Published February 6, 2026
Art Professor Hughes designs NHL Sabres Black History Celebration Crest
Sabres unveil Black History Celebration crest, designed by George Afedzi Hughes, UB Art Associate Professor.
The logo is the third collaboration with the Buffalo AKG Art Museum as part of the “Community Artist Series.”
The Sabres game against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m., includes the team's annual Black History Celebration.
Hughes’ design will be featured on a set of practice jerseys, which will be on display on the 100-Level concourse and available for auction with proceeds benefitting the Buffalo Center for Arts and Technology. The auction will run from 2 p.m. on Jan. 29 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 8. Place your bid here.
Additional merchandise featuring Hughes’ design will be available at The Sabres Store.
About the Black History Celebration Crest
Excerpt from the Sabres press release
By: Jourdon LaBarber, January 27, 2026
[...]
The Sabres logo served as a more refined starting point than Hughes’ usual abstract palette, but one core essence of his work – the idea of giving new meaning to an existing piece – very much remained.
Hughes studied the logo and offered various takes before arriving on his final, hand-painted design. He carefully placed Adinkra symbols – native to the Akan people of Ghana – throughout the logo, each containing their own meaning: the interlocked diamonds for justice and law; the black diamond for beauty and strength; the comb for grooming; and another diamond-shaped pattern symbolizing strategic work.
The logo is encased by a hexagon, which Hughes describes as an efficient structure symbolizing interconnectedness, balance and harmony. It’s gold color is a nod to the natural resources that Africa has contributed throughout the world.
In the background sits the red, black and green Pan-African flag. And, atop the head of the Buffalo, the gray arrows are intentionally divided but pointed toward the same direction.
“Even though the gray arrow is fractured, the peaks of the diamonds are pointing toward one another, showing that there's still continuity through blood, through lineage, through heritage,” Hughes said.
Hughes hopes that by adorning these designs – the Adinkra symbols, the Pan-African colors – on top of the Sabres logo, it will spark curiosity as to their origins and meanings.
[...]
The Sabres also worked with Buffalo Fashion Runway - a local non-profit leveraging fashion as a tool for storytelling, education, and collective action - to find models to show off George's design on jerseys and merchandise. Photos featuring models Jordan Kerr, Kaizer Acosta, Jalen Carter-Keith, Bolende Yaochaka, Najja Bouldin and Jada Ivey.
Revised March 2, 2026:
Read more about this project in the Feb. 20, 2026 UB Now article "UB faculty artist reimagines Sabres ‘goathead’ logo for Black History Month"