Nods to the Buffalo Sabres keep on coming in Spirit and Water
Spirit and Water contains dark fantasy elements, but the Buffalo Sabres are front and center in one particular scene.
In my post-apocalyptic dystopian military and science fantasy trilogy, Sentrys of Terrene, there are so many nods to the Buffalo Sabres that I could write a book on it. But Sabres elements appear in a few of my series, and Book II in my dark epic fantasy series, Cymraeg Tales, is no different.
In Spirit and Water, there’s a scene when Mali LaSalle, Caer Cymraeg, Dianna Norsk, and Arttu Etienne receive some friendly hospitality way out in the sticks. For those unfamiliar with the term ‘sticks,’ it means, in this category, so far out in the country that it’s neither scenic nor desirable.
It’s not like the countryside, where images of tiny villages, rolling hills, colorful farms, general stores, and lush trees paint a nostalgic picture. That’s a place Caer and Mali would probably like to end up, but, unfortunately, they’re in what’s simply the sticks: untamed wildlands whose long-abandoned villages sit in ruins.
All except for one particular place. And it’s in there we find some links from our modern-day world into the World of Eidolon’s medieval period. Well, other than the good old political turmoil that engulfs both worlds.
Buffalo Sabres tributes alive and well in Spirit and Fire
Horned deities and crossed swords are prevalent at this rather non-typical “rest stop,” for use of the better term. And if you know anything about the Sabres, their goathead jerseys coincided well when a player named Miroslav Satan played for the franchise. Yeah, it was a good fit, especially when the colors red and black are involved. Oh, and for the record, his last name wasn’t pronounced in the way you might think.
Anyway, Mali further points this out when, upon receiving a much-needed change of clothes, she decks herself out in royal blue and gold, the Sabres traditional color scheme. Dianna, however, is wearing black, silver, and red.
Mali jokes that their hosts shouldn’t need to tell them apart since they don’t resemble one another. And she’s right, since Mali’s of average height with a broad, yet lean build, sunbeaten skin, brown hair, and blue eyes. Dianna, meanwhile, boasts ivory skin, black hair, brown eyes, and a tall, thick build.
Dianna, though, notes that the colors she’s wearing seem to carry precedent, too. And to this day, that’s true for the Sabres, as their black goatheads remain popular and they’ve since become the team’s alternate. This leaves the Sabres as one of very few pro sports teams to possess a completely different color scheme for their alternate uniform.
A nod to the ill-fated Buffa-Slug uniform
Probably the most brutal logo in Buffalo Sabres history belongs to the ill-fated Buffa-Slug, which, unfortunately, was the team’s uniform when they won the Presidents’ Trophy eons ago. Yeah, there was a time when the Sabres were actually a good hockey team in what we now call the first Lindy Ruff era.
Anyway, Mali can’t help but burst out laughing at the ‘slug-like’ insignia that’s supposed to be the goathead deity, when Caer shows off what their hosts left for him to wear, noting the thing looked more like a slug than it does a horned god. After some quick deliberation of whether they should ask for another change of clothes, they decide they probably shouldn’t.
And after all they went through just to find an inkling of civilization, it was probably in their best interests to take what they’d been given. Still, that logo and uniform, despite how relevant the Sabres were when they donned it, continues to be the butt of jokes among a contingent of fans.
Yeah, some may find nostalgia there, especially since the Sabres tended to win in them. But still, nothing beats the goathead look and their current blue and gold modern classic.
Expect more tributes to Sabres hockey
For as bad as the Sabres have been since 2011-12, I’ll always find ways to insert some nods and tributes into my lore. From Sentrys of Terrene to Cymraeg Tales and even Chronicles of Rondure, which has a couple of characters named Tommers and Tuch, among others, the Blue and Gold’s identity has been entrenched in the Renegades Epic.
As for the expanded Elementals Universe that contains the Arcane Elemental Academy series? Yote and Jett Diamondback’s names may point to a couple of other teams – the former Arizona Coyotes (currently in limbo) and the Winnipeg Jets.
But I also snuck in a character named Ukko Sharpe, in which Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, at least in part, inspired the name. So, yeah, you’ll see the Blue and Gold scattered about all of my fantasy works involving elemental magic.
Anyway, Sabres fan or not, if you’re a sucker for epic dark fantasy with chosen-one tropes and ultra-complex storylines, Spirit and Water’s predecessor, Spirit and Fire, will be up your alley.
