The Buffalo Sabres figured their new head coach was joking.



It was the fall of 1989. Rick Dudley had just taken over behind the bench in Buffalo and was determined to eradicate the country club-like atmosphere he’d heard was brewing around the Sabres, a club that seemed to fall short of expectations annually.



Dudley wanted to bust guts and drag his new group into shape. But his players didn’t think he was serious when he demanded that they start leaping up on tables.



Plyometrics — or jump-training to build power — wasn’t in vogue at the time and all the players skinned their shins in falling short.



Dudley didn’t stop there. He lined up 12 exercise bikes on a table and had players ride with their arms. He made them endure 15-lap marathons around the ice along with timed sprints. He wanted to push the first team he’d ever coached in the NHL as hard as he possibly could. And he knew he could get away with it...