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 2001-02 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 lengthy, and failed, negotiations with their star goaltender, the Sabres decided to trade  Dominik Hasek to the Detroit Red Wings for LW Vyacheslav Kozlov, a first-round pick in 2002 and future considerations. General Manager Darcy Regier made another significant trade sending disgruntled centre Mike Peca to the Islanders for C Tim Connolly and LW Taylor Pyatt. Now the Sabres were without their two best players were and despite getting quality players in return, they no longer considered a playoff contender.The Sabres did not fall apart with the departure of Hasek. Martin Biron was now the main man in net and he was no stranger to the starter's job.  In 1999-2000 Biron played 41 games for an injured Dominik Hasek.  Biron finished the 2001-02 season with a record of 31-28-10 with 4 shutouts, a 2.22 goals against average and .915 save percentage.The Sabres surrendered only 200 goals to their opposition, the fewest allowed of any team in the Northeast Division. There defence was not their problem, they just did not have much depth offensively.  They barely scored more than they allowed, and posting 213 goals for was evidence of a lack of scoring touch. Miroslav Satan led the team with a respectable 37 goals, but the next closest on the goal scoring list was JP Dumont with 23.The Sabres played hard and were still thought of as a scrappy team. Unfortunately coach Lindy Ruff couldn't push his team into the playoffs as the Sabres finsihed a .500 team with 35-35-11-1, last place in the Northeast Division. This would be the first time the Sabres missed the playoffs in 6 years.The team's misfortunes rose exponentially in the summer of 2002, as the team's owner, John Rigas CEO of Adelphia Communications, was arrested for investor fraud for embezzling more than $1 Billion from his corporation. Rigas eventually was convicted on United States federal securities charges, and presently is appealing a sentence of a fifteen-year prison term. After the Rigas arrest the League to over operations of the team until a new owner could be found.  Sadly this would not be the end of the teams off ice troubles.The most memorable event during the 2001-02 season, sporting or otherwise, was the tragic terrorist attack that took place at the World Trade Center in New York on September 11. As a tribute to the City of New York, its police and and emergency services the Sabres modified their white home jersey. On Sunday October 7,2001, for one game only, they replaced the angry buffalo logo with the city name New York that ran diagonally across the front of the jersey from left to right.