Tickets began being scanned and fans were admitted to KeyBank Center two hours before the 7:30 p.m. ET puck drop for Game 7 between the Buffalo Sabres and the Montreal Canadiens, with the winner set to face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference finals, according to ESPN.
The team announced Sunday that the popular plastic drinking swords would return for the first time this postseason. The beer sabres measure 22 inches, hold 20 ounces and were sold for $27, filled with a 16-ounce can of Labatt Blue or Labatt Blue Light; one location sold a Labatt draft. Labatt is a partner with the Sabres, according to ESPN.
For Game 7, the Sabres placed 10,000 beer sabres throughout the arena, doubling the previous total sold. The club had sold 5,000 during the first two regular-season promotion dates (Nov. 21 and 28) before selling out, then distributed another 5,000 when they returned on April 6, according to ESPN.
Sales occurred only during pregame, beginning at 5:30 p.m., with lines stretching through 10 locations on the concourse. Cardboard boxes holding 40 sabres each were emptied quickly, and a stand near section 112 had sold out just over an hour after sales began. The limit was two sabres per customer, a limit most fans took advantage of, according to ESPN.
Fans were frequently seen carrying sabres in belt loops, placed in bags or raised to drink, and some walked around with a sword in each hand. Lines for the item ran long enough that sabres were listed on eBay for $200 to $300. When the item could return again was unclear, but the team said it wanted to get the highly desired item to fans. “It doesn’t need to be a highly exclusive item,” Mary Masich, general manager for Delaware North, the team’s food service partner at KeyBank Center, told ESPN.
