Freshen up your circa 1997 Dominik Hasek and Matthew Barnaby Buffalo Sabres jerseys, dust off your Chumbawamba and Backstreet Boys CDs, and get ready to return to the end of the 20th century.
The Sabres are going retro, again.
The Sabres announced the full schedule of home dates for when they will wear their Goathead jerseys, the red-and-black uniforms the team wore from 1996 to 2006.
They’ll wear the uniforms, re-introduced and updated in 2022, for 15 home games, including seven home games on Thursdays – dubbed “Throwback Thursdays” – at KeyBank Center.
This season’s debut for the Goatheads is 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24 against Toronto Maple Leafs, which is a Friday night.
Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson (72) reacts to a call in the third period of their NHL hockey game against the Montreal Canadiens at KeyBank Center on Saturday, March 1, 2025. (Joed Viera/Buffalo News)
Joed Viera/Buffalo News
But on Thursdays, the Sabres will wear their black-and-red third jerseys, punctuated by the subtly re-detailed Goathead logo that defined some of the Sabres’ most successful seasons.
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The Sabres’ switch from the traditional blue and gold uniforms to red, white and black in 1996 coincided with the team’s move from the Memorial Auditorium to KeyBank Center, known then as Marine Midland Arena. In 1996, Sports Business Journal explained that the change was considered “a marketing move, rather than a sentimental one,” as the Sabres were “near the bottom” in NHL merchandise sales.
The uniform re-brand focused on the buffalo, as opposed to the sabers – or Sabres – and Jager Di Paola Kemp, the firm that designed the Goatheads, wanted to convey the idea of an aggressive stampede, according to the 2020 book “Fabric of The Game,” which delves into the history of NHL team uniforms and color schemes.
Originally, the change was not well-received, but in the Goathead Era, the Sabres reached the Stanley Cup Final in 1999 and made the playoffs in six seasons. Their rosters in that span also included players such as Hockey Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek and New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury.
Since its revival in 2022, the uniforms have found a new audience and a new popularity.
The 1990s and early aughts – an era defined by Doc Martens shoes, flannel shirts and dance trends like “the Macarena” – will stay alive on Thursday nights at KeyBank Center.
The Sabres plan throwback-themed content, music, entertainment, pennant giveaways and appearances by alumni from the Goathead era.
The Sabres open the season at 7 p.m. Oct. 9 against the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center. The Sabres will wear the traditional blue and gold uniforms – a color scheme based on the colors of the horse racing silks of the Knox family, who originally owned the Sabres.
Sabres Black and Red nights
Oct. 24 vs. Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 6 vs. St. Louis, 7 p.m.
Nov. 19 vs. Calgary, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 28 vs. New Jersey, 4 p.m.
Dec. 18 vs. Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 27 vs. Boston, 7 p.m.
Jan. 10 vs. Anaheim, 7 p.m.
Jan. 15 vs. Montreal, 7 p.m.
Jan. 29 vs. Los Angeles, 7 p.m.
Feb. 5 vs. Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
March 8 vs. Tampa Bay, 6 p.m.
March 12 vs. Washington, 7 p.m.
March 28 vs. Seattle, 5:30 p.m.
April 6 vs. Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
April 9 vs. Columbus, 7 p.m.
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