92-93 Wayne MacPhee Brantford Smoke Jersey

March 10th, 2008

This is the game worn 1992-93 home Brantford Smoke jersey of defenseman Wayne MacPhee.

Wayne MacPhee was an undrafted rough and tumble blueliner who spent 4 junior seasons in the OHL with the North Bay Centennials playing alongside old school tough guys like Kevin Kerr and Nick Kypreos.

Following his junior days, he opted to attend the University of Prince Edward Island for two years and was named a CIS All-Canadian during the 1991-92 season.

He would begin his pro career in the fall of 1992 playing for his hometown Brantford Smoke, at the time, members of the Colonial Hockey League and the team won the Colonial Cup that season. This jersey is from his rookie season.

MacPhee would play in Brantford for 6 seasons as the CoHL would eventually become the United Hockey League in 1997.

I acquired this jersey in February of 2008 from Rick Cormier up in Moncton, NB.

The jersey shows nice wear with many repairs, including some re-inforced repairs up near the size tag. The jersey is a size XL and has a narrow snap and velcro fight strap. The red and black numbers are all sewn on.

The crest is a sewn-on twill patch with the train logo screened on. The is evidence of some blood staining on the smoke just above the engine.

The name is also screened to an Ice Sheen nameplate that is sewn on. The back hem features a HiLi manufacturers patch sewn on the right side.

This jersey is the only CoHL in my collection. It is also the only HiLi Ice Sheen jersey in my collection.

It is most definitely the ugliest jersey in my collection, by far, and therefore one of my favorites too.

Posted in Brantford Smoke, Colonial Hockey League | No Comments »

85-86 Sylvain Turgeon Hartford Whalers Jersey

March 4th, 2008

This is the game worn 1985-86 road Hartford Whalers jersey of left wing Sylvain Turgeon.

Sylvain Turgeon was drafted second overall by the Hartford Whalers in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft behind Brian Lawton. While Lawton would turn out to be a bust for the Minnesota North Stars, Turgeon would have immediate success at the NHL level leading the Whalers with 40 goals in his rookie season as an 18 year old.

Based on the CCM “born-on” date behind the size tag that reads “86 04″, this jersey was either worn towards the end of the 1985-86 season and/or the beginning of the 1986-87 season.

The Whalers only lasted two rounds (9 games) into the 1986 playoffs and based on the heavy wear this jersey shows, it’s reasonable to believe that it could also be from the 1986-87 season.

The jersey is a CCM mesh that I originally acquired from another collector in October of 1997.

The size tag, which is falling off reads TG/XL. It also has Turgeon’s 16 written on it in black sharpie as do all of the Hartford Whalers jerseys in my collection.

Name, numbers, and crest are all sewn. There is no nameplate, the letters are individually sewn on directly. The rear CCM hem pattern is blue-blue-green, with white lettering, and is embroidered.

Inside, the fightstrap has pulled free from the twill base and the snap has also been pulled through. Turgeon was hardly a brawler, but the fightstrap clearly shows that it was a different game in the 1980’s.

The exterior of the jersey shows a ton of wear. Board burns, repairs, and stick marks litter the sleeves and front of the jersey. The white sections on the sleeves show some yellowing. The stitching at the front of the neckline has popped.

There are some easily identifiable black marks across the front crest as well as the numbers on the right and left sleeves, but to date, I haven’t found a photo match though I’ve no doubt one will turn up sooner or later. As luck would have it, most of the time the photos on hockey cards were not taken in Hartford, so the Whale are almost always in their road greens in pictures.

This is one of my favorites in my collection. Partially because it’s from a fan favorite of my favorite team, but mostly because of all of the wear it shows and because of the small size. It was a different era in the NHL. Equipment that fit, more goal scoring, and a lot more rough stuff…

Posted in Hartford Whalers, National Hockey League | No Comments »

98-99 Joe Suk Macon Whoopee Jersey

March 2nd, 2008

This is the game worn 1998-99 road Macon Whoopee jersey of center Joe Suk.

While born in Chicago, Joe Suk opted to head north as a teenager and spent four seasons playing for the Hull Olympiques before opting to go to University — again, north of the border.

Following four seasons playing for Dalhousie, Suk made his professional debut in the ECHL with the Louisville Riverfrogs for the 1995-96 season.

That would be the peak of his professional career as the following season, he headed to Macon, Georgia to play for the Central Hockey League’s Macon Whoopee.

This jersey is likely from the 1998-99 season when Joe suited up for 68 games. He finished fifth on the team in scoring with 15 goals and 26 assists. His younger brother, Steve Suk would finish second on the team in scoring that season.

Following his playing career and after the Whoopee folded, Suk became the general manager of the Macon Trax which played in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League, the WHA2, and the Southern Professional Hockey League before eventually folding as well. He is still involved in hockey in the Atlanta area.

The jersey is made of a mesh material and the numbers, front crest, shoulder patches, and the assistant’s “A” are all sewn tackle twill. The nameplate is mesh and the letters are individually sewn.

It was manufactured by Jersey Express and is a size XXL. The ironed-on Jersey Express logo on the rear hem has fallen off, though there is still evidence of it being there. There is a velcro-snap fight strap.

The front fig leaf crest is signed by Suk with his number 77 immediately underneath. The jersey shows light wear overall.

I originally acquired this jersey from William Samples in February of 2004.

While this jersey doesn’t really fit my usual “Hartford” theme, who could not want a Macon Whoopee jersey with the classic fig leaf logo?

And when the player’s last name is Suk and the team’s name is Macon Whoopee, well, it’s almost like an added bonus.

Posted in Central Hockey League, Macon Whoopee | No Comments »

03-04 Marc Staal Sudbury Wolves Jersey

February 24th, 2008

This is the game worn 2003-04 road Sudbury Wolves jersey of defenseman Marc Staal.

The jersey is a Maska Ultrafil knit jersey manufactured by CCM. It’s a size 54 and shows no customizations. There are stick marks all over the front hem and the sleeves are littered with board burns, small un-repaired holes, and slices.

There is one large unrepaired 3+ inch horizontal slice just below the “W” on the front crest. In fact, there aren’t any repairs on this jersey, though it could definitely use some work.

The front crest is all sewn. On the chest are the OHL’s league patch on the right side and the CCM patch on the left size. The back has the CCM patch again sewn to the back of the neck and the CHL logo is embroidered to the lower left side hem. The fightstrap is stained blue.

Marc Staal wore this jersey for his first season in the OHL in 2003-04 when he scored just one goal, along with 13 assists, over 61 games. Hardly league leading numbers, but his defensive ability lead him to be drafted in the first round, 12th overall, by the New York Rangers in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

I originally purchased this jersey from long time Sudbury Wolves employee Curtis Hall in January of 2006, a few months before Staal would take the ice for my hometown Hartford Wolf Pack during the 2006 Calder Cup playoffs.

As memory serves, Staal was terrible his first 12 games at the professional level and essentially cost the Wolf Pack a playoff series, but another year in Sudbury for the 2006-07 season was just what he needed as he’s holding his own on Broadway these days…

Posted in Ontario Hockey League, Sudbury Wolves | No Comments »

93-94 Scott Humeniuk Springfield Indians Jersey

February 24th, 2008

This is the game worn 1993-94 home Springfield Indians jersey of defenseman Scott Humeniuk. It may also have been worn during the 1992-93 season.

The jersey is a Maska Ultrafil knit jersey manufactured by CCM. It’s a size 50 and shows no customizations. The wear isn’t exactly light, but it doesn’t show tons of wear as stick marks tend to wash out of maska knit jerseys with repeated laundering.

There are numerous small holes on the sleeves and board burns on the elbows and shoulders. The neck line exhibits DTG’s classic “general filth”. I hate that term, but sometimes it’s the best way to say it.

Everything is sewn on and the name is sewn on to a knit nameplate. The CCM logo on the back hem is embroidered in navy with white letters.

The crest is really unique for a hockey jersey. It’s made of the typical tackle twill that you see on most jerseys, but the detail on the indian, most noticeable on the hair and the feather, is embroidered with chenille, giving it some definition reminiscent of old high school varsity letters.

Springfield Indians jerseys don’t come up too often in the market, especially the few seasons that they wore the Hartford Whalers‘ color scheme before becoming the Springfield Falcons, so this is one of my favorites in the closet. I acquired it from collector Dennis Arnold on March 18, 2007.

Scott Humeniuk was an undrafted defenseman who was signed by the Hartford Whalers prior to the 1990-91 season. Never reaching the NHL, Humeniuk’s best pro season came during the 1993-94 season in Springfield when he scored 15 goals and added 42 assists over 71 games.

After his time in Springfield, he bounced around a bit for 2 seasons at the AHL/IHL level playing for the Minnesota Moose, Portland Pirates, Rochester Americans, and Providence Bruins before heading to Europe where he spent one season in Finland and another in Germany.

Humeniuk returned to North America for the 1998-99 season and found a spot on the blue line for the ECHL’s now defunct Baton Rouge Kingfish.

Unfortunately, Humeniuk’s season (and career) was cut short due to injury.

The Kingfish would later retire his number.

Posted in American Hockey League, Springfield Indians | 4 Comments »

07-08 Greg Moore Hartford Wolf Pack Jersey

February 23rd, 2008

This is the set 1 game worn 2007-08 road Hartford Wolf Pack jersey of Greg Moore.

It’s actually my second Rbk Edge jersey, but the first that I’m featuring on the site. The first difference I noticed on the Edge jersey was not the sizing that many collectors have been complaining about.

Recently, I ruffled a few feathers on one of the forums when another collector was complaining that his size 58 was too small for him and that he’d need a size 64. Perhaps it was in jest, but I’m standing my ground — if you can’t fit into a size 56 Rbk Edge jersey, you have a serious weight problem. Plain and simple.

Besides, wearing a hockey jersey anywhere else other than a hockey game or to go ice skating or something, on an adult, just looks silly. My opinion.

Anyway, the first thing I noticed that was very different with the Edge jerseys was the weight. They’re heavy. And they’re all different — the seams and the fabric selection on the Wolf Pack jersey are totally different than on the Binghamton Senators jersey.

The striping on the hem, sleeves and the shoulder area are all a knit material. The side panels are a sort of an airknit/mesh combination fabric.

The front/back panels and the sleeves (excluding the stripes) and cuffs are the new Rbk Edge material. This is where the weight comes in. The Edge material is super stretchy, both vertically and horizontally, unlike airknits which only stretched one way. So even if you’re too fat to fit into a size 58 — I’m sure it’ll stretch out to a size 64 — um, if you really need it to.

The Edge material shows some nice wear — that’s for certain.

Of course, on a road jersey, it’s most noticeable on the white areas, but the jersey shows a lot more wear than anything I’ve received from any pro league since the late 1990’s. No complaints there. Makes for easy photomatching when you happen to be the team photographer as well.

There is tons of piling around the cuffs, on the underside, and on the hem. Un-repaired holes litter the forearms and elbows — even when the material switched over to knit.

The front of the jersey features a sponsor patch for the Hartford Insurance Company sewn on to the left side. There is also a ton of glue residue from the assistant captain’s “A” just to the left of the sponsor patch.

The Wolf Pack rotated the “A” for the first half of the season, and Moore happened to be up with the Rangers for the last couple of road games in this set, so the “A” was removed.

On the back, Rbk felt the need to label their work at the top and on the bottom with sewn on patches.  Can you say overkill?

The name is sewn on to a nameplate that’s made of the same airknit/mesh material that the side panels are made of. Numbers are sewn on, white the bottom level white, red trim on top, followed by navy trim on top of that.

The fightstrap is unaltered, as Moore isn’t exactly known as a brawler, but it’s pretty stretched out, and the velcro on it had torn up the Edge material quite a bit. Next to the Rbk logo sewn into the hem, the AHL’s secondary logo is sewn on a well.

On the inside of the rear hem is the Meigray patch which, quite honestly, I wish they wouldn’t bother with…

The 2007-08 season is Greg Moore’s third season with the Wolf Pack. He earned his first call-up to the NHL this year and has led the Wolf Pack in scoring for most of the season. He was also the lone representative of the Hartford Wolf Pack at the 2008 AHL All-star Classic in Binghamton, NY.

Originally drafted by the Calgary Flames in the 5th round, 143rd overall, in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Greg Moore was acquired by the New York Rangers along with Jamie McLennan and Blair Betts on March 6, 2004 in exchange for Chris Simon and a draft pick.

Posted in American Hockey League, Hartford Wolf Pack | No Comments »

Nike sells Bauer Hockey for $200 Million

February 21st, 2008

Nike Inc. has sold its Bauer Hockey subsidiary for US$200 million to an investor group led by Montreal businessman Graeme Roustan and U.S. private equity firm Kohlberg & Co.

The American athletic-goods giant, which acquired what it describes as hockey’s leading manufacturer in 1995, said Thursday it is pleased to have struck a deal with “strategic buyers who have a passion for hockey and are committed to continue to invest in Bauer’s long-term growth and brand leadership.”

Roustan, through private holding company Roustan Inc., places equity investments primarily in the arena business and aviation industry.

Kohlberg & Co., with offices in New York and California, has invested US$2 billion across six private equity funds.

Bauer, in business since 1927, is said to have developed the first skate with the blade attached to the boot, and it claims a No. 1 position in the hockey market.

Nike did not release specifics Thursday on Bauer’s sales and profitability, but CEO Mark Parker said “its team has done an incredible job.”

The sale, after a strategic review of Nike’s subsidiaries, “was a tough decision but one that was in the best interests of Nike and Bauer as we each look to maximize our respective growth opportunities,” Parker stated.

“Bauer is the most coveted hockey brand in the world,” said Roustan, who will be chairman of Bauer Hockey.

“It is a personal honour and privilege to have the opportunity to work with the existing dedicated team of professionals at Bauer and support this great company’s continued industry leadership well into the future.”

Bauer will continue to use the Nike Bauer trademark on existing products for up to two years.

Shame they ran the company into the ground… Nike never really brought anything to hockey besides those entertaining goaltender commercials in the 1990’s.

The good news is that Bauer is apparently back in Canadian hands, so maybe there is hope of a rebirth, though with CCM/KoHo getting pushed aside by Rbk, perhaps the few remaining Canadian manufacturers are destined to head the way of Cooper…

Oh, wait, Bauer put Cooper out of business before the Nike takeover ever happened… Sigh…

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Design Next Season’s Third Jersey

February 18th, 2008

My favorite team, the Hartford Wolf Pack, is currently running a contest right now where fans can submit their designs and one of them will be selected as next year’s third jersey.

As a designer myself, I think it’s a shortsighted idea.  Yeah, it’s a good idea to incorporate fan interaction, but realistically, things like this are best left to professionals otherwise they look, well, kinda like what homemade greeting cards look like.

Amateur. 

Sloppy.

And dare I say it… minor league… in an arena football sort of way.

But here’s to hoping there are a few pro quality designers interested in submitted their *un-paid* work for a chance at receiving a wee bit of publicity and zero compensation if they are selected.  Then, and only then, might we have a nice third jersey.

See, odds are stacked heavily against it.

Anyway, I’m sure they’re receiving a lot of tounge-in-cheek submissions like the one I threw together in less than 5 minutes at the top of this post and I hope the “judges” get a chuckle out of the numerous less-than-serious submissions they must be receiving.  I’m sure some are a hoot.

Sadly, though, I’m pretty sure my five minute joke design is probably of a higher quality than 99% of what they’re receiving. 

And I likely should, as a huge fan of the team and jersey collector, put my head down and piece together a top notch design, but you know what? 

I prefer to get paid for my time.

Posted in Hartford Wolf Pack, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Flashback: Byron’s Hockeyland Mailing List

February 8th, 2008

While cleaning out some old boxes from the attic I came across a bunch of all lists from my early days in the hobby. Lists and primitive catalogs from Milt, Meigrey, DHC, and Drop the Gloves from the late 1990’s…

The big headline from Milt in December of 1999 month was:

We are now offering our LIST sent to you Via E MAIL. Current mail list subscribers only. E-mail us your E mail address to get set up for a once a month E mailing, Which replaced the printed copy sent to you. You will be able to get it faster this way. The set up is Microsoft Word.

I thought some of the old time collectors might like to reminisce, and some of the newer collectors would see how we used to do things — via standard snail mail and telephone, so I scanned it in. Thinking back, lists like Milt’s were a gold mine.

My first example of the old days is Byron’s Hockeyland List #131 from December of 1999.

It’s a pretty large download, coming in at 11 megs, but you can print it out and relive the old days and the thrill of the chase.

No one stop shopping with a click of the mouse back then — you had to work the phones.

Some of my favorites on there are an Ed Belfour Chicago Blawkhawks gamer for $1500. Still pricey, but when you compare it to the $1000 an Eric Daze gamer (on page 3) went for back then, Belfour was a steal! Hard to imagine Daze had that much of an upside back in 1999, huh?

Page one had a Toronto Maple Leafs Mike Gartner jersey on sale for $1000. I wouldn’t mind having that one in the closet now.

Page six has a jersey that I actually called about back then, the 1993-94 and 1994-95 Hershey Bears Chris Winnes jerseys. Both had already sold when I called — and I’ve yet to see either turn up again on the open market. If anyone has them, yep, I’m still interested.

Download the list.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

88-89 Andy Bezeau Moncton Turbines Jersey

February 6th, 2008

This is the 1988-89 Moncton Turbines home jersey of Andy Bezeau.

Andy Bezeau was arguably the best hockey fighter pound-for-pound ever.  Unfortunately his small stature (5-9, 185) limited his chances of suiting up for an NHL team, but for those with extensive hockey knowledge, he is among the elite when it comes to racking up PIM’s.

Ranking among the likes of Gary Coupal, though with far fewer suspensions over his career, Bezeau racked up an astounding 590 penalty minutes for the Fort Wayne Komets during the 1995-96 season.  That included 36 fighting majors, 11 misconducts, and 9 game misconducts.

Two years earlier, while a member of South Carolina Sting Rays, Bezeau put up 10 goals and 10 assists in just 36 games.  Those decent offensive numbers were probably why he was drafted by Boston Bruins in the 11th Round, 231st overall, in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft.  Amazingly, he also spent 352 minutes in the penalty box during those 36 games.

Fittingly, he finished out his career with Boston’s affiliate playing in one game for the Providence Bruins during the 2000-01 season.  For the record, he logged 8 more penalty minutes that night.

Prior to trying out for the OHL’s Niagara Falls Thunder in 1989, Bezeau played Tier II junior hockey for the Moncton Turbines, just up the road from his native Saint John, New Brunswick.

This knit CCM jersey shows very heavy wear and the classic “general filth”.  The CCM logo on the back hem is embroidered in a blue-blue-green pattern. Numbers and crest are all sewn.  There is a velcro nameplate, but the Bezeau plate has been removed.  Size tag has also been removed, but it looks to be a size 50 or 52.

Bezeau signed the back number 1 in a thick black sharpie, but over the last decade the signature has faded out entirely. 

While very well worn, there are no customizations to the velcro-snap fight strap, but you have to remember, Bezeau was just a teenager when he wore this jersey and possibly more of an offensive player than anything else.  The stitching on the neck line is popped though, so I’m sure he took part in some of the rough stuff as well.

I originally won this jersey in the first Drop the Gloves auction in 1998 back when we still had to use telephones to participate in auctions.  The only reason I bid was because it had the Hartford Whalers color scheme.  Sad but true.

Posted in Tier II Juniors | No Comments »