My Favorite Sabres Jersey Sets – Ranked

Normally, we think of Sabres jerseys in four eras: Royal Blue, Red and Black, the Slugs and the Navy Blues with the classic logo.

According to NHLUniforms.com, the Sabres have dawned 18 different jersey combinations. Whether there was a new variation of the current jersey, a third jersey added to the mix or even socks getting an upgrade, I wanted to rank each jersey set.

First, let me take a second to brace for the impending angry comments about how wrong I am….

Alright, I’m good, let’s get to it!

#18 2013-2015

Those yellow jerseys matched the team on the ice during those seasons. It’s not even close on what jersey is the worst in franchise history. Never again with gold as the predominant color.

This image is nightmare fuel. There is just so much wrong with this uniform.

#17 2013, 2015-2017

Pretty much all the grey in these two uniforms stinks. The trim, under the arm and in the socks, it’s all bad. I know it’s relatively minor, but it doesn’t look good.

I’ve never been a big navy blue fan so that doesn’t help. At least this set didn’t have the yellow threads. They could have been worse, but for such a great history of jerseys for the Sabres, these are a bit lackluster.

#16 2008-2010

Third jerseys always help a set climb my rankings…except this one. I’m not big on the slug jerseys, so adding the navy with the classic logo jersey as it’s third just doesn’t light me up.

#15 2007-2008

Even though I’m not big on these jerseys, I like the concept. I think the design is pretty cool, I like the shoulder patches, but again adding grey into the jersey, socks and pants just doesn’t look good. Of the three predominent logos, the shield with swords and a Buffalo, the Black and Red era logo and the slug logo. It’s safe to say the slug logo is the worst of the three.

This is personal preference, but I’d rather not see grey and yellow as predominant in these jerseys as they are here. I’d say choose one or the other and make them slight accents and that could have helped the cause.

#14 2006-2007

Even though the slugs made their debut this season, at least there was a blast from the past with the old school third jerseys. They’re simple, they look good and this setup was worn by one of the best Sabres teams in history. That’s a can’t miss third jersey matched with two major jersey misses in franchise history.

#13 2017-2019

These just aren’t that exciting. Again, I’m just not a navy blue person. At least these have less grey in them than years past. They Sabres will never look bad in these jerseys, but they’ve definitely had better. Plus 2017-2019 absolutely stunk as a Sabres fan, so that certainly won’t help thinking about these jerseys and the team that wore them. Eichel and Dahlin wore them, that’s all I’ve got.

#12 1983-1987

These next two are almost identical, so my thoughts on both are below.

#11 1987-1996

The only difference between #12 and #11 is the socks having thicker horizontal stripes. These are classic, can’t miss jerseys. Then why are they ranked they way they are? It’s not a knock on this 13 year span at all, it’s more there are other sets I like more. Some tie downs would give this set some more personality, but then again, that’s already happened as you’ll come to find out.

#10 2019-2020

It’s important to note the outrage this year wasn’t about the 50th anniversey jersey. I really liked it. If you’re going to go with a prominently white uniform setup, white gloves included, it has to be done right. I believe the Sabres did that with their 50th anniversary uniform. This was a step away from the norm we’ve seen in Sabres jerseys, but more importantly they didn’t overdo it. The detail on the Buffalo and the entire logo itself looks good. Frankly I’m a much bigger fan of the gold as opposed to the yellow (what we normally refer to as gold, even though it’s not).

I was mad about the date being missed for more jerseys to be worn this past season, but I’m a fan of the 50th anniversary jersey and I’m glad they’ll incorporate it into their setup next season.

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#9 1978-1980

Simple, yet elegant. I’m not crazy about the v-neck or the logo being so close to the collar, but the logos on the shoulders was new starting in 1978, the socks look good and this is just a solid jersey setup. Again, a bigger logo to take up space could have helped.

#8 2010-2012

Hard carry by the third jersey to drag this set into the top 10.

Even though I’m not a fan of the home and away uniform, the third jersey is a top 5, maybe top 3 jersey in franchise history. They are simplistic, yet there is still a subtle flare with the Buffalo across the chest and the stitching of the lettering. The socks look great and the pants round out the uniform nicely. I would take these in a heartbeat next year either as their home jersey or as another third.

#7 1970-1977

The originals. They’re gorgeous, they’re historic and they’ll forever be associated with the birth of the Sabres. I’m a sucker for black, red and white, but these just look so good, Buffalo can never miss with royal blue and gold. The tie-downs look great on that collar too, it gives the jersey character.

#6 1980-1983

Something I didn’t mention in the past jerseys, but I like the outline of the numbers that help them pop off the jersey. These look darker than the set above, but with the shoulder patches, socks and nameplates, they’re just a bit of an upgrade, giving this set the sixth best in franchise history, v-neck and all.

#5 2008 Winter Classic

I’m glad the Sabres wore this uniform on such a memorable day. I remember living outside of Philadelphia watching the game and when the Sabres walked out with those, I went wide eyed.

January 1, 2008 was the first time anyone saw a white jersey like this since 1996. The striping on the jersey and socks looks great, the patches on the shoulders look good and it’s just a memorable jersey in the franchise’s history.

#4 1977-1978

The jerseys in the 70’s and 80’s are so similar, it’s tough to say why I like set over the others. To me, these just looked the best. Tie downs are always going to give a jersey some extra character and as we’ve found out, a well done, simplistic jersey is right up my alley. Due to an NHL mandate, players names were added to the back, which I like more than just the numbers on the back like the original jerseys.

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#3 1996-2000

No matter how awesome the blue (royal to be exact) and gold color scheme has been throughout the years, it’s a close second to black and red.

These are the jerseys the Sabres were wearing when I fell in love with them in the late 90’s. It’s their best logo, you can’t go wrong with this color scheme and it’s a clear change in the design of the jersey that is refreshing to see when most other jerseys look the same.

The outlines of the numbers look clean and the red trim around the names helps those pop. The shoulder patch B with a sword through it looks great in red.

#2 2018 Winter Classic

I love every single aspect about there jerseys except two very minor details. I love the helmet decal and the Sabres patch on the left shoulder. I actually like how the names and numbers don’t have an outline around them on this jersey, contrary to what I said previously. I really like the logo on the pants as well. The color scheme is *chef kiss* and the blue outlining the yellow in the horizontal stripes on the jersey and socks just looks really good.

I said I didn’t like two minor details, so here they are: I’d remove the NY from the logo on the chest and I’d put the Winter Classic patch on the chest opposite of the captain’s letters so the Sabres shoulder patch can be on both shoulders. That’s it, besides those very minor details that I easily look over, I love this uniform.

#1 2000-2006

I’m a huge fan of the red third jerseys. I’m willing to fight over this opinion, taking all challengers.

Kidding aside, I know the red third jersey is somewhat of a toss up on reactions depending on who you ask, but these three jerseys have better logos than any other jersey set in franchise history. The swords detail looks fantastic, the Buffalo across the bottom looks great. I really like the logos on the shoulders, the numbers and lettering are sleek, it’s just a really good jersey.

I know I talked about not wanting grey in jerseys, but with this color scheme, I think it makes it look even better. It’s all about where grey is used and how much is used. It’s accented well and it’s most prominent in the socks, not under the armpit or lining the jersey for really no reason at all. Even the grey under the “Buffalo” at the bottom, it rolls well into the black pants.

Take the best home and away jerseys in franchise history, add a fantastic third jersey to the mix and we have a winner.

Whether it’s black and red or (royal) blue and gold, the Sabres have some beautiful jerseys in their history. I’m excited to see the jerseys for the 2020-2021 season as I think they can be the best yet!

Stay safe everyone, thanks to NHLUniforms.com (be sure to check them out, you’ll love it), and thank you for reading.