The Beer Sabre has grown into a citywide sensation in Buffalo, the report says, with dozens of fans carrying the plastic drinking swords to KeyBank Center, Canalside or local bars as the Sabres’ playoff series with the Montreal Canadiens returned for Game 5 tied 2-2. The lore surrounding the item — from tales of people being offered large sums to sightings of unusual beverages poured from it — has outpaced the number of units produced, the report says.
The item was created by the sport service management team at KeyBank Center and developed with food service partner Delaware North, the report says. Per the report, the idea followed a 2024-25 Labatt beer hockey stick promotion, and the Beer Sabre concept was finalized in June-July of 2025 with a partnership established with Labatt. Labatt’s brand manager Jason Folaron said he did not expect the item to become as big as it did, per the report.
The report says the product was custom-made, measuring 22 inches and holding 20 ounces, and that the team initially ordered 5,000 units based on prior sales of the beer hockey stick. The Beer Sabres debuted at the Nov. 21 home game against the Chicago Blackhawks, were priced at $27 and available at several concession stands where customers could fill them with one of three Labatt beers, the report says. A subsequent sale on Nov. 28 was limited to one arena location, and the item sold out after that date, the report says.
Resale demand and pop-culture moments followed, the report says, with Beer Sabres listed on eBay in the $200-to-$300 range, an appearance on Good Morning America, their use at the Buffalo Zoo to feed giraffes and one being brought to the Italian Open to surprise player Jessica Pegula. The report adds that the Sabres clinched the Atlantic Division title and ended a league-record 14-season playoff drought during the season.
Per the report, the Beer Sabres returned to Buffalo one game after the team clinched a playoff spot as part of a celebration, and fans continued to swarm downtown as the team’s season and the tales around the drinking vessel carried on.
