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The Best and Worst of the Buffalo Sabres

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Jerseys and hockey have been synonymous since the beginning of the sport. Teams are identified by their iconic colors and designs. Some of them are classic while others are terribly classic. This summer, our annual series focuses on the best and worst jerseys in each team’s history. Today, we present to you the best and worst Buffalo Sabres jerseys in team history.

Buffalo Sabres Jerseys: The Best and Worst

How did we do it?

At Last Word on Hockey, we used a variety of methods to compile this list. Polls came from social media, our editors, and fans. We wanted to get a variety of opinions when we published our list. This compilation will likely spark debate. However, we wanted to see who had the most memorable jerseys in each team’s history.

Let’s put our best foot forward with the best sweaters

The Best of the Buffalo Sabres

Goat head sweaters

Buffalo has had its ups and downs during its time in the NHL. This team is known for its blue, gold, and white colors. However, the franchise followed the path of many teams in the 1990s and added black jerseys. Usually, we lament when a team adopts this cliché. However, the Sabres have managed to showcase these jerseys which first made their debut in 1996 when the team moved from the old Aud.

It’s not uncommon to change your look when moving to a new building. Many were nervous about leaving the old color scheme. However, these jerseys symbolize a great time in Sabres history. The black, red, gray, and white colors seem to fit that era and symbolize the team’s great time. A Reverse Retro sequel with the current white, blue, and gold colors took place for 2022-23.

These sweaters are now part of the regular rotation starting in 2022. The black ones are just a little better than the white ones, but both look great and top our list.

Classic blue and gold

The Sabres entered the league in 1970 and made quite an impression with their two sets of jerseys. We prefer the opposing team’s blues a bit, but the whites still look great.

Buffalo wanted to avoid any nickname like “bison” when it came to finding a name for a team. Sabres was the winning choice, but the bison with a pair of swords is the logo that has remained virtually the same for many years.

There was the much-loved goat head logo in the 1990s and a less popular choice that came out in 2006. However, the franchise has gone back to the old-school logo. There have been changes in the shades to have a more pronounced navy blue, but there is no denying a classic.

The Red Swords

We end the best of the best list with another ’90s favorite. Some sweaters brought out the worst of that era, but the red sword alternatives were a pretty stylish combination.

This jersey was created in 2000 and remained with the club until 2006. The ‘Buffalo’ lettering at the bottom was a bold, yet unique touch.

Buffalo’s first Reverse Retro entry was a pun on the crossed swords crest. However, it didn’t fit with the franchise’s current color scheme.

The worst of the Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Slug

There have been and will continue to be debates about which jerseys each team wore the worst. However, there is no doubt about how awful these jerseys are. The Buffaslug jerseys are among the most universally hated jerseys in NHL history.

This monstrosity was created in 2006-07 and replaced the goat head logo. Western New York hockey fans were not happy and a classic jersey was added according to the NHL Uniform Database.

The Buffaslug was scrapped after the 2009-10 season ended. Buffalo reverted to its old logo and has largely remained on track.

Gold Alternatives

However, the return to the old logo didn’t make the franchise immune to some bad jersey choices. The Sabres introduced a third yellow jersey in the 2013-14 season and it was one of the craziest choices.

It has a gold base with blue piping on the shoulders, grey sleeves and white as well. Buffalo is just above the logo in small print.

This one narrowly misses the mark and would be a worst-case scenario for many teams. However, the sheer awfulness of the Buffaslug keeps it in second place on the worst list.

40th anniversary in alternation

The Sabres officially retired the slug in 2010-11 and returned to the circular shield with the swords and bison. However, the Sabres did not abandon the third jersey.

The city’s name is written in handwritten letters and the logo is located below the Buffalo “LO”. This third jersey wore the original blue, as the team kept navy blue as its primary color.

These are good, but this one is at this end of the list because the others were quality entries. We understand that some people may be annoyed by this one’s presence on our list.

other considerations

The two Reverse Retro sweaters perfectly blended 90s colors with modern colors, as we mentioned earlier. The Winter Classic and Heritage Classic sweaters were also good choices.

Despite the Sabres’ struggles over the past decade, they’ve still managed to put on a good show for most of that stretch. Hopefully, the franchise can turn things around soon.

Main photo by: Timothy T. Ludwig – USA Today Sports

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