You may know that Bauer Hockey, one of the world’s largest sporting goods companies, also owns an NHL team, the Buffalo Sabres. But did you know that they also have an NHL team in the Central Division? And that the headquarters of the company is in Canada? Neither did we. So let’s find out more about this North American powerhouse.
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NHL Teams And Headquarters
Located in Toronto, Canada, Bauer’s corporate office is responsible for the business operations of the company’s three main businesses, including the NHL team. It handles a variety of tasks, including financial, human resources, legal, and public relations.
However, it’s the company’s athletic product divisions that are responsible for the vast majority of its operations. These divisions, which include the NHL, PGA, and NCAA teams as well as some soccer and football teams, are housed in the Toronto area and operate under the direction of Chris Kingsbury, who serves as the Vice President and General Manager of the three athletic product divisions.
Bauer also owns a number of other teams, including a couple of MLS teams (Colorado Rapids and Columbus Crew), a couple of USTA teams, and even a rugby team! But, for the purpose of this article, we’re focusing on the corporation’s sporting assets in North America.
Buffalo Sabres: The Basics
As mentioned, Bauer owns and operates an NHL team, the Buffalo Sabres. The team, which plays in the Eastern Conference, qualified for the playoffs this year for the first time in ten years. The Sabres were also in the middle of the pack in the conference, which consisted of 16 teams for that matter. As many of you may know, the Buffalo Sabres are most well known for their ever-present gold color scheme and their faithful fans, known as the “Tiger Paw”. Let’s take a look at what makes the Sabres so special.
When it comes to unique and interesting facts about the Sabres, almost nothing is as intriguing as the franchise’s name. Did you know that the word “buffalo” comes from the French explorers who named the area around the Great Lakes after their home countries? The name has nothing to do with the animals or their thick yellowish hide; it literally means “big cat” in French. So, the Great Lakes region of North America was actually named after a cat! If you put this fact alongside the team’s nickname, you’ll have the makings of quite the quirky and interesting trivia question.
Apart from its name, the team is also known for its distinctive crest, which features a stylized animal head, a panther, with a buffalo’s head. This distinctive head must be included in any serious collection of hockey themed art. The head is also present on the team’s jersey and in their motto, which is “V-I-C-T-Y”. Since the team was founded in Quebec City in the 1960s, it’s traditional to wear an English translation of the French word for “Buffalo” on their chest: Vivent la France et les animaux! The French equivalent of the team’s nickname, Les Braves, translates to “The Living Stiffnesse”. Interesting, right?
The franchise’s first ever playoff appearance came in 1972, when they beat the Boston Bruins in the quarterfinals. They also made the playoffs in 1974 and 1976, but were eliminated in the preliminaries both years. During the 2010s, the team qualified for the playoffs in five of seven years, including three appearances in the Eastern Conference finals, in 2017, 2018, and 2019. This is the first time the team has ever made it to the conference finals. In all, the Sabres have made the playoffs 23 times in their history, including a record 17 straight years from 1976 to 2002. They’ve never been particularly successful at the postseason level, with the exception of a brief stretch from 1989 to 1991, when they went 74–25–9 for an NHL-record 124 wins, including 27 consecutive postseason victories, an accomplishment that was only matched by the Montreal Canadians in the 1940s. In 2002, they reached the Stanley Cup final for the first time in forty years, but were swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in four games. Following this loss, the team didn’t make the playoffs for eight years.
Detroit Red Wings: The Mainlanders
While the Buffalo Sabres are certainly a unique and interesting team to follow, none of that compares to the Detroit Red Wings, the other team from the Great Lakes region that’s owned by Bauer. Since its inception in 1932, the Red Wings have worn a fiery red color scheme and their name on their chests ad nauseam. With 11 Stanley Cup titles and 22 appearances in the playoffs over 88 years, it’s quite clear that not much has changed in terms of their winning ways. This year, the Red Wings qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2009 and are looking to make it back to back seasons in the postseason. Let’s take a quick look at what sets this team apart from all other hockey teams out there.
One of the most recognizable and well-documented team logos in all of sports is that of the Detroit Red Wings. It’s been a constant on their sweaters since their first game back in 1932, when they faced the Chicago Black Hawks. The logo depicts a winged figure with a red ‘A’ on the chest sporting a set of skates, holding a small hockey stick above his head. This winged figure is most likely an Indian warrior from the Detroit area, who was a popular choice back in the day. He’s since become one of the most iconic symbols of not just the Red Wings, but all Detroiters, as well.
The Red Wings are one of the most historic teams in all of sports, having never missed a season since their inception. In fact, they’ve only been to U.S. League (now the AHL) teams more times than the NHL, with whom they’ve played since the league’s inception, due to World War II. Their 22 playoff appearances is also an all-time record, and they’ve won 11 straight playoff series, dating back to the 1940s. As mentioned, the Red Wings qualified for the playoffs this year for the first time since 2009 and are looking to make it back to back seasons in the postseason. Let’s take a quick look at what sets this team apart from all other hockey teams out there.
Vancouver Canucks: The Nature-Loving Beavers
While the Red Wings are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, the Vancouver Canucks are a relative newcomer to North America. The franchise was founded back in 1971, while the NHL was still a ten-team league. They played in the NHL for three seasons before jumping over to the American Hockey League (now the AHL), where they’ve remained ever since. Like the other Canadian teams, the Canucks have a fairly unique color scheme, which is inspired by one of the country’s most distinctive natural landmarks: the Rocky Mountains. If you’ve never been to British Columbia, you might not know that the province is actually made up of many smaller regions, including the Coast and the Central Valley. These two regions are known for their temperate rainforest, stunning coastal scenery, and abundance of wildlife. The forests are so thick that many believe a person could lose sight of the sky, creating an almost otherworldly feeling. So it’s only natural that the hockey team would want to represent this magical place on their chests, as well.
The logo of the Vancouver Canucks is also unique in that it features a stylized, and very athletic-looking, bear. While you may know that the NHL doesn’t allow its players to wear any animal logos on their jerseys, the Vancouver Canucks have gotten around this by putting a man’s head in between the legs of a bear, in a very subtle yet distinctive manner. This logo has become such a characteristic of the Canucks that many fans have begun referring to them as “The Canucks”, instead of just “Vancouver”, as the city is also home to the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Toronto Maple Leafs, for whom they share a division.
Colorado Avalanche: The Powder Blues
The last team on our list is the Colorado Avalanche, who you may know are the reigning Stanley Cup champions. The Avs actually began their existence back in 1972, when they were known as the Kansas City Spiders, before moving to Denver, Colorado, the following year. This year, the Avalanche qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2017, when they made it to the Western Conference finals, and are looking to go deeper into the postseason than they’ve ever gone before. It’s an important year for the Avalanche, as they look to defend their Stanley Cup title, as well as become the first team in 20 years to repeat as champs.