Three goats puttered around an auxiliary locker room in KeyBank Center while filmed by multiple cameras for a livestream on the Buffalo Sabres’ Twitter account Monday morning.
The countdown clock started at 40 minutes. And when it reached zero, a hype video played that revealed the jersey fans and players have been clamoring to return.
As the Sabres’ signature goal horn blared on the video, defenseman Rasmus Dahlin emerged from a plume of smoke wearing the new red-and-black third jersey emblazoned with the Goathead logo the club wore from 1996-2006.
Chills. pic.twitter.com/6SUiOG8iLA
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) November 7, 2022
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Featuring the same striping on the black jersey, the new look includes a revamped white bison head logo, referred to as the Goathead, with different shadow details, horns and outlines. The jersey numbers now include three colors rather than only two and the sock striping pattern has been changed.
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“I can’t be more excited to be able to put that jersey on,” Sabres winger Alex Tuch, a Syracuse-area native, told The Buffalo News in August. “I was excited to put the Sabres jersey we have now on. I might be shaking putting on this jersey with a goathead. Honestly, that’s when it’s going to be surreal.”
As the Sabres announce their new reverse retro jerseys, check out the sweaters that have been worn by the team over the years.
The “B” sword logo remains the secondary mark with a set of shoulder patches, simplified slightly to give the jersey a clean look. Fans and players won’t have to wait long to don these on the ice in KeyBank Center.
The Sabres will wear the alternate jersey for 12 home games this season, beginning Nov. 23 against St. Louis. The rest of the schedule is as follows: Dec. 4 vs. San Jose; Dec. 13 vs. Los Angeles; Dec. 23 vs. Tampa Bay; Dec. 29 vs. Detroit; Jan. 7 vs. Minnesota; Jan. 21 vs. Anaheim; Feb. 26 vs. Washington, 1; March 4 vs. Philadelphia; March 11 vs. New York Rangers, 5; March 24 vs. New Jersey, April 13 vs. Ottawa.
Revealed in 1996 for the opening of then-Marine Midland Arena, the original red-and-black jerseys were the first major branding change for the franchise since its inception in 1970. The charging Buffalo logo, which Buffalo News hockey columnist Jim Kelley coined the "goathead," wasn't well-received by many fans.
It became beloved, though, once the Sabres began to have success wearing the jerseys. The Sabres wore red and black for their trips to the Eastern Conference final in 1998, 1999 and 2006, and for the six-game loss to Dallas in the No Goal Stanley Cup final of 1999.
Lance Lysowski
News Sports Reporter
I've covered the Sabres and National Hockey League for The Buffalo News since November 2018. My previous work included coverage of the Pittsburgh Pirates and University of Pittsburgh athletics for DKPittsburghSports.com.