Hockey Day in America

Sunday is the second annual Hockey Day in America on NBC, part of USA Hockey's fifth annual Hockey Weekend in America.

Hockey Weekend in America began with "Wear Your Favorite Hockey Jersey Day" and continued Saturday with "Try Hockey Day" with Sunday being themed "Celebrate Local Hockey Heroes Day".

NBC's coverage will begin at noon Eastern time Sunday with a series of regional games, Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Buffalo Sabres, San Jose Sharks vs. Detroit Red Wings or St. Louis Blues vs. Chicago Blackhawks, followed by the national broadcast of the Boston Bruins visiting the Minnesota Wild, a game we at Third String Goalie will be in attendance for living up to our name by wearing a jersey while in the stands. If you can "Spot the Third String Goalie" in our 1960 gold medal winning USA Olympic Team jersey, we'll have a Third String Goalie hockey card for you!

Look for us on Sunday wearing a 1960 gold medal winning USA Olympic Team jersey...

...and receive a Third String Goalie hockey card!

Coverage then shifts to the NBC Sports Network for the New Jersey Devils at the Montreal Canadiens followed by NHL Live and NHL Overtime to wrap up nine hours of coverage.

Other stories to be covered as part of Hockey Day in America are a game between Roseau High School and Warroad High School from northern Minnesota, the Tampa Bay Lightning's Sled Hockey program and a look at USA Hockey's National Development Program, which runs the country's Under 18 and Under 20 junior programs.

There will also be a live event from the Wells Fargo WinterSkate rink in downtown St. Paul starting at 10 AM, a block from the XCel Energy Center.

The picturesque Wells Fargo WinterSkate in downtown St. Paul,

home for NBC's Hockey Day in America coverage

Liam McHugh, Ed Olczyk, Mike Milbury and his close personal friend Pierre McGuire will broadcast from the WinterSkate during NBC's coverage, which will feature at times demonstrations of USA Hockey's Advance Development Model, the NBC Pre-Game Show, a Mascot Autograph session, live look-in's between periods of the early regional games, a local radio broadcast by KFAN, a Minnesota North Stars alumni autograph session, including 1980 USA Olympic gold medal winner Neal Broten, and a North Stars Alumni vs. Media All-Stars game prior to the Wild taking on the Bruins at 2:30.

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It should be a great day for hockey fans, either watching on TV or for those of you able to take in a live event in your area, particularly if you are located in the Twin Cities and have the opportunity to come to downtown St. Paul where the Wild will host Hockey Day in America and the defending Stanley Cup champion Bruins.

1991-92 Boston Bruins Andy Moog Jersey

While playing for the Wichita Wind of the Central Hockey League, injuries to goaltenders Ron Low and Eddie Mio forced the Edmonton Oilers to call up Andy Moog, who was born on this date in 1960. Moog would play in seven games late in the season and then nine playoff games, which included an opening round sweep of the Montreal Canadiens.

With the emergence of Grant Fuhr, Moog spent the majority of the 1981-82 season back in Wichita, but did see action in eight NHL games with the Oilers. Moog established himself as a full time Oiler the following season, playing in 50 regular season games and was the Oilers goalie of choice during their first deep playoff run to the 1983 Stanley Cup Finals. He posted a postseason record of 11-5, but the Oilers fell to the New York Islanders dynasty.

He continued to split time with Fuhr for the next four seasons, playing in 38, 39, 47 and 46 games during that time period as the Oilers won Stanley Cups in 1984, 1985 and 1987. While Fuhr played the majority of the games in the 1984 playoffs, he was injured in Game 3 of the Finals and Moog stepped in and won games 4 and 5 to bring Edmonton their first Stanley Cup championship.

After three more seasons of playing behind Fuhr in the playoffs in particular, Moog asked to be traded and left the Oilers to join the Canadian National Team in 1987-88. After playing 27 games of their pre-Olympic schedule, Moog competed in the 1988 Olympics hosted by Calgary. Although Moog went 4-0, Canada finished 5-2-1 and finished out of the medals in forth.

Following the Olympics, Moog was sent to the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline. Moog went 4-2 during the final games of the regular season and the Bruins advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, but were defeated by Edmonton.

The Bruins reliance on Moog grew each season as his games played increased from 41 in 1988-89, to 46, 51 and then a carer high of 62 in 1991-92. The Bruins again made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1989-90 as Moog went 13-7 in 20 games. They also had deep playoff runs with appearances in the conference finals in both 1991 and 1992 with Moog handling the bulk of the work with 19 and then 15 postseason games.

Still the Bruins number one goalie, he played 55 games in 1992-93, winning a career high 37 games, but following a first round playoff exit after three straight overtime losses, Moog was dealt to the Dallas Stars in time for their first season in Texas.

For four seasons Moog was the Stars number one netminder, with a high of 28 wins in 1996-97. His final NHL season was with the Montreal Canadiens, a team he had eliminated from the playoffs four times, after signing as a free agent. There he split time with Jocelyn Thibault and made 42 appearances before retiring.

His final NHL totals are 713 games over 18 seasons, 372 wins, 209 losses and 88 ties. He registered 28 shutouts and a career 3.13 goals against average. In the playoffs he saw action in 132 games, a testament to the strong clubs he played for throughout his career, going 66-57 and had his name engraved on the Stanley Cup three times.

He as also known for his goalie mask, which was once named the scariest in NHL history by The Hockey News in 2008.

Today's featured jersey is a 1991-92 Boston Bruins Andy Moog jersey. The 1991-92 season was the NHL's 75th Anniversary season, and as part of the celebrations, the Original 6 clubs all wore Turn Back the Clock jerseys throughout the season, particularly when they played against other Original 6 teams.

The Bruins jersey was based on their 1934-35 jerseys, the first year the Bruins were black and gold after wearing brown and gold since 1924.

Bonus Jersey: Today's bonus jersey is a 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers Andy Moog jersey as worn when Moog was in goal for the clinching Game 5 of the Oilers first Stanley Cup victory to begin their dynasty.

This jersey has been altered for Moog, specifically having the waist and sleeves shortened, which hides the Nike logo at the bottom of the jersey.

This style of Oilers jersey dates back to their entry into the NHL in 1979-80. Two seasons later this particular style arrived with a slightly lighter shade of blue and a new customization package which included three color numbers. This style would become an icon following the success of the Oilers and Wayne Gretzky in particular as it would remain unchanged through 1995-96 until being replaced by a new, darker color scheme. The blue road version would return in 2008-09 as a throwback alternate and was subsequently promoted to the club's primary jersey once again, only this time as the home jersey with the change from wearing light to dark jerseys as home in 2003-04.

Today's video is a highlight package of Moog highlights set to "music". It's up to you to decide if this is clever or cheesy. Or Both.

1987-88 Chicago Blackhawks Darren Pang Jersey

We're going to keep this one short today.

Goaltender Darren Pang was born on this date in 1964, was the first netminder ever drafted by the expansion Belleville Bulls of the Ontario Hockey League for the 1981-82 season, where the rookie immediately made 47 starts. The following season the diminutive "Panger" played 12 games for the Bulls, with a poor 3-8 record and a goals against average of 4.63 prior to a trade to the Ottawa 67's, which allowed him to shine. In 47 regular season games for the 67's, the 5' 5" Pang posted a 28-14-3 record and a goals against average a full goal per game lower at 3.65.

His second season with Ottawa say Pang finish with a 29-10-1 record and a 3.03 goals against during the regular season. In the playoffs, Ottawa defeated the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL Finals to advance to the Memorial Cup, which was hosted by none other than Kitchener. After defeating the Mario Lemieux led Laval Voisins 6-5, they beat the Kamloops Junior Oilers 5-1 before losing to Kitchener 7-2 to close out the Round Robin portion. Their two wins placed them in the Semifinals, where they again soundly defeated Kamloops 7-2 to set up a final meeting with Kamloops for the championship. There, Pang and Ottawa turned the tables and captured the 67's first Memorial Cup with a 7-2 victory of their own. Pang was named the Best Goaltender of the tournament and named to the tournament All-Star Team.

Undrafted, Pang signed a free agent contract with the Chicago Blackhawks organization, who assigned him to the Milwaukee Admirals of the IHL for the 1984-85 season, where he saw action in 53 games. He also made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks, giving up four goals and taking the loss in his only start. By taking the ice in an NHL game, Pang became the second shortest goaltender in league history, after the 5' 3" Roy Worters, who played from 1925 to 1937 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Americans.

Pang would spend another season in the IHL, this time with the Saginaw Generals, going 21-21 in 44 games. He again played 44 games for Saginaw in 1986-87 with an improved record of 25-16-0 as well as 7 games, winning 4, with the Nova Scotia Oilers of the AHL.

Pang while with Saginaw

He made the Blackhawks roster out of training camp for the 1987-88 season and split time with Bob Mason. In all, Pang played in 45 games for Chicago, leading them in wins (17) and goals against (3.84).

Pang once again was a member of the Blackhawks for the 1988-89 season, but was unable to fully seize the reigns as a true #1 in an extremely muddled goaltending situation. While Pang led the club in appearances with 35 games, Alain Chevrier, who arrived in a trade from Winnipeg played 27 games, rookie Ed Belfour (23 games) and Jimmy Waite (11), both of whom spent time in the AHL with Saginaw and Chris Clifford (1) all saw time in goal for Chicago. The competition for playing time was intense and as a result Pang also did see two games in Saginaw, but returned in late February to finish the season with the Blackhawks which included two playoff games in relief of Waite.

The following season of 1989-90 was one of very limited action for Pang, as he would only see 7 late season games on goal for the Indianapolis Ice of the IHL, but with a strong 2,54 goals against and a 4-1-2 record. Additionally, he would go 3-1 in four playoff games, sharing time with Waite, who went 9-1 as the Ice would capture the Turner Cup as IHL champions.

Those playoff appearances would prove to be Pang's final games, as he would suffer a career ending knee injury during training camp the following season which sent him on a new path as a successful and popular broadcaster, which he is now better known for than being a goaltender.

Today's featured jersey is a 1987-88 Chicago Blackhawks Darren Pang jersey as worn during Pang's first full season with the Blackhawks when he led the team in appearances, wins and goals against average. This jersey is distinguished from the following season's jersey by the Gunzo's branding on the back, who were the customizers of the Blackhawks jerseys at the time.

During this time period there were a few other clubs who displayed logos from their customizers on their jerseys, such as the Minnesota North Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues.

Bonus Jersey: Today's bonus jersey is a 1985-86 Saginaw Generals Darren Pang jersey. The one feature of this jersey we noticed right away was how the numbers on the back are placed so high that it forces the nameplate up into the blue shoulder yoke.

The Generals relocated from their previous home in Flint in 1985 and changed their name to the Saginaw Hawks to strengthen their tie to their parent club, the Chicago Blackhawks, meaning the Saginaw Generals name only was used for Pang's two seasons with the Generals.

In today's video segment, Pang shows he's still got the quick reflexes he displayed as a goaltender when he snares and errant puck while reporting from between the benches during a broadcast.

Here "Panger" demonstrates his fun personality that has made him so popular as a broadcaster as he embraces his small stature.

1968-69 Detroit Red Wings Alex Delvecchio Jersey

Alex Delvecchio left no doubt that he was ready to play in the NHL following his first and only season in junior hockey when he led the Ontario Hockey Association in assists with 72 in just 54 games. Not only a playmaker, the talented Delvecchio also scored nearly a goal a game for the Oshawa Generals as well. His 49 goals added to his league leading 72 assists gave him an impressive 121 points for the season and second place in the scoring race.

Delvecchio while a member of the Oshawa Generals

He made his NHL debut that same season with a single game for Detroit.

The following season of 1951-52 could not have gone any better for Delvecchio. After six games in the minors, in which he scored nine points, he was called up to Detroit. He scored his first NHL goal, as one of the 15 he would score that season, and played 65 games with the Red Wings before advancing to the playoffs, where they would sweep eight straight games to earn Delvecchio his first Stanley Cup in his first full season of play.

"That was a great team we had and I felt proud to be among so many players that were true stars of the game. Terry Sawchuk was in goal and in those eight playoff games against Toronto and Montreal, he only gave up six goals. We had Ted Lindsay, Sid Abel, Gordie Howe, Glen Skov, Tony Leswick, Metro Prystai and Marty Pavelich up front. Marcel Pronovost, Red Kelly and Bob Goldham were three of our defensemen," Delvecchio remembered.

His point total would jump from 37 to 59 in his second season, powered by 43 assists as he was paired with none other than Lindsay and team leader Howe on the second version of "The Production Line" following the trade of line member Abel. The 59 points would stand as his career high for seven seasons. While his personal point totals would drop in 1953-54, greater things were in store for Delvecchio than personal glory, as the Red Wings would win the second Stanley Cup of Delvecchio's career. He would contribute 9 points in 15 games in the postseason.

Delvecchio may have began to think that winning was easy following the 1954-55 season, as the Red Wings again marched through the playoffs to win their third championship in Delvecchio's four seasons as he chipped in 7 goals and 8 assists in 11 games for third in team playoff scoring.

Alex Delvecchio in action

It would prove to be the final Stanley Cup of what would eventually stretch to a 24 year career.

The 1955-56 season saw him record the first 20 goal season of his career when he netted 25 . The Red Wings would once more reach the finals that season, but fell short against the Montreal Canadiens, who were just beginning a dynasty that stretch for five seasons.

1956-57 was cut short by injury, one of the rare seasons Delvecchio would play less than 70 games, although he was still productive while healthy, scoring 41 points in 48 games. Aside from 1956-57, Delvecchio would play in 1,050 out of 1,054 possible games between 1952-53 and 1967-68.

Following the 1958-59 season, Delvecchio would be named the winner of the Lady Byng Trophy following his 54 point season which saw him whistled for just 6 penalty minutes.

1960-61 was the beginning of six consecutive 20 goal seasons for Delvecchio. He was then named team captain of the Red Wings for the 1962-63 season, a post he would retain for 12 years, the longest in team history until eventually surpassed by Steve Yzerman.

The 1965-66 season was a memorable one for Delvecchio, highlighted by the only 30 goal season of his career, when he scored 31. That season would also be the fourth return to the Stanley Cup Finals in six seasons for Detroit. His season was capped off by being named the recipient of his second Lady Byng Trophy.

Three seasons later Delvecchio set a career high in points with 25 goals and 58 assists for 83 points, including the 1,000th point of his career on this date in 1969, only the third player in league history after Howe and Jean Beliveau to achieve the feat. His efforts were recognized with the 1969 Lady Byng Trophy, the third of Delvecchio's career.

The final four seasons of his career were as productive as any that came before, with the final full season seeing his second highest point total of his career. Although it was one of the rare seasons in which he did not score 20 goals, coming up just short at 18, he had his second highest assist total with 53 for 71 points.

Delvecchio retired as a player following 11 games of the 1973-74 season when he was chosen as coach of the team. At the time of his retirement, he had established an NHL record for the most games played in a career with only one team at 1,549. In those games, he scored 456 goals and 825 assists for 1,281 points. Additionally, he played in 13 All-Star Games, a total only five players have ever surpassed.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1977 and His #10 was retired by the Red Wings in 1991.

Delvecchio's #10 hangs in the rafters of Joe Louis Arena
with the other Red Wings honored greats

Today's featured jersey is a 1968-69 Detroit Red Wings Alex Delvecchio jersey. This jersey features the captain's "C", which Delvecchio wore longer than any other player at the time, and still remains the second longest tenure of any captain in Red Wings history.

This style of Red Wings jersey was first adopted in 1932 when the team changed their name from the Falcons to the Red Wings and remains essentially unchanged to this day.

Here are highlights of the 1954 Stanley Cup, when the Detroit Red Wings battled the Montreal Canadiens as well as a lively panel discussion with members of both teams hosted by the great Curt Gowdy.

1998 Czech Republic Jaromir Jagr Jersey

The international hockey career of Jaromir Jagr, who was born on this date in 1972, began at the age of 16 when he participated for Czechoslovakia at the European Junior Championships where he scored an impressive 8 goals and 12 points in only 5 games.

The following year Jagr finished second in tournament scoring behind teammate Robert Reichel's 21 points with 5 goals and 13 assists for 18 points as the Czechs started out like a steamroller, defeating Finland 7-1, the United States 7-1, Poland 11-1, Norway 13-2 and Sweden 7-2 before losing to the Soviet Union 8-5 and Canada 2-1 to finish at 5-2, earning Jagr the first medal of his international career with a bronze.

Four months later Jagr competed in his first World Championships at the age of 18, scoring 3 goals and 5 points in 1o games as the Czechs earned a bronze medal.

In October of that year, Jagr joined the Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL, whose continued postseason success immediately curtailed Jagr's availability for future World Championships held every spring, as he would frequently be occupied with his NHL playoff duties.

After missing the 1991 World Championships, his next international tournament would be the 1991 Canada Cup tournament, held in September prior to the commencement of the NHL regular season. The tournament was an unqualified disaster for the Czechs, as they would finish dead last in the six team field with a 1-0-4 record and Jagr would score but one lone goal in the five games.

Jagr while still playing for Czechoslovakia

It would prove to be Jagr's final participation for Czechoslovakia, as the Velvet Revolution would lead to the eventual division of the country into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in January of 1993. An earlier attempt to liberalize Czechoslovakia in 1968, known as the Prague Spring, would lead to a Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia and the death of Jagr's grandfather while in prison at the hands of the communists, which Jagr would forever remember with his choice of the now iconic jersey #68.

The Penguins quick exit from the 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs allowed Jagr his first opportunity to suit up for the Czech Republic, arriving in time to play in three games and scoring a pair of assists.

His next international opportunity arrived in September of 1996 with the inaugural World Cup of Hockey, essentially a continuation of the Canada Cup series, which again proved to be a huge disappointment for the Czechs, as they were battered by Finland 7-3 and Sweden 3-0 before suffering the ignominy of a 7-1 pounding at the hands of the Germans. In their three games, Jagr registered one goal.

Having finished fourth in the 1997 World Championships and faring so poorly in the previous "best on best" tournament that was the 1996 World Cup, few thought highly of the Czech Republic's chances at the 1998 Olympics, which were to feature all the stars of the NHL competing for the first time.

The Czech Republic opened their tournament with a 3-0 win over Finland and easily handled Kazakhstan 8-2 before a close loss to Russia 2-1, after having led by a goal after two periods, to finish second in Group D in the First Round. The Quarterfinals saw them advance with a 4-1 win over the United States and then win a heart stopping shootout over Canada 2-1 to earn a rematch with Russia for the championship. A close, tense affair was settled in favor of the Czech Republic on a goal by defenseman Petr Svoboda to earn Jagr a coveted Olympic gold medal.

Jagr meets with Czech leader Vaclav Havel following the victory in Japan

During the remainder of his time with the Penguins, Jagr did not participate in any further international competitions, missing out on World Championship gold for the Czech Republic in 1999, 2000 and 2001.

He did return in 2002 for both the Olympics and World Championships, now having moved to the Washington Capitals, who failed to qualify for the playoffs that season. While no medals were forthcoming in either tournament, Jagr averaged more than a point per game in both competitions.

During the NHL lockout season of 2004-05, Jagr played the majority of his season with Avangard Omsk in the Russian Superleague, whose shorter season made him available for the 2005 World Championships, where he was finally able to capture a World Championship gold medal after leading the Czechs in scoring with 9 points in 8 games, including two assists on the first two Czech Republic goals in a 3-0 win over Canada in the final.

Jagr on his way to gold at the 2005 World Championships

Next up for Jagr on the international stage was the 2006 Olympics, where a semifinal loss to Sweden derailed their gold medal hopes, but a 3-0 win over Russia earned them a place on the podium with a bronze. During the tournament, Jagr contributed 7 points in 8 games.

Jagr does not seem overly thrilled with a bronze medal at the 2006 Olympics

After a trade to the New York Rangers in 2004, it would not be until Jagr rejoined Omsk in the Kontinental Hockey League for 2008-09 that he would reappear in the World Championships, which he did in 2009 with 9 points in 7 games.

Next up for Jagr was the 2010 Olympic Games, his fourth, where he was bestowed the honor of being the flag bearer for the Czech Republic during the opening ceremonies. Following a second place finish in Group B, thanks to a 4-2 loss to Russia, the Czechs defeated plucky Latvia 3-2 before bowing out in the Quarterfinals to Finland.

Jagr carries the Czech flag during the 2010 opening ceremonies

The Czechs would reclaim the top spot at the World Championships later that spring, with Jagr causing a stir when he spoke out against other Czech stars turning down the tournament following an upset by Norway in the Preliminary Round. Still, the Czechs advanced to the Qualification Round and were handed a defeat by Switzerland, but rebounded with wins over Latvia and Canada, with Jagr scoring during their 3-2 battle.

An upset shootout win over Finland in the Quarterfinals advanced them to face Sweden in the Semifinals, which again went in favor of the Czechs in a shootout. The final against Russia saw Jagr assist on the first goal of the game. While leading 2-0 halfway through the third period, Jagr was clipped from behind by one of the Russians, who received a major penalty and a game misconduct, and did not return to the game. Despite a late goal in the final minute, the Czechs held on to win 2-1 and claim the second World Championship gold of Jagr's career after again leading the Czechs in tournament scoring with 3 goals and 7 points in 9 games.

2010 world champion Jaromir Jagr

Jagr's most recent international appearance was at the 2011 World Championships where Jagr yet again was the leading scorer for his country with 5 goals and 9 points in 9 games as the Czechs blasted Russia 7-4 in the bronze medal game to earn Jagr his fourth World Championships medal.

Jagr with a bronze medal in 2011

With him back in the NHL for the 2011-12 season as a member of the contending Philadelphia Flyers, his participation in the 2012 World Championships looks doubtful barring an unexpected early upset.

To date, Jagr has played in 96 games at the senior level, scoring 35 goals and 47 assists for 82 points and has won a gold (1998) and bronze (2006) at the Olympics, two gold (2005 and 2010) and two bronze (1990 and 2011) at the World Championships as well as starting his international career with a bronze at the 1990 World Juniors for a total of 7 medals to date.

Today's featured jersey is a 1998 Czech Republic Jaromir Jagr jersey as worn during the Czech Republic's dramatic victory at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan, the first Olympic hockey tournament to feature all the stars of the NHL, which suspended it's regular season to allow all it's players to compete for the first time.

This jersey is best known for it's bold "CZECH" statement across the bottom of the rear of the jersey, leaving no doubt as to who you were chasing down the ice! It also features a unique font for the numbers, used only by the Czech Republic.

Bonus Jersey: Today's bonus jersey is a 2004 Czech Republic Jaromir Jagr jersey as worn during the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. This style is an evolution of the 1998 style, with the bold color blocks at the bottom of the jersey still present, but shorter in height, which no longer allowed for the Czech name on the back.

The crest and number font remained the same, but the arched striping across the chest, which Nike had used for many teams down to the college level during the 1998-2004 era, had now evolved into something unique for the Czechs.

Additionally, the World Cup jerseys had not only the tournament patch on the upper left chest, but also the Ivan Hlinka Memorial patch in remembrance of the man who was scheduled to be their coach, but had been killed in an automobile accident two weeks prior to the tournament.

Today's video selection is highlights of the 1998 Olympic tournament won by the Czech Republic.

1900-01 Winnipeg Victorias Dan Bain jersey

Donald "Dan" Bain, born on this date in 1874, grew up not only playing hockey, but also was active in roller skating, lacrosse, gymnastics, figure skating, golf, cycling and shooting among his many other pursuits. At the age of 13, Bain became the roller skating champion of Manitoba after winning a three mile long race and later became a gymnastics champion at 17 and a his first of three consecutive Manitoba cycling championships came at the age of 20.

His hockey career began when he answered a newspaper ad placed by the local Winnipeg Victorias in 1895 when Bain was 21. After just five minutes of play, using a broken stick held together with wire no less, Bain had impressed the club enough to be added to the club, who found a place for his undeniable athletic skills at center.

The Victorias had been formed in 1889 and joined the Manitoba Hockey Association for it's inaugural season in 1892, immediately proving to be the dominant club in the league, as they won the championship 11 consecutive seasons from 1893 to 1902, which sounds impressive until you consider that the MHA consisted of just two clubs, the Victorias and the Winnipeg Hockey Club, from 1895 to 1904!

Still, having defeated the Winnipeg HC for the championship in 1896 earned the Victorias the right as league champions to challenge the Montreal Victorias for the now two year old Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, now better known as the Stanley Cup.

The challenge consisted of a single, winner take all game, played at the historic Victoria Rink in Montreal, home of the first organized game of hockey in 1875. Yes, the Victorias faced off against the Victorias at the Victoria Rink, such was the adoration in Canada for the ruling Queen Victoria.

Winnipeg scored twice in the first half on goals by Bain and Colin "Tote" Campbel. They played a defensive style during the second half and goalkeeper George Merritt held Montreal off the scoreboard as Winnipeg became the first team from outside of Montreal to take possession the Stanley Cup. With Bain's goal coming first, it went into the record books as the cup winner, scored on this date in 1896, Bain's 21st birthday.

The club returned home to a hero's welcome when their train, decorated with hockey sticks and a Union Jack flag, arrived at the station where their adoring fans treated them to a parade in open sleighs and a feast in their honor.

The Stanley Cup winning 1896 Winnipeg Victorias

Bain and the Victorias retained their ownership of the cup two weeks later when they once again became the MHA season champions, as the cup in those days traditionally passed to the champion of the league that the current cup holders were members of.

Ten months later, the Montreal Victorias traveled to Winnipeg for a rematch and reclaimed the cup by a score of 6-5 despite Bain having scored twice for Winnipeg.

Bain eventually rose to the role of team captain and coach for the Victorias, who participated in additional Stanley Cup challenges in February of 1899, losing 5 goals to 3 over two games with the Montreal Victorias once again in front of a record crowd of 7,000, and in February of 1900, losing 2 games to 1 to the Montreal Shamrocks with Bain scoring twice in Game 1, a 4-3 win by Winnipeg, and twice again in a 5-4 loss in the deciding Game 3. In all, Bain scored four of the Victorias 10 goals in the 1900 series.

The 1899-1900 Winnipeg Victorias with team captain Bain featured in the center

The Shamrocks retained the cup after fending off a challenge from the Halifax Crescents three weeks later and repeated as Canadian Amateur Hockey League champions that season, which set them up for a rematch with the Victorias beginning on January 29, 1901.

The 1901 Winnipeg Victorias

Game 1, held at the Montreal Arena, went to Winnipeg 4-3, with Bain scoring once. Two nights later the clubs fought to a 1-1 tie at the end of regulation before embarking on the first overtime game in Stanley Cup history, which was won by Winnipeg captain and coach Bain, wearing a protective mask due to a broken nose, scored his second goal of the game at the four minute mark of the overtime, the second cup winning goal of his career.

The Winnipeg newspaper celebrated the Victorias championship

The Victorias once again completed their annual triumph over the Winnipeg Hockey Club on February 19th to retain the rights to the cup prior to facing their next challenge in January of 1902 by the Toronto Wellingtons in Winnipeg. The Victorias successfully turned away their challengers by winning the best-of-three series in two games by identical scores of 5-3.

The Victorias next challenge came less than two months later in March, after the Victorias confirmed their grip on the cup by winning the 1902 MHA title, this time in the form of the Montreal Hockey Club, the original Stanley Cup holders, also known as Montreal AAA, who unseated the Victorias following scores of 1-0 for Winnipeg, followed by 5-0 and 2-1 for Montreal, which were Bain's final games before his retirement from hockey.

Bain played eight seasons during his hockey career, all with the Victorias. He set a personal best with 13 goals in 5 games in 1898 and during his career played 27 regular season games, scoring 66 goals and 73 points, with another 10 goals coming in 11 Stanley Cup games.

He was still not done with his athletic career though, as he became national trapshooting champion of Canada in 1903 and competed as a figure skater, winning a dozen titles including his final one at the age of 56! He continued to participate competitively until 1930 and made appearances until the age of 70.

Bain was voted Canada's top athlete of the second half of the 19th century and inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame's inaugural class in 1949, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1970 and the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 1981.

Today's featured jersey is a 1900-01 Winnipeg Victorias Dan Bain jersey. The Victorias burgundy sweaters were adorned with a charging Bison on the upper left chest and trimmed with gold around the collar, cuffs and waist.

Today's video is a look at the Winnipeg Victorias first championship and how it helped the Stanley Cup become known across all of Canada.

1982-83 Boston Bruins Pete Peeters Jersey

Following a loss to the Quebec Nordiques on November 11, 1982, the Boston Bruins record stood at 7-6-3. The Bruins rebounded with a 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres two nights later on the 13th. Goaltender Pete Peeters was the winner, making 25 saves on 27 Buffalo shots.

The Bruins won their following game 7-3 over the St. Louis Blues with Mike Moffat in the Bruins goal. On November 16th, the Bruins got their redemption against the Nordiques with a dominant 7-4 win with Peeters back in goal. He was again the winning goaltender on November 18th in a 3-1 win over the Islanders in a game that was not as close as it sounds, as Boston led 3-0 with seven minutes remaining.

Moffat took the loss against Pittsburgh on November 20th before Peeters won his fourth consecutive start after making two Bruins first period goals stand up in a 2-1 win over the Calgary Flames as the Bruins held the Flames to just 17 shots, an especially low amount in the wide open style of the 1980's.

A tie with the Flyers on the 24th halted Peeters winning streak, but extended his unbeaten streak to five games, which continued the next day with a 1-1 draw against the New York Islanders, who were in the middle of their Stanley Cup dynasty and would go on to win another championship at the end of the season.

Peeters earned his second shutout of the season with an 8-0 pounding of the Hartford Whalers on the 27th to close out November.

December began with a 3-3 tie against the Nordiques on the 2nd followed by a come from behind 6-4 win in Montreal against the Canadiens, highlighted by Barry Pederson's hat trick. Peeters unbeaten streak now reached 10 back in Boston on the 5th as Pederson recorded his second consecutive hat trick in another 6-4 victory.

A contentious, fight filled game against the Nordiques on December 7th saw Moffat take the loss in a 10-5 win for Quebec, although Peeters started the game and allowed the first five Quebec goals.

Moffat got the win in a high scoring 8-5 Bruins win against Montreal on the 9th and again on the 11th 4-2 over the Chicago Blackhawks. Moffat's attempt at a winning streak was curtailed with a 4-3 loss to the Washington Capitals.

Peeters got the start against Buffalo and resumed his unbeaten streak, now at 11 games, with an easy 8-1 shellacking of the Sabres on the 16th. Peeters third shutout arrived on the 18th in a 4-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings.

Hartford fell victim to Peeters and the Bruins once more on the 23rd by a score of 5-1. After two days off for Christmas, the New Jersey Devils received the same treatment in a 5-2 Bruins win in Boston, their final home game for 18 days.

Boston's seven game road trip began in St. Louis in fine style on the 28th as Boston scored a goal in each period for a 3-0 win, Peeters fourth shutout and Peeters 15th decision without a loss. 1982 came to a close on December 31st as the Bruins extended Peeters unbeaten streak to 16 in a 5-3 win over the Minnesota North Stars, which was not decided until Keith Crowder scored an empty net goal with seven seconds remaining.

January 2nd saw Moffat take the loss in a 6-4 defeat to the Jets in Winnipeg. It was at this point that the Bruins record stood at 23-10-6 thanks to the Bruins five game winning streak in the latter half of December.

The rest of the road trip saw Peeters in goal for each of the four remaining games with a 4-1 win in Chicago, a 2-2 tie in New Jersey, a narrow 2-1 win in Montreal with the extended road trip concluding with a 6-4 win in Toronto to extend Peeters unbeaten streak to an even 20.

The schedule makers now rewarded the Bruins with ten of their next 13 games at home in the Boston Garden. Now fully on a roll, Peeters shutout the Nordiques 2-0 on January 13th and duplicated that feat on the 15th over the New York Rangers by the same 2-0 score.

Minnesota stopped Peeters shutout streak at 168:05 with a goal early in the second period, but his unbeaten streak reached 23 games with a come from behind win thanks to Tom Fergus' goal with just 14 seconds left in the game to give Boston a 4-3 win on the 17th.

Three days later Peeters third shut out in his last four games arrived in the form of a 4-0 win over Buffalo. It was also Peeters 6th consecutive victory.

Marco Baron extended the Bruins winning streak to seven as he got the start for the Bruins on the road in a 3-1 win in Detroit against the Red Wings on January 22nd.

Peeters' personal winning streak resumed in a 3-1 win in Manhattan against the Rangers on the 24th before the club returned home to Boston on the 29th, where a 7-3 defeat of the visiting Red Wings saw the Bruins winning streak reach 9 straight victories and Peeters personal winning streak at 8, while his unbeaten streak was now at 26 games.

January came to a close on the 31st with a 2-2 tie against Winnipeg, tying Peeters personal best 27 game undefeated streak set while with the Flyers during the 1979-80 season when they went an NHL record 35 games without a loss, with Phil Myre sharing in the streak. The Bruins finished January with a 10-1-2 record, with their only loss coming back on the 2nd.

Peeters set a new personal best with his 28th decision without a loss on February 3rd following a 5-3 win over the Nordiques. Baron then extended the Bruins undefeated streak to 14 with a 7-4 win over the Whalers on the 5th.

The Sabres fell again to Boston and Peeters the next night by a score of 5-1 and Peeters reached the rarified air of a 30 game undefeated streak on February 10th as the Bruins beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 7-3 as the club's unbeaten streak reached 16.

Finally on this date in 1983 the Bruins would host the Vancouver Canucks with Peeters once again getting the start. After a scoreless first period Vancouver would break out on top with a power play goal two minutes into the second period. Mike Krushelnyski evened the score for Boston at 10:25 and Rick Middleton's goal less than four minutes later would give the Bruins the lead, which Middleton would extend to 3-1 with three and a half minutes left in the game to extend the Bruins winning streak to five games, their undefeated streak to 17 games (15-0-2 since January 5th) and Peeters personal record to 31 games without a loss, the second longest such streak in NHL history, one behind only former Bruins goaltender (and current head coach!) Gerry Cheevers' 32 game run set in 1975-76.

Having a head coach who had been through such a streak on his own must have been helpful for Peeters, as Cheevers must have had a unique insight on how to handle Peeters and deflect some of the mounting pressure and attention during his run of excellence. Either that, or Cheevers simply kept running Peeters out there in a secret hope he'd tire him out to protect his own league record!

The Bruins record was now 38-10-8 but Peeters would come one short of tying Cheevers when he allowed two goals by Gilbert Perreault and Phil Housley, while Middleton's 30th was all the Bruins could get by Buffalo's Bob Sauve before Brent Peterson's empty net goal made the final 3-1 for Buffalo, ending Peeters undefeated streak, during which he had a record of 26-0-5 and a goals against average of 1.94 and six shutouts.

"It's not a great disappointment," Peeters said following the game. "It's not something that's going to set me on a downfall. I'm happy with my teammates because I really believe they gave it all they had. [The streak] meant more to them than it did to me."

Peeters would finish the season with a 40-11-9 record to lead the Bruins to a league best 110 points, although this was three seasons before the debut of the President's Trophy, which is now awarded to the team that finishes the regular season with the most points. Pederson would lead Boston in scoring with 46 goals and 107 points, which would place him 6th overall in the NHL.

In the playoffs, Boston would eliminate the Nordiques in four games 3 games to 1 and barely outlast Buffalo with an overtime winner in Game 7 before facing the battle-tested three time defending Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders, who ended the Bruins season in a back and forth six game series, which oddly saw each game decided by a minimum of three goals!

At the conclusion of the season, Peeters was named the recipient of the Vezina Trophy as the NHL best goaltender for the 1982-83 season as well as a First Team All-Star. He would go on to play three more seasons with the Bruins before moving on to the Capitals and later returning to his original club, the Flyers. His career record over 13 seasons was 246-155-51, but his 40 win season would stand alone as his best, as he never even reached 30 wins in any other year. At the time of his retirement in 1991, Peeters held the second and third longest unbeaten streaks in NHL history at 31 and 27 games, neither of which have been equalled in the nearly 30 years since his astounding 31 game run in 1982-83.

Today's featured jersey is a 1982-83 Boston Bruins Pete Peeters jersey. This jersey has been modified for Peeters with nearly an extra foot of length added to the mid-section from below the Bruins crest down to the waist stripes, giving it truly unusual proportions when compared to the average player's jersey. Peeters would then pull the jersey down as far as possible in a surreptitious effort to decrease the size of the "five hole" between his legs!

Eventually the league caught onto Peeters' modified jersey and outlawed his alterations. See if you can detect the seam just below the crest or the #1 on the back.

In today's video section, proof of Peeters colorful career, as he gets into a fight with the North Stars Don Beaupre while he was a member of the Flyers. Note the Flyers skaters wearing their short-lived long pants.

In our next clip, Peeters takes a shot to the head and is knocked out cold while with the Capitals.

Reader Submission - 1998-99 Thunder Bay Flyers Patrick Sharp Jersey

Our latest reader submitted jersey comes from Jordan MacNiven, and it's an eye catching jersey as well as a perfect example of a type of collecting some people specialize in, obtaining a player's game worn jersey from the period of time prior to his becoming an established NHLer.

Here is Jordan's story about his striking jersey:

As of right now this is the crown jewel in my collection. Not only is it extremely rare to find one of these jerseys it is also worth noting that this was Patrick Sharp's first junior team. After playing 2 seasons with the Thunder Bay Flyers of the United States Hockey League Sharp went to play 2 seasons with the University of Vermont in the NCAA. He was then drafted 95th overall in the 3rd round of the 2001 NHL Endtry Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers.

He didn't play until the 2003-04 season with the Flyers. He split the season between the NHL team and their AHL affiliate the Philadelphia Phantoms. Midway through the 2005–06 season, Sharp was traded by the Flyers, along with Éric Meloche, to the Chicago Blackhawks on December 5, 2005, for Matt Ellison and a 3rd-round pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. He finished the campaign with a combined 31 points between the two teams. Sharp emerged with the Blackhawks in 2007–08, recording career-highs of 36 goals, 26 assists and 62 points. He led the Blackhawks in power play goals (9), shorthanded goals (7), and game-winning goals (7). Near the half-way mark for the season, on January 17, 2008, the Blackhawks signed Sharp to a four-year contract extension through the 2011–12 season.

On June 9, 2010, Sharp won the Stanley Cup with Chicago over the Philadelphia Flyers, his former team. Sharp contributed 11 goals and 11 assists during Chicago's playoff run. On January 30, 2011, Sharp won the 2011 NHL All-Star Game MVP Award, getting one goal and two assists.

Thanks to Jordan for taking the time to shoot the photos and send in the biography about Sharp. It's pretty special to have such an early jersey of a Stanley Cup champion and All-Star Game MVP for certain.

The ability of some collectors to track down jerseys from obscure and often far flung teams, and then have the ability to get not just a jersey, but that of a future star player no less, often leaves us scratching our heads in amazement.

This Flyers jersey is a very striking jersey, with it's bold maple leaf design in lieu of any waist stripes. Combined with the wide and bright striping on the arms, these jerseys must have looked incredible on the ice in action.

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.