This is the sixth in a Saturday series looking at the Class of 2011, scheduled for induction Nov. 9 at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo.

Jim Lorentz will be remembered in Western New York not only for his work as the sharp analyst who called Buffalo Sabres games with play-by-play legends Ted Darling and Rick Jeanneret but also for his days as a solid two-way forward for the team.

So, it's easy to see why he's set for induction into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame during the annual dinner ceremony Nov. 9 at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo.

Lorentz scored 134 of his 161 career NHL goals during his nearly seven seasons with the Sabres. He appeared in more than 700 regular season and playoff games with the Sabres, Bruins, Blues and Rangers — finishing with 421 points.

He was on the bench as a member of the Boston Bruins when Bobby Orr scored his famous leaping goal to defeat St. Louis in the 1970 Stanley Cup finals. He helped the Sabres reach the finals in 1975.

But he's probably best known to a lot of fans for his work in the booth as an analyst, something he did for 26 seasons. He retired before the 2007-08 campaign to devote time to a different sport: fly-fishing.

"I began fishing long before my hockey career was over," Lorentz said. "In fact I can remember in the Stanley Cup Playoffs of 1974-75, on off-days I would go down to the river. ... That was a good way for me to get away from the grind and the tension of the playoffs."

From the middle of May until the end of October, Lorentz can be found living in his home along the Miramichi River in New Brunswick, Canada. A typical day at his lodge begins between 4:30 and 5 a.m. and can continue for up to 10 hours of fishing.

Even when he can't send out a cast, Lorentz keeps the sport close. For the past four winters, he has spent time at his home in Grand Island, working on a book about Atlantic salmon, his favorite species, which he is close to finishing.

As a young trout fisherman growing up in Waterloo, Ont., Lorentz would either go on trips with his father or ride his bike some 20 miles to get his fix in for the day.

"For whatever reason, that's all that I wanted to do when I was a kid," Lorentz said. "It was never a hobby, it was always a passion of mine and probably it's an obsession now."

But it wasn't until his early 30s that Lorentz found his niche.

At that point, he fancied himself a fly-fisherman, but had yet to have a signature species. He went on a trip to Whale River on the Ungava Peninsula in Quebec and caught his first Atlantic salmon — a fish that can take weeks to catch — on just his first day.

"It was a spectacular battle," Lorentz said. "They run for long distances and jump frequently. It was really exciting and an experience that I've never had before with any freshwater fish. Without a doubt that sparked my passion."

Lorentz had always been an avid reader of fly-fishing text, but in the early '80s Lorentz published his first article in the Atlantic Salmon Journal. The story was later honored by the New York State Outdoor Writers Association.

Rick Kustich, a friend and fellow fisherman, recognized Lorentz's skills and encouraged him to write a book. The final details of the book, "The Atlantic Salmon: Moody and Mysterious," are not set. Kustich owns a small publishing business, West River Publishing, and is helping Lorentz finalize the project. He said Lorentz is just about done writing the book and that it should take about a year to be published.

"He uses the same kind of detailed analysis to his days on the river and teaching others, just like he did with hockey broadcasting," Kustich said. "I think he brings that same thing to his writing."

Without fishing, Lorentz said he doesn't know if he would have retired as early as he did. The travel was just beginning to be too much, and the 64-year-old said he would have loved to just do home games.

One thing Lorentz is certain about, though, is his

Lorentz appreciates his upcoming induction. Lorentz was always able to gauge his hockey career on statistics, but now he knows what people in Buffalo thought of him from the press box.

"In broadcasting, you sort of wonder, is anyone listening and are they enjoying what I'm doing," he said. "This sort of verifies that people were listening and did appreciate what I did. It's very satisfying."

For dinner tickets, call 888-2977 or go to www.gbshof.com.

sports@buffnews.comnull