BOB SAUVE
Team: Buffalo Sabres
Style: Home Jersey
Manufacturer: Maska
Material: Knit
Tagging: Maska tag and size tag in neck
Year: 1979-80
Set: N/A
Size: Medium
Patches: 1980 Lake Placid Olympics
Acquired From: another collector, Gamewornauctions.net
Photomatched: No
Vezina Trophy Winner: 1980
Description: From Gamewornauctions.net: The 1979-80 season was a special one in Buffalo. Playing under the guidance of their new boss Scotty Bowman, the Sabres established themselves as the best defensive team in the league. They went on to win the Adams division with a gaudy 110 points while allowing a mere 201 goals against, the leagues best total. The Sabres stormed into the playoffs and had their sights set on Lord Stanley’s Cup. However it wasn’t to be as they ran into the New York Islanders dynasty in the Semi Finals and fell in 6 games, completing one of the most exciting seasons in team history.
Sauve put forth a career best season in 1979-80. His 20 Wins and 4 shutouts in 32 games played helped him capture the leagues best GAA at 2.36 and also the Vezina Trophy. Sauve played in 8 playoff contests and won 6 of them, 2 by way of shutout while posting a magnificent 2.04 GAA.
Sewn to the right breast of this beautiful Maska knit is the highly coveted 1980 Olympic patch. The game wear on this sweater is solid and consists of stick and puck marks, smears of goal post paint transfer on the sleeves and body, board paint transfer, inner pilling and 6 team-sewn repairs. The Sabres wore this coveted set of Maska game jerseys with the tiny double logos for the majority of the 1979-80 NHL season. Many hockey fans consider the 1980 Miracle On Ice Olympic games as the greatest moment in the history of the sport. Those Olympic games took place in Lake Placid, New York. Buffalo was one of two teams, the New York Islanders being the other, who donned the 1980 Olympic patch on their game jerseys. While any of these Sabres Olympic patched game jerseys are considered a treasure in the collecting community, the home whites have proven even more rare than their blue counterparts.