Sabres Cut Moss, Name Quinn President

Buffalo removed second-year president Doug Moss and replaced him with Larry Quinn.

The move will not affect Coach Ted Nolan or General Manager John Muckler immediately, although there will likely be some personnel changes throughout the organization, Quinn said.

Moss was president of the Madison Square Garden Network in New York when the Rangers won the Stanley Cup.

Moss often stressed that the Sabres are in the entertainment business and under his tenure the club introduced new uniforms, revamped its television broadcasts and moved into 18,500-seat Marine Midland Arena.

He also gave Muckler the order to get rid of high-priced players like Alexander Mogilny and begin building a cheaper, youth-oriented team. The result last season was that the Sabres missed the playoffs.

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Buffalo defenseman Alexei Zhitnik was suspended for two games and fined $1,000 for a high-sticking incident against the Dallas Stars’ Jamie Langenbrunner.

Zhitnik “retaliated against a check after the whistle by slashing Langenbrunner on the shoulder and the side of the head,” a league spokesman said.

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Forward Mike Ricci, a vital part of the Colorado Avalanche offense in last year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, was put on the injured list because of a shoulder injury. He is expected to be out at least two weeks.

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Phoenix Coyote defenseman Norm Maciver needs surgery to remove a lesion from his neck and will be out at least six weeks. Maciver has been experiencing numbness in his hands and arms, Coyote General Manager John Paddock said.