The blade gang is set for another loud moment on Tuesday at KeyBank Center, where the group will officially bang the drum before Game 5 between the Sabres and Bruins. The nine childhood friends from South Buffalo have turned a playoff ritual into one of the most visible scenes of the NHL postseason. Their latest stop follows a run that took them from Buffalo to Boston and put the blade gang in front of packed arenas and cameras.
From South Buffalo to center ice energy
The group includes nine boys ages 18 to 24 who grew up together in South Buffalo and played hockey as teammates. Their names are Sean Maloney, Jack Ellis, Danny Maloney, Alex Pawlik, Ian Macvie, Jackson Soto, Luke Soto, Tommy Maloney, and Michael Bollenbacher. The blade gang first drew attention when Jackson Soto was filmed blading through the South Buffalo suburbs in full uniform, an early sighting that quickly spread through the playoff conversation.
By the afternoon before Game 4 in Boston, the scene had grown even bigger. Max Maloney pulled his van in front of TD Garden, flipped on the hazard lights, and watched four boys in full hockey gear pour out onto the sidewalk as passersby filmed on their phones. Maloney said the group had planned to go home that morning, but stayed another night because the response had become so large. He said they would pregame rollerblade and then watch Game 4 in the car on the way home.
Why the blade gang caught fire
The blade gang went viral after their instinctive reaction to a dummy wearing a Boston Bruins jersey. The dummy belonged to a Sabres fan named Nick, who brought it to the Party in the Plaza ahead of Games 1 and 2. The sight of the black-and-gold jersey triggered a dramatic on-camera moment that helped fuel the spread of the clips.
Nick Mastrocovo and Mike Lewandowski, cousins and Sabres fans, created the dummy after Mastrocovo picked it up in Rochester before Game 1. They said the first showdown between Bob, as they call the dummy, and the blade gang happened organically and without planning. Lewandowski said the reaction took off after one of the boys tossed his glove in the air, fell backward, and the dummy got tackled while thousands watched.
Immediate reaction from the hockey world
The blade gang’s rise has drawn attention from around the sport. Paul Bisonette and Dave Portnoy have commented on the group, and after the Boston trip, Lindy Ruff also weighed in. Ruff said, “I’d actually like to play with those guys. ” The boys said they were encouraged by the attention and by comments that made them feel like they should keep showing up for the team.
One member said the group wanted to support the Sabres no matter whether they could get inside the arena. Another said the crowd reaction in Boston showed how fast the moment had grown. The group described the atmosphere as fun, loud, and bigger than anything they expected when they first rolled out in full gear.
What comes next in Buffalo
The blade gang is now headed back to Buffalo for the next chapter of the series, and the drum-banging assignment before Game 5 gives them a more official role in the playoff pageantry. The dummy they call Neely is expected to be back too, adding to the return of the full group for Tuesday’s game at KeyBank Center. For a crew that began as a South Buffalo sight gag, the blade gang has become part of the postseason scene, and Tuesday will show whether the noise around the blade gang gets even louder.
