playfair

Through his 688 game career in the NHL, Playfair earned a reputation as a tough, hard-working defender for the Buffalo Sabres and Los Angeles Kings.

Larry Playfair played his junior hockey for the Portland Winter Hawks of the WCJHL from 1976 to 1978. During that time, he established himself as a surly, bellicose, stay-at-home defender who made a big impression with his knuckles on the toughs of the league.

When the Buffalo Sabres went shopping during the 1978 Amateur Draft, they had a player such as Playfair at the top of their list, selecting him 13th overall. After a stint with the Hershey Bears of the AHL, he then settled into a role as the club's enforcer.

Playfair understood that his ticket to the NHL came via his ability to fight. He was one of the best in the league. But he was also a hard-working consistent player who could pot the odd meaningful goal and play a defensively sound game.

He remained at the antagonistic centre of the Sabres' defense until midway through the 1985-86 season when he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings. Playfair put in parts of three campaigns before returning to Buffalo where, because of a ruptured disk in his back, he was forced to retire in 1989.

Since leaving the ice, Playfair has worked as a color analyst for Sabres broadcasts and he is currently the President of the Buffalo Sabres Alumni Association.