If you know one thing about Buffalo sports fans, it’s that they’re passionate about their teams despite tortured years supporting underwhelming squads. If you know two things about them, it’s that they will pridefully take their drinking antics to extreme levels.

As the National Hockey League’s playoffs recently got underway, one of the more exciting storylines has been the Buffalo Sabres’ return to the postseason after a 14-year drought. The local fans, of course, are ecstatic, and it comes in a season when they’ve been celebrating some branded merchandise that has been part of the city’s rallying cry around the team: a “Beer Sabre.”

The limited-edition beer receptacle, which was a collaboration with Labatt Blue Light, is shaped to resemble the sword insignia on the team’s logo. The promotion was only available for select home games and the Beer Sabre sold out at every opportunity, with fans jumping at the opportunity to drink in a unique way and commemorate what seemed like it might be becoming a special season.

Some are even attributing the team’s success to the Beer Sabre.

  • The Sabres were ranked 29th (out of 32 teams) when the product debut. Since then, the team has surged into the best record in the league’s Eastern Conference.

Buffalo fans, who can be performative about their dedication (see their football counterparts, the “Bills Mafia,” jumping through tables in the heart of winter), so the Beer Sabre was always going to be like catnip for them. Friends can’t resist buying one each and crossing the two, as they are shown in the logo, before chugging the beers in one motion, often on camera.

Nearly Priceless… But Not Quite

For some fans in their 20s and 30s, they have watched the Buffalo Sabres for the majority of their lives without getting to see them play in the postseason… until now. This moment that they have been waiting for has been symbolized, in a fun way, by the Sabre Beer, a piece of branded merchandise that they don’t just want, but want to keep forever.

Don’t Miss A Thing: SUBSCRIBE To PPAI Newslink

The fact that the products have been limited to a few select games all season has increased demand and made them the hottest commodity in town. The true fans who can get their hands on them, well, they aren’t giving them up.

And some of the less devoted who have it in their possession have been willing to exploit those true fans. eBay listings currently have Beer Sabres listed for over $300. Fans seem willing to pay top dollar for the promotion so that they can enjoy the new tradition during the team’s playoff run without having to attend a game in-person.

The promotion is yet another example of how branded merchandise can meet the moment of huge, shared experience and build its own viral opportunity alongside it. The synergy between the brand, the event and the product itself is the ideal marketing outcome. Without the event, the product doesn’t exist, but the product still managed to take on a life of its own.