Buffalo Sabres 1970-71

Tino Paolini

Out of stock

Watercolor Painting

Tino Paolini

This beautifully framed piece features an original piece of watercolor artwork glass-framed in an attractive two inch wide black resin frame with a double mat. The outer dimensions of the framed piece are approximately 17” wide x 24.5” high, although the exact size will vary according to the size of the original piece of art.

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$0.00 USD - Price includes framing as well as fast, free shipping with UPS

This beautifully framed piece features an original piece of watercolor artwork glass-framed in an attractive two inch wide black resin frame with a double mat. The outer dimensions of the framed piece are approximately 17” wide x 24.5” high, although the exact size will vary according to the size of the original piece of art.

At the core of the framed piece is the actual piece of original artwork as painted by the artist on textured 100% rag, water-marked watercolor paper. In many cases the original artwork has handwritten notes in pencil from the artist (be sure to “See the actual artwork without the frame” elsewhere in this website). Simply put, this is beautiful, one-of-a-kind artwork.

The outer mat is a rich textured black acid-free mat with a decorative inset white v-groove, while the inner mat is a complimentary colored acid-free mat reflecting one of the team’s primary colors. The website image of this framed piece shows the mat color that we suggest (Medium Blue), but since each piece is custom framed, we are happy to use whatever color mat you wish (depending on availability) – our standard mat colors are:

Light Blue / Dark Blue / Brown / Maroon (close to brown) / White / Silver / Gold / Yellow (bright yellow) / Green (dark green) / Orange / Purple / Red (bright red, somewhat close to PMS 186)

Beneath the artwork is a silver plate with black text describing the original artwork. The text for this piece will read:

This original, one-of-a-kind watercolor painting of the 1970-71 Buffalo Sabres jersey is the original artwork that was used in the creation of this Buffalo Sabres uniform evolution print and tens of thousands of other Buffalo Sabres products that have been sold across North America. This original piece of art was painted by artist Tino Paolini for Maple Leaf Productions Ltd.

Beneath the silver plate is a 3” x 9” reproduction of a well known, best-selling print that celebrates the history of the team. The print beautifully illustrates the chronological evolution of the team’s uniform and shows you how the original art was used in the creation of this print. If you look closely, you will see that the print features the actual artwork being offered for sale. The 3” x 9” print looks like this:

The piece is framed with an extremely high quality framing glass. We have used this glass style for many years with excellent results. We package every piece very carefully in a double layer of bubble wrap and a rigid double-wall cardboard package to avoid breakage at any point during the shipping process, but if damage does occur, we will gladly repair, replace or refund. Please note that all of our products come with a 90 day 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Each framed piece also comes with a two page letter signed by Scott Sillcox describing the history behind the art. If there was an extra-special story about your piece of art, that story will be included in the letter. When you receive your framed piece, you should find the letter lightly attached to the front of the framed piece.

If you have any questions, at any time, about the actual artwork or about any of the artist’s handwritten notes on the artwork, I would love to tell you about them. Simply email me, Scott Sillcox, at scott@heritagesportsart.com and I will tell you everything I can about your original piece of art. The artists and I spent well over ten years of our lives creating these pieces of original artwork, and in many cases there are stories I can tell you about your actual piece of artwork that might add an extra element of interest in your one-of-a-kind purchase.

Please note that all reproduction rights for this original work are retained in perpetuity by the National Hockey League unless specifically stated otherwise in writing by the NHL. For further information, please contact Heritage Sports Art at questions@heritagesportsart.com .

 

History

After the 6-team expansion in 1967, it took the NHL only 3 years to add two more teams bringing the total number of member clubs to 14. In 1970 the NHL welcomed into the league the Vancouver Canucks, its third Canadian club and from Western New York, the Buffalo Sabres. Both teams joined the East Division and the Chicago Blackhawks moved over to the West.After years of minor league hockey in the area, the Buffalo fans couldn't wait to have NHL hockey in their town. The team held a contest to decide the teams name and Sabres was chosen over other names that closely related to buffalos or bison.Former Leaf coach George Punch Imlach was hired as the teams first coach and general manager. Imlach assembled his scouting staff and scoured the Junior ranks for talent but the first choice in the coming 1970 entry draft was a no-brainer as far as he was concerned. If Imlach could win that first pick for the Sabres the player he wanted was a young center playing in Montreal named Gilbert Perreault.  The NHL devised a plan to determine which team would be awarded the first overall pick in the entry draft. Using a carnival wheel it was decided that the Sabres would get the first pick overall.Imlach used the pick to claim Perreault.  Perreault had an impressive rookie campaign leading the team in points with 38 goals and 34 assists, on top of that he won the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year.Imlach, who was known as a motivator, led his expansion Sabres to a respectable 24-39-15 record. They finished 4th in the East with 63 points, ahead of their expansion cousins the Canucks (points 56) and Detroit (55 points), but did not make the playoffs.Despite their record the Sabres were a success at the box office almost from the inception of the franchise. The team featured veterans like Floyd Smith, Eddie Shack, Jerry Meehan and Dick Duff and played hard in front of the Memorial Auditorium fans. Their total attendance for the year was 379,121.The Sabres played their very first game on the road in Pittsburgh and won 2-1. That night they debuted their road uniforms, a dark blue jersey with gold trim on the sleeves, and around the waist. The logo was charging buffalo in between two crossed sabres (swords) circled in gold. The numerals were gold outlined in white.  The collar was surrounded by gold trim and featured laces, a common characteristic of jerseys from this era.

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