After being unceremoniously dumped by Vox almost a year ago, Die by the Blade is now well underway on its first season as an independent blog. Through this, we’ve been blown away by the support you guys have given us. We can’t truly can’t thank all of you enough.
Though, considering the undying (by the blade) loyalty of Sabres fans, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. And as Buffalo reaches the home stretch of the season, we’re giving you guys a new way to rep our team and support not only us, but all of the For Hockey Fans blog network.
Introducing Die By The Blade’s official site jersey, designed by FHF’s own Burkus Circus, and produced by Maplewood hockey, available for preorder now!
Here’s Burkus’ design breakdown, in the style of obnoxiously over-important NHL design reveals:
From Burkus:
Despite living in Central Ohio, I have a connection with Upstate New York. My grandfather lives in Rome. I have several relatives that live in and around Rochester. As such, I’ve always had a soft spot for WNY and the Sabres. So I wanted to get this jersey right.
I wanted to reflect the beauty of WNY, while innovating on the Sabres’ design language. Royal blue rightfully remains the body color, while the striping is defined by two things; blades and waterways. The two yellow stripes on the arms and hem reflect Buffalo’s iconic crossed swords. A bold white stripe flows between them, reflecting the waters that have defined Upstate – the Great Lakes, Niagara Falls, and the Erie Canal.
The new Die by the Blade logo takes center stage, allowing you to shamelessly rep independent Sabres coverage. And longtime fans will recognize the name and number font from the infamous Turdburger alternates, proving that beauty can be found from even the darkest days of the franchise. All this culminates in a jersey that builds on and honor the past while dynamically moving towards the future, just like DBTB has done through this transition.
Maplewood hockey was founded in 2020 by Canadian designer Dallas Kirkpatrick, and offers a unique design-oriented perspective on hockey jersey manufacturing. I’ve personally used Maplewood before on several projects, and can vouch that they provide top-quality work. The Die By The Blade jerseys will be from Maplewood’s Eco line; fully sublimated to provide the best possible value. It’s Fanatics-style comfort at Adidas-level quality for eBay prices!
The Die By The Blade site jerseys are available for preorder now through February 16th! Link to reserve yours can be found here. The total cost will be $100 USD, including customization and shipping (or about $150 less than an Adidas jersey without shipping!) Sizes from youth small through adult 3XL are available, as well as custom name and number options at no additional fee.
There’s a $10 preorder charge; the remaining $90 will be charged on February 16th when we submit the order to Maplewood for production. Estimated delivery is in late March.
Thanks again so much for your support! Let’s go Buffalo!