Sabres place development coach Adam Mair on leave after drunk-driving arrest with 3 children in car

By Canadian Press on September 11, 2025.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres placed player developmental coach Adam Mair on administrative leave on Thursday after reports surfaced of the former NHL player being arrested on a drunk driving charge with three children in his car last week.

The Sabres had no further comment, except to say they are aware of the situation.

WGRZ-TV Buffalo cited court records in reporting Mair was arrested in suburban Rochester, New York, on Sept. 4 after rear-ending another vehicle. The 46-year-old was charged with three felonies and three misdemeanors, including aggravated driving while intoxicated with a child in the vehicle and endangering the welfare of a child.

A person at the Monroe County Sheriff’s department confirmed a police report involving Mair was filed on that date, but declined to reveal its contents.

A message left with Mair’s lawyer, Stephen Sercu, was not returned.

WGRZ said a deputy wrote in the police report that he could smell a strong odor of alcohol on Mair’s breath and that his eyes were bloodshot and glassy.

Deputies said Mair failed field sobriety tests and initially refused to take a chemical breath test after he was taken to the police station. Deputies said Mair changed his mind and took the test and his blood alcohol content was measured at 0.2% – more than twice the legal limit of 0.08%.

From nearby, Hamilton, Ontario, Mair was a noted hard-hitting center and enjoyed an 11-season NHL career, which included a seven-season stint with the Sabres. He retired after spending 2011-12 in the minors and was eventually hired by the Sabres as a developmental coach in 2015.

He was placed on leave just as Buffalo opened hosting a five-day prospects tournament involving four other NHL teams. The Sabres are scheduled to open training camp next week.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

John Wawrow, The Associated Press