From Dahlin to Goatheads: Sabres lore inside the Elementals Universe
If there’s one pro sports franchise that’s seen a lot of prominent nods in the Elementals Universe, it’s the Sabres.
There is perhaps no better group of sports fans in America than those in Buffalo, New York. So it’s no surprise that in some recent novels in the Elementals Universe, I made several nods to my favorite hockey team, the Buffalo Sabres. Today, I’m taking you through five of those many references.
The Elementals Universe is full of references to Buffalo and Phoenix sports teams. In The Rebellion Awakens, I have several character and location names referencing the Sabres, the City of Buffalo, and even some of my favorite players on the team when I wrote the book in 2022. The same holds true in Civil War, and will continue in future novels.
While I made a plethora of references to the Arizona Cardinals in Elementals of Nordica and the Terrian Chronicles, I want to talk about references to the Buffalo Sabres today. So check them out, and I hope you enjoy them when you read the books!
5 Nods to the Buffalo Sabres in the Elementals Universe
1 – Character Names in Sentrys of Terrene
The Rebellion Awakens has more references to the Sabres than perhaps any other book. We can start with the two protagonists – Sabre Kahne Kjaergaard and Tage Ras-Svendson. Sabre is the given, in case you didn’t notice.
I named Tage Ras-Svendson after Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin. Tage’s best friend, Tuck Aleksandr, gets his name from Alex Tuch and Aleksandr Kisakov.
I had to use the ‘K’ at the end of the name, though, to avoid giving Tuck a character that I named with the ‘ch’ version in Civil War.
Tage’s crew comprises Ras, Joki, Vic, and Tuck. Ras is another nod to Dahlin, while Joki’s name stems from Henri Jokiharju. Finally, Vic is named for Victor Olofsson.
Tage’s love interest, Lark Hasek Fodor, is named after three people, but her middle name, Hasek, stems from Dominik Hasek, arguably the best goaltender in team history.
Finally, Jean Ricard is a reference to the legendary Rick Jeanneret, who served as the Sabres voice for 50-plus seasons. We also have a brigade called the Goatheads, which refers to the Sabres goathead jerseys.
2 – Tommers and Tuch from Civil War
Let’s shift gears and talk about Civil War. This is a book I wrote in Phase I of the Renegades Epic, and there are characters named Tommers and Tuch. They each get their name from Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch, respectively, so yes, there are several references to two of arguably the most popular Sabres back in January 2023.
Tommers and Tuch were cameo characters in the work, but they saw an expanded role in BattleFront, and other successive works. Also keep in mind that the Renegades Epic is a shared universe within the Elementals Universe, so they appear in other series.
3 – The Insurrexxion’s Flag In Civil War
Wind Ruler may be Book IV in Elementals of Nordica, but it was the first time I referenced the Sabres in the series. Sion Zona and company see the flag early in the book, but it first appeared toward the end of Civil War. This flag has a blue field, featuring a horned deity and two crossing swords under it.
I always pictured the deity itself reminiscent of the goathead on the Sabres throwbacks. This is a flag you will see in future Chronicles of Rondure and Elementals of Nordica works.
As for the Insurexxion’s name and spelling, I took it from CXD, which appeared in one of my favorite dystopian thrillers, The Resistance Series by Tracy Lawson. A book series that I recommend to everyone who loves young/new adult dystopian fiction, and one whose themes became scary relevant in the 2020s.
4 – Truck Drivers Dressed in Red and Black in The Rebellion Awakens
There is a crossing the first threshold scene from The Rebellion Awakens, when Sabre meets the underground resistance to the Vranommian Empire for the first time. She notices that the truck drivers wear red and black cloaks, as opposed to others, who wear varying shades of blue.
Red and black served as the Sabres primary color scheme from 1996-97 until 2005-06, before they reverted back to a neo-traditional blue and gold look. Red and black made its return, however, in 2022-23, serving as an alternate uniform.
5 – The Insurgency’s Color Scheme
The Insurgency and the Insurrexxion are more alike than you may think. While the latter is the primary resistance group in Civil War, the former takes center stage in The Rebellion Awakens. We already covered that the Insurrexxion’s color scheme is blue and gold, and the same holds true for the Insurgency.
This differs from the Nordican scheme in Elementals of Nordica, where their burgundy and gold colors are a nod to Arizona State University. Odds are, Nordica probably would have gotten blue and gold too, but I had a tough time finding a believable scheme for the Tamurian Empire (from a division rival).
Ironically enough, I ended up using the Boston Bruins color scheme in The Rebellion Awakens, but even that took some convincing. So instead of improvising in Elementals of Nordica, I instead made a quick nod to the Arizona-Arizona State Rivalry.
More Buffalo Sabres References to Come in the Elementals Universe
There are four characters, one in each of my series, that boast similar personalities and looks. Those characters are:
- Sion Zona – Elementals of Nordica
- Rokko Streets – Chronicles of Rondure
- Braden Hawk – Terrian Chronicles
- Tage Ras-Svendson – Sentrys of Terrene
These are characters based primarily on myself, but at different ages. Eventually, most will cross paths and they will probably get a French Connection type of nickname. So yeah, spoiler alert there, but as for all the other characters in each respective series, I regret to inform you that it is fair game.
Found one of these references in the wild while reading? Drop me a line or tag me on Instagram—I’d love to see which ones you noticed! And if you enjoyed the read, please consider leaving a quick review. Every rating helps the story reach new readers—and maybe even more Sabres fans.
