Jersey Hitlist

Before I get to the meat and potatoes of today's post, here are some Portland Pirates ReDesign entries.

Pirates Entry (by Elias)

Pirates Entry (by Mateus)

Pirates Entry (by Tyler G.)

 

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My jersey collection is really starting to round into shape. However, with a child due in August I can see this expensive hobby of mine dwindling away. As the jersey collection has grown though, so to has my list of "wants". I've also noticed that I have become pickier with the types of jerseys that I want.

For example, I used to think that I would be able to live with the single layer plastic Reebok Edge shoulder patches that they use on their replica sweaters. That was until the Leafs put shoulder patches on their new jerseys for the 2010-11 season. Now those crappy patches drive me nuts! I also read a while ago, that washing your jersey too much causes those patches to fade away, like an eraser was slowly being worked on them. Washing your replica jersey is probably the worst thing you can do to it. It slowly washes away your crappy shoulder patches and will cause "bubbling" underneath your primary crest and numbers.

Anyways, my dislike of those shoulder patches leads me to want Reebok authentic sweaters. And then I purchased a Game-Used jersey last summer. Now I'm hooked on Game-Used. If I had infinite amounts of cash, all I would buy would be Game-Used's.

Reebok slapped jersey collectors in the face again at the beginning of this season (2011-12). They transferred the production of the authentic sweaters from Canada to Indonesia. Now those authentics do not match the actual sweaters worn on the ice by the players. Materials were all the same, but the big difference came inside the collar. Take a look below.

As you can see you never really got EXACTLY what was worn on the ice, but the sweaters made in Canada are a lot closer than the one's made in Indonesia! I walked into the Leafs' team store this year and asked a guy there if they had any authentics left from last season that had been made in Canada. He looked at me like I had three heads. I guess I deserve it for being a jersey snob.

Having said all that, I thought that I would compile a list of my most sought after jerseys. These are the ones that I would most like to add to my collection. Here we go...

Toronto Maple Leafs 1992-93 Felix Potvin jersey

When Mitchell & Ness put this up for sale I was really excited. Potvin was my favourite Leaf growing up and the 1992-93 season was very memorable, also one of my favourites. The only thing that could have made this better was if it was the white jersey. My worry with this one is that it will go away before I get the chance to purchase it.

KHL jerseys

For some reason recently I have been really keen on adding obscure sweaters to my collection. Sporting a KHL jersey would definitely get some second looks and some questions. A lot of the sweaters in that league are terrible, but there are a couple (shown above) that I do really like. Atlant Moscow Oblast and CSKA Moscow, also known as the Red Army team. The Atlant jersey is the only one made by Reebok in the KHL. The CSKA sweater just looks tremendous. I'd want it even if they weren't in the KHL. ProRussianJerseys.com seems like a solid site to get a tonne or Russian league and KHL sweaters. National team sweaters as well.

Vancouver Canucks 40th Anniversary jersey

Christmas 2010, I had some gift money to burn. I knew I was spending it on jerseys, but which ones? At the time, it came down to this one, Buffalo's anniversary jersey, and the Hawks' 3rd. I went with Buffalo and Chicago, which I regret not choosing this Canucks jersey over one of them. This one is now nearly impossible to get a hold of because they only made it for the 2010-11 season. If I do find one it's only ever in SML or MED sizes.

Buffalo Sabres Game-Used 2008 Winter Classic jersey

Why does this have to be game used? Because the version they sold as a "replica" was just a CCM Vintage jersey with Reebok tags. It wasn't the same shade of blue, it wasn't Edge cut, and it didn't have collar laces. Check out the comparison below.

At this point, yes I would take a Dmitri Kalinin jersey! His and Derek Roy's are the only ones I've seen go up for auction and that was a while ago. I think I'd even take a "game-ready" jersey. Which is a jersey prepared for a player who didn't play in the game. I was thinking of having a custom jersey company make a blank sweater with the stripes and then trying to get the patches from Ebay.

Manitoba Moose green road jersey

Now that the Moose are gone I realize how great they looked! As I mentioned with the KHL jerseys above, I would like to expand my collection outside of the NHL. The Moose had one of my favourite AHL looks and pre-Edge they looked even better. I should probably learn my lesson from the above Canucks jersey and purchase this one before it's gone forever. The online AHL store has them on "clearance" for $99.

Toronto Maple Leafs game worn home jersey

This may be #1 on my wishlist. I have a game worn road and a replica road. I also have a replica 3rd, but the home jersey is missing from my collection. As I mentioned above, there's no way I can buy a replica of my team's jersey with those terrible shoulder patches. It's a tough decision when I purchase a game worn Leafs jersey. I try to find the cheaper sweaters, which is around $400. Usually those include the lesser known players, but I love those types of jerseys. It then becomes a matter to trying a player who wore a size 58 sweater. After that I would like to find a decent player from that group of "lesser knowns" wearing a 58. From THIS group of sweaters from last season, I would probably go with Carl Gunnarson...if he wore a size 58.

Honourable Mentions

Might Ducks Wild Wing jersey

LA Kings Burger King jersey

Connecticut Whale green road jersey 2011-12

St. Louis Blues Gretzky jersey
Toledo Walleye dark blue 2011-12 3rd jersey

Hamilton Bulldogs 2012 Outdoor Classic jersey
Quad City Mallards black jersey

LA Kings 92-93 black Gretzky jersey

What jersey or jerseys are on your "Most Wanted" list? Leave some comments and let us know what jerseys you want, how close you have come to getting them, and maybe how long you have been waiting to get them.