The Avs Hockey Podcast

Two Fan's Perspectives on Colorado Avalanche Hockey...and jerseys too.

Joe Sakic: 2000 All-Star Jersey with a Mystery Signature

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As a jersey collector there simply are some jerseys you just have to wait for and this was one of those jerseys.  This is a 2000 All-Star jersey that I purchased blank that was then customized by Denver Athletic into a Joe Sakic classic.

Why 91?  Back in 2000 Steve Yzerman was still playing for the Red Wings and was obviously a regular when it came to all-star games.  As tradition goes, the player with more career goals and/or seniority gets to keep their jersey number if there are duplicate numbers.  Sakic then switched the nine and the one and became 91.  Sakic had also done this in past international tournaments when Sakic and Yzerman were both on Team Canada.

Acquiring this jersey took a lot of patience and time, but it was worth it.  Blank jerseys in a style this old don’t pop up on eBay very often at all.  The eBay auction had a mystery attached to it though.  You can see on the back of the right shoulder that this jersey is autographed.  I usually don’t make a habit of buying jerseys that are autographed because I like to wear them to games, but I had waited too long for a blank version of this jersey to pass on it.  Here’s the autograph.

The seller didn’t list who the jersey was signed by and I had a really tough time figuring out who it was as well.  I did know, right away, that unfortunately it wasn’t Joe Sakic’s signature.  I won the auction for a decent price and waited for an explanation.  I didn’t have to wait long as details were within the confirmation email from the seller.  They notified me that, per eBay policy, they weren’t allowed to list who the jersey was signed by without proper documentation.  According to the seller the signature was from recent Hall of Fame inductee, number 93, Doug Gilmour.  Gilmour didn’t play in the 2000 All-Star game so I have no idea what his signature is doing on this jersey.  And on a quick side note, he really likes apples.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18zsScCM1kY[/youtube]

 

There are ways to get pretty much anything off jerseys, including signatures in Sharpie, but I think I’ll leave it on there.  Why not?  It’s not hurting anything.  Two Hall of Fame players represented on one jersey is a pretty good thing and plus, they’ll always have a special connection.

We Talkin’ ‘Bout Practice…Jerseys

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In case you were wondering, the title of this post was inspired by one of the most epic press conferences ever.  Ladies and gentleman, I give you Allen Iverson.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGDBR2L5kzI&feature=related[/youtube]

And if you’re into remixes, you’ll LOVE this:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exOxUAntx8I[/youtube]

 

My collection includes three Colorado Avalanche practice jerseys, all of them are different colors and all have their own “personality.”  These jerseys are made of Ultrafil (which the Avs have never worn during game action in their history in Denver) and they all have fight straps.  When it comes to getting one of these jerseys, there are practice jerseys available through retail dealers, but they won’t be the same style as these jerseys.  The retail versions of the jerseys are more of a replica than they are an authentic jersey.  And just for the record, I have never seen an authentic practice jersey available through any retail seller.

The first practice jersey I added to my collection was gray.  Apologies for the glare in the images.  I guess Reebok wanted NHL hockey players to be able to be seen by drivers when they’re riding their bikes and running near busy roads late at night while wearing this jersey.  Mission accomplished.  *FLASH!*

The next two jerseys I acquired at the 2010-2011 Avalanche annual equipment sale at Pepsi Center.  This was the first sale that I knew was going to include player used jerseys of any kind so I made it a point to be there early and I wasn’t disappointed.  When I walked in I was greeted by a whole rack of practice worn jerseys, in sizes 56 and 58, with various numbers on the backs for $50 each.  That was an easy sale there.  I picked up a black jersey:

And a blue version, which people comment on in a positive way pretty often.  There’s something about the color of this jersey I guess.

As far as the numbers, don’t even ask.  I have no clue who wore these in action and there’s pretty much no way to confirm it even if I did have some kind of a clue.  One thing is for sure, they were used at one point or another by the team.  They don’t show a lot of wear, but there’s enough to know they were worn on the ice.

Speaking of the numbers, they distracted me so much that I missed a detail that I usually pick up on right away on any other jersey.  The NHL shields are different on the two jerseys I picked up at Pepsi Center.  The blue jersey has the “old” NHL emblem on the front of the neck, as shown here:

This shield debuted in the late 90s.  It has a sparkle that the newer version doesn’t.  The black jersey I purchased featured a “new” NHL shield with the letters in “NHL” going up.

The league changed to this emblem after the lockout of the 2004-2005 season and they’re still using it.  The lesson here, pay attention to your emblems.  They make it simpler to tell which era an NHL jersey is from.

Overall, I’m happy with these jerseys.  They’re a nice change from jerseys we see all of the time on the ice.  They are also perfect to wear to stick and puck sessions.  I don’t have to worry about damaging these jerseys if I happen to totally wipe out lose an edge.  An extra mark or two won’t make any difference at all.

So…Allen Iverson may not be able to make his teammates better by practice, but I can definitely make my collection better with practice…um…jerseys.

The Avs Hockey Podcast, Episode #65

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In this podcast my partner James “Tapeleg” Gralian and I break down the off season for the Avalanche.  We cover free agency, the draft, the two new goaltenders for the Avs, and a bunch of Avs and NHL related stuff in between.  Those topics and, as always, much, much more in episode #65 of The Avs Hockey Podcast.  Good talkin’ to you again Avalanche fans!

No Avs player has worn jersey number 65?  I think not!

The AHP #65, It’s All About the Jerseys (And Your Help)

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Hi again everyone.  James and I are planning a summer podcast focused on jerseys and want you to be a part of the show.  We’ll plan the show based on your questions and feedback and would love to hear from you.  You can choose to participate in many different ways.

You can click on this link —> http://goo.gl/uCdd2 , fill out the Google form, and click submit.

You can comment on The Avs Hockey Podcast’s Facebook page found here.  If you leave a comment there please include the favorite hockey jersey in your collection (if you have a collection.)

You can leave a comment on this blog post.  If you leave a comment here please include the favorite hockey jersey in your collection (if you have a collection.)

Or you can email James and me at avalanchepodcast@comcast.net.

Check out a few of James’ jerseys on his jersey blog, Jerseys and Hockey Love.  Check out the whole blog as well as some of the stories about his jerseys on “The Jerseys” tab.

Check out the stories behind some of my jerseys on my blog here under the categories section on the right.  And here are pictures of most of the hockey jerseys in my collection.  Bookmark my gallery as I post pictures every once in a while.

We’re looking forward to hearing from you and are looking forward to the show as well.  Keep an eye out on Twitter and Facebook for details about when the show will be posted.  Thanks Avalanche fans!