Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - It is a throwback to the 1990s and early 2000s for the Buffalo Sabres, as the team officially unveiled their revamped versions of the black and red "goathead" jerseys on their social media accounts.
After wearing the team's original royal blue and gold colors for more than 25 years after the team started play in the 1970-71 season, the Sabres decided to re-brand as they prepared to make the move from the Memorial Auditorium to the newly built Marine Midland Arena. The team elected to make the switch to black and red as their primary colors, and even introduced new logos for the team going forward.
The team wore the black and red design as their primary look staring in the 1996-97 season, and sported the look through the 2005-06 season. Following that year, the team elected to return to a blue and gold concept, essentially leaving the black and red era behind.
During that period with the black and red jerseys, Buffalo went 345-279-114 in 738 regular season games, while winning 48 playoff games.
According to the Sabres' website, the re-designed "goathead", or white bison head logo is "reminiscent of the original, but has been updated and simplified. The shadow details, horns and outlines are all new for the 2022 design."
The Sabres also note that along with the redesigned crest of the jersey, the numbers on the uniform now include three colors instead of two, while the sock striping pattern has been adjusted.
Another popular aspect of the black and red jersey that makes its return is the "B Sword" logo on the shoulder that serves as the secondary mark. The team says it has also been simplified for the 2022 edition of the "goathead" jersey.
The Sabres will wear their new third jersey for 12 home games this season, the first of which is set for Wednesday, Nov. 23 against the St. Louis Blues.
