Sabres to name USA Hockey's Brian Galivan as director of performance

The Buffalo Sabres have tapped into their connections with USA Hockey to get what they hope will be an upgrade to their strength and conditioning program.

Brian Galivan, the association's director of sport science, has been hired for the Sabres' newly created position of "director of performance," the team announced Friday.

Galivan replaces Ed Gannon, who had been the team's strength and conditioning coach since 2015, but was relieved of his duties after the season ended last month. Galivan is a familiar figure to several members of the Sabres organization and, notably, to assistant coach Seth Appert, who was a head coach for the National Team Development Program in the 2017-18 season and has served in multiple roles for USA Hockey since 2007.

“Brian has been a trusted resource for hockey players from the junior levels through the NHL level for years and as we continue to make changes this offseason, we’re lucky to be able to add somebody with such a strong body of work to our organization,” general manager Kevyn Adams said in a team statement. “Brian has been known around the hockey world for years as one of the preeminent strength coaches in the world. Our players will benefit from his vast experience and wealth of knowledge and I know he will be a tremendous asset for the Sabres."

The Sabres' strength and conditioning program became a talking point during the second half of the season, with coach Lindy Ruff openly questioning the conditioning of his players following a January loss in Seattle.

Ruff and Adams again referenced the improvement needed in strength and conditioning during a "Blue and Gold Insights" session with season ticket holders held in late March in KeyBank Center. 

One telltale sign of a problem in the area might have been the fact that the Sabres were one of the NHL's worst third-period clubs this season, as their 107 goals against were 30th in the league and ahead of only San Jose and Chicago.

Buffalo had a 7-8-3 record when tied after two periods, with the 11 losses one off the NHL-high in those spots.

Galivan's hiring is significant because it brings someone with hockey-specific training into the role. Galivan has served in his current role with USA Hockey for the last six seasons and is currently overseas serving as sport science coach for Team USA at the IIHF World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden, and Herning, Denmark. Sabres goal leader Tage Thompson is one of the players on that team.

Gannon, who was hired by the Sabres in 2015, had previously spent 10 years as the lead strength and conditioning coach of the Leicester Tigers, a top division professional rugby club in England. 

Galivan − along with his wife, Gabriela, and brother, Patrick − is the co-founder of GVN Performance and Revitalab, a prominent Chicago workout facility, and has worked with elite athletes around the world in both hockey and other sports to to prepare them for the Olympics and other top competitions.

Undoubtedly one of Galivan's top pet projects with the Sabres will be defenseman Owen Power, who is 6-feet-6 and 215 pounds but has struggled during his three seasons to add a physical presence in his own end to match the elite offensive skills in his game.

“I am excited to join the Buffalo Sabres and bring my experience to this incredible organization,” Galivan said in the team statement. “Building the sports science department at NTDP and helping shape the culture there has been an incredibly rewarding experience. I’m eager to bring my experiences and I look forward to working with the players and staff to continue elevating the team’s performance.”

Galivan won gold medals while serving on the strength and conditioning staffs for the 2021, 2024 and 2025 IIHF World Junior Championships. At the NTDP, Galivan coached 84 players who were drafted and 33 players who have played in the NHL.