Reader Submission - 2007-08 Chicago Steel Andy Miele Jersey

Out latest reader submission comes from Tony Bakken, a big fan of the the Chicago Steel of the USHL and player Andy Miele in particular. Here is Tony's story about his jersey collection:

The jersey(s) I would like to feature are three out of four of the 2007-08 Chicago Steel jerseys worn by Andy Miele. The fourth jersey from this set, from what I have been told, is in Andy's possession. Andy has played four seasons for the USHL, which is a Tier I junior hockey league, starting out with the Cedar Rapids Roughriders and finishing his last two years with the Chicago Steel. His most notable achievement with the Steel was in his final season when he scored 30 goals in 29 games, giving him the honors as the all-time goal scoring leader for the Chicago Steel with 43 goals scored in 72 games. The previous holder of this record took 135 games to score 42 goals.

Andy went on to college at Miami University (Ohio), where he continued to perform at a high level, earning a slew of awards for the 2010-11 season, including CCHA Player of the Year, CCHA Tournament MVP, USA Hockey's College Player of the Year, and the Hobey Baker Award. Following his college hockey career, Andy has since inked a contract with the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes, joining fellow Steel alumni John Moore (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Phillip Samuelson (Pittsburgh Penguins) in the NHL.

The Chicago Steel are part of the USHL and were formed in 2000 when they moved to Bensenville, IL from Fargo, North Dakota. They play out of the Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville, which is known as being the former practice rink for the Chicago Blackhawks. Over the years the Steel have worn many different style of jersey and it's been pretty normal for them to change their designs on a yearly basis. The 2007-08 season featured four jerseys in total, two home and two away. The standout jersey from this season would be the red alternate which is a design based on an old Ottawa 67's jersey, which was influenced by a vintage Ottawa Senators barberpole jersey. They added their own touch with the Steel logo shoulder pads and their "C" logo, which looks very similar to the Blackhawks "C" shoulder patch, a design that many Chicago hockey teams use.

A small sampling of the Steel jerseys over the years can bee seen on my photo bucket page here.

2007-08 Chicago Steel Andy Miele Alternate jersey

2007-08 Chicago Steel Andy Miele Road jersey

2007-08 Chicago Steel Andy Miele Road jersey

Thanks to Tony for taking the time to submit his jerseys and share the information about Andy and details about his jerseys. It's not often one gets a chance to get a jersey of a future Hobey Baker winner, much less three of them from the same season.

We also particularly like the red alternate with it's Ottawa 67's barberpole styling and Blackhawks influenced main logo.

If you have a jersey in your collection that you'd like to share with us and your fellow readers, please submit your pictures and a story to go with it, no matter how brief or detailed, to spyboy1@gmail.com and we look forward to seeing your favorites!