The Buffalo Sabres are throwing it back. On Wednesday, the team announced they are bringing back the black and red “Goathead” jerseys they wore from 1996 to 2006.
NHL teams get to have three different jerseys: home, away and alternate. This throwback look will count as the Sabres’ alternate jerseys. Buffalo will wear the “Goathead” jerseys for 12 home games this season, and they’re set to be officially revealed on Nov. 23 for ’90s night against the St. Louis Blues.
The look was first introduced in 1996 for the opening of Marine Midland Arena, which is now known as KeyBank Center. It was quite different from the Sabres’ original blue and gold design with a circular crossed swords logo, a look the team had since it was founded in 1970.
There were mixed reviews when the “Goathead” jerseys first came out, but it wasn’t long before fans started warming up to them. With the new jerseys, the Sabres made it to the Eastern Conference Final in 1998, 1999 and 2006, earning a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 1999. Some of the players who wore it included Tim Connolly, Jason Pominville, Ryan Miller and Brian Campbell.
This year’s “Goathead” logo is not quite like the previous designs, but it’s very similar. This one has different shading and a brighter red outline.
It’s an iconic look that even forward Alex Tuch — who was acquired via trade from the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021 — wanted to see return. Tuch has reminisced about he and his dad watching the Sabres together when he was a kid.
“I was a big Sabres fans growing up. I loved watching those guys,” he said during a press conference, which the team used as a teaser video for its new jerseys. “The team tweeted those pictures of my dad and I at the Sabres’ game with the old jersey.”
The Sabres wrapped up the 2021-22 NHL season by finishing fifth in the Atlantic Division with a 32-39-11 overall record. They will get their first preseason action Sept. 25 against the Washington Capitals.
