Nick's Jersey Stories

Every jersey has a story

[lakunamatata]

Happy Oilers Home Opener!

You thought my posts were done didn't you? Well they kind of were until today when this beautiful jersey came into my life. Kind of a cool coincidence that today happens to be the first game the Oilers are wearing them this season.

The Edmonton Oilers wore a similar style of jersey for the first year of Northlands Coliseum in 1974. The Oilers were part of the WHA back then which makes the fact that the current Oilers are allowed to use these jerseys as part of their farewell to Rexall Place. The NHL doesn't usually enjoy mentioning the WHA let alone letting a team use their older WHA jerseys as a throwback option. Nevertheless, the Oilers are wearing the old style for the first game in the Coliseum and the last game. Now that's awesome!

Connor McDavid was the first Oilers player to wear this orange jersey when he was drafted 1st overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. What an interesting dynamic having the future of the Oilers wearing a symbol of the past as he enters the NHL. Only time will tell if the next big thing lives up to the hype. All signs point to yes.

A few quick notes on the new version of the 1974 WHA Oilers jersey. Keeping with having a unique collar, the Oilers have an interesting scarf looking loop for the collar. Also most people forget that these old jersey had the arm numbers up on the shoulder which really makes the jersey in my opinion. It truly is the most accurate they could have made it.

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1 Last Day Until The NHL Regular Season Begins

The countdown comes to and end with The Great One.

The only number retired league wide, the holder of way too many records to list here, former WHA/NHL player, worldwide ambassador for hockey, Hockey Hall of Fame member, and a 4 time Stanley Cup winner. Wayne Gretzky truly is The Great One.

The jersey was a little difficult to acquire when I did and with the style and quality I wanted. Basically it had to be done under cover of night after a few car changes and a police chase but we found a way to get his name on the back of a CCM replica jersey. The white home jersey is what I wanted because it's the colour Gretzky wore when he lifted Lord Stanley's Cup all 4 times in Edmonton.

And with that the countdown comes to and end. Tomorrow is the start of the 2015-2016 NHL Season. This has been a very fun 28 days and I thank you for following along and providing feedback. I realized early on that I wasn't just writing to myself and that's a pretty cool feeling knowing someone enjoyed reading.

Thank you.

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Only 2 Days Remain Until The NHL Regular Season Begins

Remember way back to the beginning of this countdown when I told you about the first jersey I had ever purchased? Well if you do thank you for being around the whole time. If not, well I have a jersey from the second time the Maple Leafs used this jersey style around 2000 and it's one of my favourite Leafs jerseys.

In 2008 the Maple Leafs brought back the alternate jersey they wore in 2000-2007 the second they were allowed to convert it to the Reebok Edge style. I honestly wish it was the away jersey full time. What's not to love about it? This is the best Leafs logo they've ever used and the shoulder yoke, sleeve, and bottom stripes make this jersey exactly how a hockey jersey should look.

The only downside to this jersey is the player I chose to put on the back. At the time Luke Schenn was the next big thing on the Maple Leafs blue line and fans loved him. The track record with the Leafs drafting young tough kids from Saskatchewan was pretty solid and it was looking like that pedigree would continue. Then a sliver of doubt set into Schenn's game and the haters grew. Then one day the craziest thing happened. The Flyers lost their minds and traded James van Riemsdyk to the Maple Leafs for Luke Schenn. What the hell were they thinking? Schenn wasn't that valuable...were they insane? Leafs fans had no problem at all with the trade (see earlier in my countdown) that ended the short time The Human Eraser was with the Maple Leafs. I guess I can take solace in the fact that Schenn begat JVR and that this jersey is so damn good looking. I should wear it more.

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3 Days Until The NHL Regular Season Begins!

In 2001 the Oilers introduced a third jersey to the world unlike any other jersey the team had ever worn before. Designed by then part owner Todd Mcfarlane, the "gear logo" (and a variety of other nicknames) jersey was kind of a shock. The colour scheme was silver and deep navy blue instead of red, copper, and navy. Oh yeah, and that logo was out of this world! The jersey came with a story so fans would know what it all meant. The rivets on the gears were for the five Stanley Cup wins, the angle and comet trails signified speed, and the shoulder crests were an homage to the old Alberta Oilers logo. There was a lot going on with this jersey which is why it's a classic.

In the 2003-2004 season the Oilers celebrated their 25th season in the NHL with the patch pictured above. How cool is it that the patch was designed to go on the third jersey more than the regular home and away jerseys?

Ales Hemsky really polarized Oilers fans over the years. Most forgot that he was a playmaker and not a sniper (although he had an amazing shot). His puck handling led to the irritating "shoooooot" call out becoming a thing. The words "he should shoot more" have been said by many fans, but most forget that he was one of the highest scoring forwards during his time in Edmonton. His timely goals helped put the Oilers into the playoffs in 2006 and we're a huge part of why they went to the finals. Local newspaper goons ran him out of town and for that I might never read another sports article in the Journal or Sun. That's not a joke, I actually lost all respect for the sports writers for being to malicious toward Hemsky before he left town. He was such a good player.

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4 Days Remain Until The NHL Regular Season Begins

2006 is a year Oilers fans will remember for a very very long time. It was quite the roller coaster of happiness and sadness. This ride centred around one man...Chris Pronger.

I'll be upfront right now, Chris Pronger is one of my favourite players of all time. He simply doesn't give a damn about the rules and everyone knows it. It's one of the reasons he was so successful in his career, and why he's one of the most hated/respected players of recent memory. The respect of Pronger fades the second one crosses into the city limits of Edmonton though because most fans here got burned.

Chris Pronger came to the Oilers in a trade with St. Louis in the summer of 2005. This trade floored everyone in hockey. Edmonton had a legitimate All-Star defenseman and he had a long term contract so he was an Oiler for a long time. He would attract other big names to Edmonton...and did with Mike Peca (another favorite of mine). This was going to be awesome! Fast forward to the end of the regular season. The Oilers are squeaking into the playoffs in 8th. Then the impossible happened. The Oilers beat everyone in the west are were heading to the Stanley Cup Finals! What a year in Edmonton. Then it all came crashing down on Oilers fans. The Oilers lost game 7 and right after Chris Pronger demands a trade out of Edmonton. It was like the Oilers got too close to the sun and burned our wings. The fall to earth has lasted 9 years.

This jersey will always be worn with the fandom of not only Chris Pronger and of the Stanley Cup Finals remembered. My fandom of Pronger took a hit but never faded away.

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5 Days Until The NHL Regular Season Begins

Tommy Salo...one of the best goalies the Oilers have ever had. Has held the record for most shutouts in Oilers history. Has also held the record for best GAA for the Oilers. The best years of his career were spent in Edmonton but he was also the best goalie for team Sweden until a kid named Henrik Lundquist showed up.

This jersey came into my collection via my good friend Ryan yet again (have I mentioned how awesome he's been with jerseys?). Salo has been a player I've talked about getting over the years and now I have one. I always get some smiles and nods from people when I wear it. That's pretty awesome for a goalie a lot of people don't talk about but should.

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There Were 6 Days Remaining Until The NHL Regular Season Begins

Were because I was busy today and couldn't write this sooner.

If you don't know who Mario Lemieux is...well...he's Mario Lemieux! He's one of the best players to ever play in the NHL. I could go on and on about his accomplishments, but honestly his Wikipedia page (or multiple books and videos) have done a much better job and telling his story. Basically everything he did was magnificent.

Super Mario won the Stanley Cup twice as a player in 1991 and 1992, and once as an owner in 2009. He is the only player to have his name on the cup as a player and an owner. He is also one of only three players to play in the NHL after being inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame (Gordie Howe and Guy Lafleur being the others) because he was immediately inducted after his first retirement in 1997. He truly is remarkable.

The jersey I chose to get was the 1988-1992 era Penguins jersey. Lemieux wore this jersey for his two Stanley Cup wins. As my love for the Oilers faded with the departure of Mark Messier and all the other glory years players my sights set on Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr in Pittsburgh. I turned into that bandwagon fan like most kids my age at that time do. So when I had to opportunity to get a Mario Lemieux jersey it had to be this style. I very much enjoy that the Penguins have brought it back as a third jersey recently. It's their best look in my opinion.

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7 Days Until The NHL Regular Season Begins

In 2009 the Edmonton Oilers celebrated their 30th year in the NHL. That year they reintroduced their fans to the past with a third jersey with a colour style of the glory days of the 80's and early 90's. A colour style the Oilers changed in 1996. This jersey was a little different than the jerseys they wore in the past, with the collar being the most different. The NHL shield had moved from the back onto the front neck area with the Edge jersey templates. Thankfully the Oilers got creative with the collar and came up with something no other team had done before. It made the jersey in my eye.

This jersey became so popular with fans that the Oilers made them their main home jersey the very next year. This is what the Oilers look like said most people. The days of navy blue and copper were over.

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8 Days Until The NHL Regular Season Begins

You know how the guys on tv call the Hall/RNH/Eberle line "The Kid Line"? Well it's not very original and (not much) older Oilers fans remember some different players being called a kid line. Sam Gagner was one of them along with Andrew Cogliano and Robert Nilsson. You can go back in Oilers history for the first Oilers kid line (Adam Graves/Joe Murphy/Martian Gelinas), or farther back in Toronto (Charlie Conachar/Harvey Jackson/Joe Primeau) proving that hockey media aren't very original at all.

Anyway, Sam Gagner was drafted by the Oilers in 2007 sixth overall and was immediately tasked with "saving" the Oilers (something that tends to happen) by playing as soon as possible out of junior. He did a pretty decent job in his rookie season posting 49 points in 79 games on the kid line. He would score around 40 points every year he played for the Oilers. His crowning achievement came on Feb. 2, 2012 when he scored 8 points in a night tying Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey for the most points in a game as an Oiler.

This jersey is the white away jersey the Oilers wore from 2007 until 2011. During the 2008-2009 season the Oilers celebrated their 30th anniversary with a patch. The patch was worn on the shoulder instead of the front of the jersey for some reason. I'm not sure why I chose to put the patch and name on the white jersey instead of the Navy I showcased earlier, but I did and I think it looks awesome. Gagner was my second favorite Oilers during that era (my first will be revealed in a later post) which is why I chose him to bear the 30th patch.

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9 Days Until The NHL Regular Season Begins

Sidney Crosby! The Golden Goal! With those words Canada wins their first Gold Medal in Olympic Men's Hockey since 2002. Sidney Crosby was a superstar going into the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games, and after scoring the overtime winner against the U.S.A. he became legendary.

Although Crosby would wear alternate an A on his jersey during the tournament, I decided to replicate the look of his iconic Golden Goal game where he did not wear the A.

The jersey he wore was different than any other Team Canada jersey ever worn before. The IOC decided that corporate logos could not be worn on jerseys. That meant that the Hockey Canada logo (with appeared on the replica jersey sleeve) had to be replaced. Hockey Canada went with a red leaf with aboriginal tribal like drawings etched on top. It was a great idea that went along with the theme of the Vancouver games. The rest of the jersey was pretty standard fare. The standout was definitely the logo right in the middle.

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10 Days Until The NHL Regular Season Begins

James van Riemsdyk is the new favourite in Toronto now that Kessel has been mercifully traded. James vanDriemsdyk more like it. How the Flyers came to trade him to the Leafs for Luke Schenn will always stump me. His scoring skills have wowed Leafs Nation and will continue for years to come under Babcock. Not only is he great at hockey, he's an okay actor as well. He (along with a few Flyers teammates) appeared in the movie "This Is 40". JVR had one line and probably got carded as soon as he walked up to the bar.

This jersey was introduced for the Winter Classic in "Detroit" (actually university of Michigan) and replicates the style worn by the Maple Leafs in 1927. So many stripes...isn't it great? I've always enjoyed the logo used here as it looks the most like an actual Maple Leaf. The logo, name, and numbers on this jersey are made of felt which seems to be what the Maple Leafs like doing with their vintage jerseys these days. The cut is a little strange though. It's like Reebok tried to mix CCM style arms with the body of an edge style jersey. I guess they wanted to accentuate the stripes a little more. Either way this jersey always turns some heads when I wear it.

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11 Days Until The NHL Regular Season Begins

February 27, 2007 was supposed to be a very happy day in Oil Country. Mark Messier was having his jersey raised to the rafters of Northlands Colliseum! The weeks before were filled with Messier merchandise and memories all over the place in anticipation of the Moose coming back and being honoured.

No one paid attention that the NHL trade deadline was the same day. No one thought anything of it. It was a quiet deadline so I went to a buddies to play some Madden or NHL 06. The deadline passed and all was normal....then our phones blew up. RYAN SMYTH JUST GOT TRADED! Wait, but the deadline was over...how?...no way....okay this is real...HOW COULD THEY! Oh crap, I have to work at the game tonight and everyone is pissed...this isn't going to be fun. Someone actually tried to start a Lowe jersey on fire that night. Animals.

The atmosphere inside Rexall Place was something I'd describe as excited anger. Everyone was going Messier mad until they were asked to take their seats for the ceremony. No one was walking around at all, we could hear a pin drop on the concourse. This was my chance to execute my plan and reason for working that night. I "went to the washroom" and saddled up to one of the ushers and watched Mark "Moose" Messier skate around with the Stanley Cup one last time. It's something I will always remember. I saw it for free haha.

I purchased this jersey that night. It was my first Oilers jersey purchase ever. The patch was sold separately and was only on sale that night. It is a special jersey from a special night and because of the patch it's kind of rare in my eyes. The Messier Retirement Jersey.

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12 Days Until The NHL Regular Season Begins

The Maple Leafs introduced their new jerseys and logo to the world in a very different way...during the 1967 playoffs. They would win the Stanley Cup that year and also continue to use the new logo and jersey style until 1970. The logo was inspired by the new Canadian flag which officially made the Maple Leafs Canada's Team! Well maybe in the eyes of Leafs fans anyway.

The blue jersey style and logo has been revisited as a third jersey for the last few years. People joke about the Leafs not winning the cup since 1967, but you can't deny that the look is very Canadian and appealing. I had never seen the white version of the 1967 era jersey until earlier this year. Another great historic addition to my collection.

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13 Days Remain Until The NHL Regular Season Begins

I wrote a very nice long blog post about how awesome Mats Sundin was and how he's my favorite Maple Leafs player ever...then Tumblr decided to not save my draft. So I typed it all out again...then it didn't post. So now you are reading me rant about this instead of some awesome story about how wicked Mats Sundin was as a Leaf.

Basically Mats Sundin is the greatest player the Maple Leafs have ever had play for them. Here's a video they put together honouring him with a statue on Legends Row.

https://youtu.be/v50umLPwOts

The jersey I chose to put his name on is one of the worst jerseys the Leafs have ever worn though thanks to the Reebok Edge nightmare. No bottom stripes? Really? The only saving grace is the name and number fonts. And really, Mats Sundin looked good in any jersey...even Vancouver.

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14 Days Remaining Until The NHL Regular Season Begins

The Oilers play the new Winnipeg Jets tonight in preseason action, so what better jersey to showcase than an Atlanta Thrashers jersey since we all know where these new Jets came from. One of these new Winnipeg Jets/former Thrasher is Tobias Entsrom. Tobias has played his entire NHL career with the Thrashers/Jets and holds the record for consecutive games played as a Thrasher with 296. The guy seems like a lifelong Thrasher/Jet.

The Atlanta Thrashers have had some very different jerseys over their franchise life. Their second ever third jersey was the very bold and different style we see above. Some say it looks like a football jersey, some say basketball. I say awesome! Different and bold were the trademark of the Thrashers jerseys and something they will always be remembered for. I'm a fan of everything this jersey is about. The number on the front under the wordmark, the very large bird patch on the shoulders, and even the sides look awesome.

This is the most random jersey/player I have in my collection, but it has to be one of my favourite to wear. Everyone makes comments when I'm wearing it and it just feels and looks good to me.

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15 Days Until The NHL Regular Season Begins

This is a story about how a player can be attached to us for other reasons than the game itself. A Brad Isbister third jersey has been in my life now for the second time. The first time was because of my good friend Jeff. Jeff loved the Oilers more than most people I know do now. When the Oilers brought out this third jersey Jeff and I walked into Champions at Kingsway to check out the jerseys and dream. Well the dreams turned to the slapping down of plastic as soon as Jeff saw an Isbister jersey hanging there in his size. He HAD to get it. It was calling to him. So get it he did, and he wore that jersey all the time. If the Oilers were playing it was on. Isbister and Jeff were now forever combined in my brain and that will never change. Sadly Jeff passed away, but the memories of him in that jersey will never fade. Forever connected...always remembered.

Imagine my surprise to see my friend Ryan holding a Brad Isbister jersey and telling me that is should have it. The memories flew out of my mouth as I told him the story of this jersey and of Jeff as he handed it to me. A constant reminder of the friendship I once had. A jersey I will always smile at every time I see it in my closet. A tribute to my friend Jeff every time I wear it.

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16 Days Remain Until The NHL Regular Season Begins

Happy Start Of The Preseason!

I must really enjoyed the grinding heart and soul kind of players for Maple Leafs. Darcy Tucker was definitely an instigator for the Leafs. Teams hated playing against him especially Ottawa. I loved watching him get under the best players skin night after night. He wasn't always the cleanest player, sometimes a downright dirty rules breaker. He did what he had to do in order to give the Leafs a chance to win.

This jersey is interesting for a couple of different reasons. The Maple Leafs changed their leaf shoulder patch into a TML baseball style logo which I hated at first. The second thing was they added a sparkling silver layer to the numbers and TML patch. This choice was a little odd since the Maple Leafs usually keep their name and numbers basic white or blue. Another change was the mesh sides which seemed like a Nike thing to do. All of the changes add up to an interesting jersey for the Maple Leafs and something different for the collection.