For the first time in a long time, the Buffalo Sabres gave its fans something to feel really proud about.
It's been known all year the unpopular navy blue jerseys that have been featured since the beginning of the decade would be replaced with a royal blue look fans have begged for every year, but what the new royal blue uniforms would look like was yet to be seen.
Considering the lack of faith in the organization a large number of the fanbase has developed, there was concern they would find a way to mess this up. Maybe the shade of blue would be too dark, maybe they would try too hard to make a brand new jersey design. Sometimes when it comes to jerseys, teams make things more difficult than they have to be. They get too fancy with a modern, brand new look that will make them a ton of money in jersey sales.
That is not the case here. This was too easy to mess up. The Sabres nailed it.
They gave everyone exactly what they wanted. A pair of uniforms that look just like the originals worn for two decades. Jerseys that every era of fan can appreciate. For older fans, these jerseys bring back a feeling of nostalgia, it brings back a part of their childhood. For their kids that were raised as die-hard fans, they get to experience their team in a look that they would only see and hear about through old footage, hockey cards, and “when I was your age” Sabres stories.
They'll get to see Jack Eichel wear jerseys worn by the "French Connection", Pat LaFontaine, and Alexander Mogilny.
Even for someone that grew up knowing and loving the Sabres in red and black, this feels right. This is what the Sabres should always look like when they hit the ice.
It feels good to feel this good about something pertaining to the Sabres again. Here’s to hoping this kind of feeling can stick around for a while. Here’s to hoping the next time we feel this good, it will come from the on-ice ice performances.