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 2000-01 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

In 2000-01 The Sabres continued to play the effective style of defensive hockey that got them within 1 victory of winning the Stanley Cup. The team that once billed themselves as the Hardest Working Team in Hockey would have to work even harder as they were forced to play the season without the services of one of their best players. Captain Michael Peca was unhappy with his contract and exercised his right to hold out until he could negotiate a new contract. The Sabres acquired veteran Doug Gilmour to help make up for Pecas absence.Dominik Hasek once again was key to the Sabres success. Picking up from where he left off in the 1999-2000 playoffs, Hasek posted mind-boggling numbers: 67 games played, 37 wins, 1726 saves and a .921 save percentage. Haseks exploits earned him the Vezina Trophy for the 6th time in 8 years.Along with Haseks stellar play the Sabres featured a very capable defence corps that featured the likes of veterans: Alexei Zhitnik, Jason Woolley, Rhett Warener, James Patrick and Jay McKee. Together they led the Sabres to an incredibly low 187 goals against. Another reason for the Sabres shutting the doors on all comers was the NHL's best penalty killing. With 88% efficiency, the rarely penalized were the leagues best PK unit for the first time in more than a decade.The end result: the Sabres finished in 2nd place in the Northeast Division with a solid 46-30-5-1 record. Their 98 points earned them the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference playoff rankings: their first round opponent, the Philadelphia Flyers.In the playoffs the Sabres got off to a terrific start jumping out to a 3-1 series lead. The Flyers rebounded in Game 6 winning 3-1 on home ice. But in Games 6, before a very raucous HSBC Arena crowd, they shelled the Flyers and goalie Roman Cechmanek 8-0 to wrap up the series.In the 2nd round the Sabres got off to a shaky start dropping the first 2 games at home to the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, the Sabres would recover winning the next 2 games in Pittsburgh to even the series. Back in Buffalo the Sabres became the first team to win on home ice by taking Game 5, in overtime 3-2.  Pittsburgh battled back to win Game 6 in overtime as well 3-2.  At home the Sabres looked poised to reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the 3rd time in 4 years. However, the Penguins would win Game 7, again 3-2 in overtime. Knocking the Sabres out of the playoffs.In 2000-02 the Sabres introduced a new third jersey to their uniform set. The new jersey incorporates the same colour scheme that was introduced in 1996, but uses the colours in a completely different way. It's an all red jersey with a new logo across the chest. The new logo features two crossed sabres over a black circle. The sabres are grey, black and red, while the circle is outlined in black, grey, white and red. Small versions of the angry buffalo logo are on the shoulders right above the white numbers on the sleeve. A thick band of grey decorates the bottom of the jersey. Above that is the city name Buffalo in bold white letters on a black background.