Because They Earned It

Today is Remembrance Day in Canada, and Veterans Day in the United States. It is a day that we all should thank our military personnel of all generations for providing us the freedoms and liberties that we rarely give a second thought to on a day-to-day basis. From the battles waged in Europe during World War I and World War II to the current conflicts happening in the Middle East and Afghanistan, thank you to all the men and women of the Armed Forces who are out there protecting and peace-keeping at this very moment.

Thank you to the veterans who ended an evil regime in Germany before it had the opportunity to do even more evil.

And thank you to all the families and friends of fallen troops. Your sacrifices, while tragic and brutal, helped paved our nations to become leaders in happiness, health, and freedoms.

Today, I want to look back on all the military jerseys that have been featured on this blog. There have been a lot of jerseys that feature tributes to the men and women of the Armed Forces, and I'd like to run through these as a tribute to the brave men and women who have risked their lives for their country in the past, or are risking their lives currently and patriotically.

• The AHL's Portland Pirates honoured the men and women of the Armed Forces with a Stars and Stripes jersey on Saturday, November 8. It's very American, but it stirs the patriotic red blood as well.
• The UHL's Danbury Trashers went with a camouflage jersey to honour the Armed Forces. I don't mind this variety of camouflage, and we'll see a lot more in this article.
• The AHL's Providence Bruins took to the ice in camouflage on January 11, 2008 on a military tribute night. It might just be me, but Providence always does their promotional jerseys with class and style.
• The AHL's Manitoba Moose wore some traditional military-themed jerseys for their tribute night last season. I like the look of these jerseys - very classy.
• The OHL's Kitchener Rangers looked like a million bucks in their military tribute jerseys worn at last season's Memorial Cup. The poppy on the shoulder and the retro look makes these jerseys one of the best in my opinion. They also went out of their way in designing and creating the jerseys they wore for Remembrance Day last season. Classy looks by a classy junior team in Canada.
  
• The ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays honoured the men and women of the US Air Force with a tribute jersey in 2003-04. The blue camouflage is less striking than the green, but the honouring of the Air Force is commendable.
• The AHL's Rochester Americans held a military tribute night in 2007-08, and they got dressed up for it. Solid jersey from the Americans.
• The WCHL's Anchorage Aces held a military tribute night in 2000-01, and wore these jerseys. The logo changed to reflect the promotion, and these get higher marks for that kind of detail.
• The AHL's Bridgeport Sound Tigers wore camouflage jerseys for their military tribute night last season. Personally, the Mastercard sponsor patch should have been removed, but that's just me talking out loud.
• The NCAA's Hobart College Statesmen held a military tribute night, and got decked out in their camouflage jerseys. It's always interesting to see college teams doing promotions. While this jersey isn't the greatest, I like Hobart College's efforts.
• The CHL's New Mexico Scorpions wore a flag-themed jersey for their military tribute night. The small picture was the best that I could find.
• The CHL's Corpus Christi Rayz wore a jersey that represented the United Services Organization in honour of the men and women in the Armed Forces. The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is a private, nonprofit organization that provides morale and recreational services to members of the U.S. military worldwide. Fabulous jerseys for a wonderful cause.
• The AHL's Manchester Monarchs held a military tribute night on November 17, 2007, and donned these camouflage jerseys for the evening.
• The ECHL's Bakersfield Condors honoured Veterans Day with a very patriotic jersey in 2006-07. The flag jerseys seem to be less prevalent than the camouflage jerseys, but they do have a much bolder look.
• The CHL's Laredo Bucks went camouflage for Veterans Day in 2007. The logo is a little understated on the green background, but the look achieves the goal.
• The WHL's Spokane Chiefs wore a blue camouflage jersey to honour the men and women of the Armed Forces. The red numbers are a little less commanding, but it's a pretty solid jersey.
• The AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins wore this camouflage jersey in 2006-07 for their military tribute night. The military font is a nice touch.
• The NCAA's Army Black Knights wear the capital "A" at home, but their alternate jerseys are gorgeous. I need to get me one of those alternates. I love the colour of them. Army also rolled out their new uniforms this season, and they feel a little bit like the Dallas Stars. They still look sharp, though.

There are your military-themed jerseys that have been featured on this blog. I'm quite certain that there will be more as well, so I'll keep looking for them. A lot of gorgeous jerseys have been made to honour the men and women of the Canadian and US Armed Forces, and I'm happy to present them here to you.

Again, thank you to all the men and women who have served and who are serving as a member of the Armed Forces. We're all endebted to you for all you've done, and all you will be asked to do.

Lastly, while I'm on the subject of thank-yous, I want to say thank you to Miss Cody K. Cody recently gave me a fabulous hockey trivia book, and I may use some of those questions on here. Thank you for the gift, Cody!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!