Whose Shirt Is This?
Most of the jerseys hanging in my closet have a name and number on them as shown above. Some, as shown with the question marks, have neither name nor number on them while others like the "White Whale" specifically will not have anything applied to the back. A couple of jerseys, including the "Blood Jersey", have numbers, but are missing names so I need to figure out who wore the jersey prior to it landing in my closet. Today, we'll look at those jerseys missing elements to see what suggestions you may have!
Let me be clear in that any jersey I wear has to be true to the era of that jersey. For example, there's a New York Islanders jersey in the "Future Jerseys" section that will not have a name like Lafontaine or Bossy on it because that jersey is from the era where the CCM logo appeared on the neckline and the NHL shield is on the hemline. Jerseys have to remain true to their eras in my books - it's a peccadillo I have when it comes to jerseys.
That aside, let's dig into some of these jerseys that need customizing!
PLAYER: #23 Teddy Blueger
There were a handful of players I had considered for the Mavericks, but Teddy Blueger seems like the best choice. CJ Suess had his name in the mix, but I kept coming back to Blueger because he wore the alternate captaincy as well. With "Mavericks" running diagonal down the front of the jersey, it would be my first to feature a letter with that style.
PLAYER: #30 Andrei Mezin
Before he shocked Sweden and the world with his incredible goaltending at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, Andrei Mezin wore #30 for Belarus at the 1998 Nagano Olympics where the team didn't fare as well. This is the old 1998-2001 Nike jersey that has "Belarus" spelled in English across the front and it's a goalie cut, so there aren't other options.
PLAYER: #94 Ryan Smyth
I'm open to suggestions here, but the 18-game cameo by Smyth on Long Island is a fun jersey. I already have a Miroslav Satan Islanders jersey, so don't suggest him. A #77 Cliff Ronning jersey might be underrated considered he finished his career there, but I'm open to suggestions on this one. Just don't suggest a long-term Islander or a player who played one or two games unless it's a big name. Cameo jerseys are supposed to be fun.
PLAYER: #61 Maxim Afinogenov
I'll be honest: I'm not set on Afinogenov at all. I have a white Buffa-Slug with Drury on it so he's out, but it's not a goalie cut so guys like Ty Conklin and Jocelyn Thibault are also out. I had considered a #27 Numminen, but I already have a Coyotes jersey with him on the back. This one might be tough because there are so few Buffalo jersey cameos. Suggestions are open for the Buffa-Slug, but you need to convince me!
PLAYER: #9 Mike Modano
Do you remember the NHLPA 4-on-4 Hockey Challenge that took place in 1994 in Hamilton, Ontario? If you don't, here's the video. I happen to have one of the red NHLPA jerseys that Team USA used in that game, but it's missing the patches. It's going to take some effort to get patches, but do I go Modano? Roenick? Hull? Housley? It's a who's who for American players, but I may stick with Modano. You're welcome to sway my allegiance here, though.
PLAYER: #23 Barry Dreger
Whoever owned the jersey before me put the wrong number font on the back, so this one needs to be changed. There were lots of good players who played in Orlando, but Barry Dreger was a tough guy from Winnipeg who joined the Solar Bears. Bill Armstrong, who came up with the lacrosse-style goal, also played there. Jason Blake was there for a short time. Needless to say, I have options for players, but the local guy makes sense.
PLAYER: #7 Chris Chelios
Back in 2005 during the NHL lockout, players were looking for places to play all over the place. The UHL's Motor City Mechanics were needing an attendance boost that season, so they signed a pile of locked-out NHL players that included Chris Chelios, Derian Hatcher, Kris Draper, Bryan Smolinski, and Sean Avery. Draper never played due to a visa issue, but the others did. I'm missing a pile of patches off this jersey that the Mechanics wore, but how cool would that #7 Chelios jersey be?
PLAYER: #30 (no name)
You might be asking why I have a "blood jersey" on the image at the top, and that's because I truly have one. The ECHL's Stockton Thunder played a Hockey Heritage Weekend against the Alaska Aces and wore these Islanders-inspired jerseys as the Stockton Rough & Ready Islanders. I wrote about it back in 2020, but that jersey has remained in my closet without a name because no one wore it for the two games on that 2014 weekend. Because no one wore it, it will remain without a name while it lives in my closet.
PLAYER: no customization
The "white whale" jersey often comes up for discussion when people see the image at the top, but it's legitimately one of the rarer jerseys I have in my collection of non-rare jerseys. I wrote about the discovery of why the jersey's history makes it rare back in 2021, but it's safe to say that I will not be putting a name or number on this style of Blue Jackets jersey because they were not worn on the ice! This one won't be worn anytime soon either!
PLAYER: #1 (no name)
When the Melbourne Mustangs heled Jason and I out with jerseys to cheer on the team, we were floored when they sent us game-used jerseys. Needless to say, we feel pretty lucky to have made a connection with them. The only thing the Mustangs don't do is sell those game-worn jerseys with names on the back. My Melbourne jersey has #1 on the back, but it needs a name. I need to do some research as to who wore this fantastic jersey over the last two AIHL seasons!
I'm not expecting any jerseys to make their way to me over the holidays, so I'm going to focus on getting the ones identified as needing customization done. I would like to add one more specific jersey if I could, but we'll see about availability in the new year. In any case, feel free to leave suggestions in the comments below as no reasonable suggestion will be turned down when it comes to figuring out whose name and number should be worn! Just remember that era and cameos matter to me!
If there's a jersey you're looking to have customized and need a suggestion, let me know as well! I'm happy to do some research and give you the best player I believe should be on your back when you're wearing that jersey. If you want a grid like this made up, I might just help you out if your collection is as weird and wacky as mine is!
Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!
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