Buffalo Sabres Unveil 2018 Winter Classic Uniform

The Buffalo Sabres are throwing it back for the 2018 Winter Classic, the uniforms for the annual outdoor game unveiled today via the team’s official website.

Featuring a slightly modernized version of their original team crest on the chest (in the proper colours too), the white uniforms are obviously mostly inspired by the uniforms the Sabres wore between 1970 and 1996. The blue and gold colour scheme, the blue shoulder yoke (without a gold trim), and the logo are all carried over from that era – while we see new elements to the shoulders, striping, and pants.

An “NY” was added to the primary logo, a nod to the intrastate matchup that will take place in the game; the Sabres will be playing the New York Rangers at CitiField for the event.

Starting with the logo, in addition to the “NY” added to the bottom of the logo, there are ever-so-minor changes to the shape of the buffalo — a side-by-side which may help:

According to the presser, “the crest itself is executed in felt and faux leather materials as a nod to historical “hockey sweater” material construction”:

The striping pattern is officially a nod to their 40th anniversary alternate uniforms from 2010, they also look a lot like those worn by the NFL’s Buffalo Bills:

New logos include the charging buffalo in gold on one shoulder, which we saw in yesterday’s teaser:

And the crossed sabres on the pants:

Player name is inspired by the 1970s Sabres uniforms, number font inspired by the 40th anniversary jersey, a look at those styles:

A patch for the Winter Classic game itself will be worn on the right shoulder:

“The NHL Winter Classic is a celebration of hockey’s rich history and we wanted our jersey to signify that with a tribute to the early days of Sabres hockey,” Buffalo Sabres President Russ Brandon said in the official release. “This uniform combines our franchise’s great historical look with some new elements to celebrate the uniqueness of the event.”

The 2018 NHL Winter Classic will be played at CitiField, home of the New York Mets, on January 1, 2018 between the Sabres and the New York Rangers. The game comes ten-years to the day of the first Winter Classic which was held in Buffalo at Ralph Wilson Stadium between the Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins. Buffalo wore similar uniforms to what we’re seeing here in that game.