Blade Gang to bang drum ahead of Game 5

Max Maloney pulls his van in front of TD Garden and flips his hazard lights on as four boys dressed in full hockey gear pour out of the van and onto the sidewalk. Passersby record on their phones as the boys sit on the curb and strap on skates and helmets.

It’s the afternoon before Game 4 in Boston, and The Blade Gang has arrived on the scene.

“We were planning on going home this morning,” Maloney says. “But it’s gotten so big, I’m like, let’s stay another night. I think what we’re gonna do is just pregame rollerblade and then watch (Game 4) in the car on the way home.”

The group proudly hailing from South Buffalo has captured the eyes of the hockey world since rolling onto the scene at the start of the playoffs. They’ve earned remarks from Paul Bisonette, Dave Portnoy and – following their Boston takeover – from Lindy Ruff himself.

“I’d actually like to play with those guys,” Ruff said.

Now, they’re playing arenas. The Blade Gang will officially bang the drum ahead of Game 5 between the Sabres and Bruins at KeyBank Center on Tuesday. 

You might be wondering: Who are these guys? Here’s a helpful FAQ, with thoughts from The Blade Gang themselves.

Who is The Blade Gang?

The Blade Gang consists of nine boys ages 18 to 24, all childhood friends and hockey teammates from South Buffalo.

They are: Sean Maloney, Jack Ellis, Danny Maloney, Alex Pawlik, Ian Macvie, Jackson Soto, Luke Soto, Tommy Maloney, and Michael Bollenbacher.

Whose idea was this?

Blade Gang: “All of us. All the boys.”

When did this start?

The boys gathered at the Maloney residence for a cookout ahead of Game 1. Jackson Soto – he’s the one in the Ristolainen jersey – was caught on film blading through the South Buffalo suburbs in full uniform. (This was the first known Blade Gang sighting).

From there, the rest of the boys got into uniform and piled into Maloney’s vehicle. He dropped them off at a pizza place on South Park Ave.

Blade Gang: “Every car that passed us was beeping their horn at us before we even got to the arena. Then by the time we got to the arena, we just knew. The whole place was going crazy when they seen us. When we hit Michigan and turned onto Perry, it was over. As soon as we hit Perry Street and got going, it was on from there.”

Where did they get the Bruins dummy?

This is a common Blade Gang misconception. The dummy actually belongs to a Sabres fan named Nick, who brought it to the Party in the Plaza ahead of Games 1 and 2.

The Blade Gang did go viral for their attack on the dummy, an instinctual reaction to the sight of Boston’s black-and-gold jersey.

Blade Gang, on their thoughts upon seeing the dummy for the first time: “We’re taking him out. He’s got a Boston jersey on. He’s dead.”

Why did they go to Boston?

Blade Gang: “Just all the videos and everyone talking about us. Tkachuk, he said it himself, he wished he could buy us tickets. We were loving that. We were like, ‘You know what, man? He’s right. We do got to go to those games. Doesn’t matter if we can’t get in or not. We’re going to support the team.’”

Do they plan to rock out for Game 5?

Blade Gang: “That place is going to be rocked out.”