The Avs Hockey Podcast

The 2001-2002 Avalanche season was special for a few different reasons.  First, it was a chance for the Avs and their fans to call themselves the defending Stanley Cup champions for the second time in the team’s history.  Another reason…these jerseys.

This is a 2001-2002 Stephane Yelle game worn, set II, alternate jersey worn later in the 2001-2002 regular season.  It shows plenty of game use and represents Yelle’s style of play very well.  Some of the game use includes a nice burgundy board burn on the right sleeve.

There is also a very small hole on the left sleeve, along with a clean half-inch slice on the elbow.  The hole is just above the double elbow stitching on the black stripe on the left and the slice is on the right side of the thick burgundy stripe in the middle of the sleeve straight through that same double elbow stitching.  I think the only thing that could have caused a clean cut like that was a skate blade.

There is also more evidence of game use on the left side of the front of the jersey, with the mark that’s easiest to see being a stick mark on the white stripe.

An interesting thing about these jerseys is the way they’re tagged.  The Avs organization, at this time in history, tagged their own jerseys to prove they were game worn with tags that looked like this.

That tag can be found on the inside of the bottom hem on the back middle of the jersey.  If you look closely at the image of the front of this jersey (the very first picture in this post) you can see the set tag hanging out just a tiny bit on the middle of the bottom.  As far as I know, the first set of the 2001-2002 sets of jerseys were distributed by the Avs themselves.  The second set of the thirds, whites, and burgundy jerseys and third sets of the whites and burgundy jerseys were purchased by Meigray and that’s where the partnership with them began.  The paperwork I received with this jersey is all authenticated by Meigray.  That partnership, to the joy of one jersey collector in particular, still exists today.

Stephane Yelle is one Avalanche player that I’ve always liked and respected.  He’s never been one of my very favorites, but he is a big reason why fans have two seasons full of Stanley Cup memories.  He was one of the small handful of Avalanche players that was on both the 1996 and 2001 championship teams.  He was that solid guy on the penalty kill as well as that solid third or fourth liner that allowed the first and second lines to save enough energy so they could bury tons of pucks throughout the years.  On October 1, 2002, Yelle was part of the Chris Drury to Calgary deal.  On March 3, 2010 Yelle, who was then a member of the Carolina Hurricanes, was traded back to the Avs.   It was definitely exciting to see Yelle come back to Denver during last season’s trade deadline.  It kind of felt like old times.  It doesn’t look like Yelle will be back with the Avs for the 2010-2011 season, but that doesn’t mean that us Avs fans will forget about what he did for the organization during his two stays in Denver.

As far as the jersey goes, I’ve had a really tough time trying to find collectors and hockey fans that don’t like the design and look of the old Avalanche third jerseys.  Whoever was in charge of planning these jerseys and making them happen did an outstanding job.  The “throwback” feel is the main detail many people enjoyed about them.  The new third jerseys are okay, but they’ll never replace the look and feel of the original alternate jerseys, that’s for sure.

I know what some of you are thinking, “Seriously Jay?  Another Scott Parker jersey?  Do you really need two of them in your collection?”  Hang with me here, I can explain.  First, I am a stickler for small details.  The jerseys I love and prefer are the jerseys that are either worn on the ice or made for players to wear on the ice.  That way I know they are done right, and that’s a big deal to me.  Second, I am not only a jersey collector, but I’m also a jersey wearer.  My Dad and I go to about 25 games a season at Pepsi Center so I like to have options.  Third, I’m a big guy.  I’m six feet, four inches tall and I weigh 250 pounds.  Finding jerseys that fit me is tough.  In the old style of jersey, the Koho/RBK 6100 model, I was able to wear the same size as most of the players wore on the ice.  That was a size 56.  I also get along just fine with a size 58 as well.  With the new Edge jerseys, there are only three Avalanche players that I can wear because of the newer, more tapered style.  These three Avs wear a size 58+: Adam Foote, David Koci, and Wes O’Neill.  Scott Parker was another Avalanche player whose jersey fit me in the Edge style, but as you already know, if you’re an Avalanche fan or a loyal reader of my blog, Parker retired a couple of seasons ago.  His retirement wasn’t before he wore this jersey in a 2008-2009 preseason game though.

The Sheriff must not have played that much in the games when he wore this jersey because the only evidence of game use is this simple stick mark on the left elbow.

In the grand scheme of things a mark like that isn’t that big of a deal, but jersey collectors will say it’s pretty darn cool.  It’s the type of stuff we love.

Even though “Parksie” didn’t skate very much in this jersey during the small handful of preseason games that it was worn in doesn’t mean that it wasn’t designed to withstand some serious action and abuse.  I had no idea this modification on the the neck was there until I unfolded the jersey from the box it came in.  Check out the stitching on the NHL shield.

Here’s what that stitching is holding in place.

That’s a piece of elastic that’s sewn on to keep the jersey from tearing down the middle when it’s stretched during fights.  The same precaution is found on two game worn Ian Laperriere jerseys in my collection found here and here.  These are the “small” details that I love when it comes to collecting jerseys.

I hope my explanation at least makes some sense as to why there are so many obscure players in my collection.  I’m always looking for great deals on jerseys that I can wear to Pepsi Center while I cheer on my favorite NHL team.  As for why I need so many of said Avalanche jerseys?  Don’t ask.  I really don’t have an answer to that question.  It’s a sickness that I’ll admit to someday, but that day’s obviously not today and tomorrow’s not looking so good to be that day either.