New Logo Leaks

There have been a large number of sites that have shown to be effective when snooping out new uniform designs. Thanks to the technology of cell phone cameras, anyone and everyone can capture an image of anything as long as they have a cell phone on their persons, and this includes new uniform designs for hockey teams. Today, we welcome Peter Santellan to HBIC as a guest writer, and he will be looking at the upcoming new jersey for the Buffalo Sabres that has yet to be released officially. For those that are interested, that event happens Saturday in Buffalo, New York.

Mr. Santellan writes for himself as he blogs under the title of Pucks and Rocks . He is an avid fan of heavy metal, likes the stretch pass, and supports the Vancouver Canucks whenever his multitude of interests and hobbies allow. Here is Peter with his view on the new Buffalo Sabres' jerseys.

Hockey has seen a resurgence in recent years, and I have been privileged to see it as it makes its move upward. I am a Canuck at heart, and I will certainly be writing about them at some point for this blog. However, that will have to wait, as I am here to give a (possible) eulogy for one of the most polarizing figures in the NHL. No, I am not talking about either Crosby or Ovechkin, or any other player, for that matter.

The polarizing figure that I speak of is the Buffaslug. Word is that the Buffalo Sabres will be introducing its new away and alternate jerseys that use the team's original logo from when they started in the NHL. The third jersey is slated to follow the mini-trend of the wordsmith jersey, with the team going BUFFALO on the jersey.

From the time that the Buffaslug was introduced in 2006, it garnered some strong love and hatred. Prior to its unveiling, many believed that when the team decided to go back to the blue and gold, the assumption was that the Sabres were going back to the original style. Instead, it was a navy blue and gold with the logo that looked like a demonic slug/buffalo hybrid. Many hated the look, but when the numbers came down, the Buffaslug was one of the league's best movers when it came to merchandise. When the team introduced a third jersey that celebrated the team's beginnings, it signaled a transition period for the team's look, and depending on which side you're on, the beginning of the end for the buffaslug. Currently, the jerseys that the Sabres will wear this upcoming season haven't been officially announced by the team, but given that the Sabres have the original logo as its primary logo on its website, the buffaslug's death is inevitable.

There have been many looks that have gained just as much ridicule as the Buffaslug. Remember the Islanders' "Fish Sticks" jerseys of 1995-96? How about the Flying V jerseys of the Canucks? For me, being able to have a jersey that garners ridicule is almost like a badge of honor. In fact, there aren't many jerseys that I wouldn't want to be caught dead in, with Atlanta's current home jerseys, Los Angeles' "Burger King" jerseys, and the "Wild Wing" being the ones that I wouldn't want to be caught wearing. To the point of the Buffaslug, it had a decent run, lasting about four years. Even with the ridiculous logo, it didn't stop the Sabres faithful from wearing the 'Slug to Sabres games, and though they never got to the Stanley Cup Finals in its existence, it did find moderate success on the ice, which is more than what could be said for the "Fish Sticks" and "Burger King" jerseys."

If you're looking for a source for the piece, here is one.

Now Mr. Santellan may not be aware of my love for Gorton's Fisherman, and that's ok. I am in complete agreement over Atlanta's baby blue monstrosities, and the Burger King jerseys are very un-Kings-like for me. Wild Wing? That's simply horrendous. Minor leagues teams shy away from crap that like, but there was Anaheim and their cartoon duck smashing though the ice. Yikes.

Love them or hate them, Mr. Santellan is right: they polarize you to one side or the other in terms of your affinity towards them. Any comments on the new Buffalo choices? I'll more on this on aturday after their official unveiling, but thoughts for now? Hate them? Love them?

Thanks for the great piece, Peter! Well done!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!