2012 Minnesota Hockey Collectors Expo

Just a reminder that tomorrow, Sunday, October 7th, is one of the highlights of the jersey collecting calendar, the 11th Annual Minnesota Hockey Collectors Expo. Anyone who can make it to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul should stop by Tom Reid's Hockey City Pub near the Xcel Energy Center from 11 AM to 6 PM.

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It's the largest gathering of game worn jerseys in Minnesota each year and you can count on seeing some amazing and varied collections in a great hockey environment. This event is free and features collectors bringing favorites from their personal collection for some good old show and tell, with an emphasis on jerseys related to the Minnesota Wild, Minnesota North Stars and Minnesota Gophers, as well as many other interesting jerseys from throughout the hockey world. It's great opportunity to see some great game worn jerseys up close, meet some new people and perhaps add a new jersey to your collection.

Here are some highlights from last year's event.

Can't make it to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto? Then having the opportunity to see Jon Bakke's collection of vintage jerseys can save you the trip. Last year Jon went with a theme, bringing all his old Quebec Nordiques jerseys, the centerpiece of which are his Stastny brothers!

Jon can be easily spotted at Minnesota Wild games wearing his rotating collection of gamers, as he doesn't just hang them in a closet, he wears his regularly to Wild games.

Here is Jon sharing his collection with former North Star Maxwell, who probably had a few intense battles with the Nordiques before becoming one himself at one point in his career.

Speaking of Hall of Fame worthy collections, Dan Erspamer's Minnesota North Stars collection is highlighted with not only a first year North Stars jersey, but one belonging to the tragic Bill Masterton - a true gem of the expo. If you'd like to talk jerseys with Dan, he's an expert and can be found working at The Hockey Lodge store at Minnesota Wild home games, which take place just up the road from Reid's at the Xcel Energy Center.

The walls of Tom Reid's are just dripping with hockey memorabilia and create the perfect environment to hold such an event.

Finally, the collection of event organizer Frechette, without whom the Expo would not exist. Dave's collection focuses primarily on Minnesota Wild players jerseys, only before they joined the Wild. Examples in his collection are Wild prospects jerseys from their college and junior team as well as European born players jerseys from their European club teams. He is shown with his new pride and joy, Dany Heatley's Ak Bars Kazan game worn jersey from Heatley's time in Russia during the lost NHL season of 2004-05.

How he is consistently able to track down jerseys from such a wide variety of sources is one of the more impressive things to take in at the Expo and his appreciation of hockey history is evidenced by the rare and wonderful Minnesota Fighting Saints WHA jersey seen here as well as his North Stars game worn jersey on display behind him.

This year's Minnesota Hockey Collectors Expo will feature a raffle for the first time, with some great prizes up for grabs from the collections of many of those in attendance in an effort to raise money for the Minnesota NHL Alumni Association, who will receive 100% of the proceeds from the raffle.

For details of the the 11th annual expo, including notable players who plan on attending, check out the event's facebook page. We certainly hope those of you who can will take the time to attend this can't miss event!

Minnesota Wild Best Jersey in Minnesota Tournament - Round 3

Our nomination of the Warroad Warriors jersey has once again advanced in the Minnesota Wild's Best Jersey in Minnesota Contest and is now into Round 3 and is one of the final 8 jerseys thanks to your continued support in the voting!

Click the image to vote!
We know that these online voting things can be annoying, but since the voting begins anew each round, we again need your help going forward! Not only do we believe that this is the classic hockey sweater with it's striking and intimidating colors, but the stylish vertically arched lettering and iconic Indian head logo, designed and approved by the local Ojibwe tribe, only add to this timeless look. Plus, a vote for Warroad, just five miles from the Canadian border on the shore of Lake of the Woods, is a vote for old-time, play-all-day-until-mom-calls-you-home-for-dinner pond hockey with your buddies.

To vote for the Warroad jersey, please go to the voting page on Wild.com and scroll down to see the parings for voting where you will have another opportunity to help us get Warroad into the semifinal round, which will be announced on Monday, October 8th, just three days from now, so we need your vote today.

In this round we are paired with the Lakeville North Youth Hockey , a busy affair with far too many words on it, so do the right thing, and send Warroad's classic black and gold indian head logo on to the semifinals as one of the final four!

Click the image to vote!

Minnesota Wild / Let's Play Hockey Used Equipment Drive

Tomorrow morning from 9 AM to 12 noon, the Minnesota Wild is holding their annual used equipment drive at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. As hockey parents here at Third String Goalie, we understand the enormous expense of fees for youth hockey as well as the price of hockey equipment, so the chance to pick out some free gear each year makes this a must attend event. From Wild.com:

Gear for the fourth annual Used Hockey Equipment Drive has been collected, sorted and is ready for distribution. Public dissemination of the equipment is 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 6 at Xcel Energy Center. 

If you’d like the opportunity to collect some equipment, which is free and open to the public, follow the guidelines below: 

• Doors to Xcel Energy Center Gate 1 lobby will open at 6:00 a.m. 

• A line will be formed in the Gate 1 lobby area 

• Admittance into the equipment drive distribution area will begin at 9:00 a.m. 

• Guests will be allowed to enter in groups of 15 – 20 at a time 

• As guests exit the equipment drive distribution area, more people will be allowed to enter, but at the discretion of the equipment drive staff 

• Guests are asked to take only what they truly need for themselves or their children 

• Only one set of equipment per person is allowed 

• This would be the equivalent of one article of equipment from each category 

• For example: one helmet, one pair of gloves, one stick, etc. 

• If you take Goaltenders equipment, this constitutes as a set of gear and you should not also take general players gear 

• Exceptions to these rules will be made on a per case basis 

If you are collecting gear for a youngster, he or she should be present in order to ensure that the equipment fits properly. 

The Minnesota Wild, Let’s Play Hockey and Minnesota Hockey teamed up with Berger Transfer to help outfit players and help grow the sport in the State of Hockey.

 

Minnesota Wild Best Jersey in Minnesota Tournament - Round 2

Thanks again to your help, our nomination of the Warroad Warriors black jersey has made it past Round 1 of the Minnesota Wild's Best Jersey in Minnesota Contest is now into Round 2 and is one of the final 16 jerseys.

Click the image to vote!
Again, we still need your help going forward! Not only do we believe that this is the classic hockey sweater with it's striking and intimidating colors, but the stylish vertically arched lettering and iconic Indian head logo, designed and approved by the local Ojibwe tribe, only add to this timeless look. Plus, a vote for Warroad, just five miles from the Canadian border on the shore of Lake of the Woods, is a vote for old-time, play-all-day-until-mom-calls-you-home-for-dinner pond hockey with your buddies.

To vote for the Warroad black jersey (not the white one), please go to the voting page on Wild.com and scroll down to see the parings for voting where you will have another opportunity to help us get Warroad into the third round, which will be announced on Friday, October 5th, just two days from now, so we need your vote today.

We're paired with the incredibly dull Roseau Rams jersey, a jersey so boring it puts itself to sleep, so do the right thing, and send Warroad's classic black and gold indian head logo on to the third round!

Click the image to vote!

1970 Soviet Union National Team Vladislav Tretiak Jersey

On this date in 1989 hockey history was made, as Vladislav Tretiak became the first European player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

An unknown 20 year old, Tretiak was the starting goaltender for the Soviet National Team as the historic 1972 Summit Series began in Montreal. Since the Canadian scouts had only seen him play once, a dismal performance in which he allowed eight goals against due to excessive celebrations at his bachelor party the night before, he was dismissed as no threat to the best professionals Canada had to offer.

Two Canadian goals before the game was seven minutes old only seemed to reinforce the scouts opinion on Tretiak, which would soon change, as the Canadians would manage just one more goal for the remainder of the contest as the Soviets came alive and pummeled the startled Canadians 7-3.

His continued outstanding play in the first half of the series earned him a tremendous amount of respect and admiration as the Soviet showed that they were able to compete with the Canadians. Eventually Canada would prevail in the series by the slimmest of margins, but Tretiak's reputation had been cemented by his play in the series.

Although he was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1983 , it was at a time when Soviet players were not allowed to leave for the NHL. Tretiak would spend 15 full seasons playing for Central Sports Club of the Army (CSKA), or as more commonly known, the "Red Army".

During his 15 seasons in the Soviet Hockey League, Tretiak and Red Army would win the championship 13 times and finish runners up the other two. Tretiak was also named the First Team All-Star Goalie 14 consecutive seasons and league MVP five times. Outside of the Soviet Union, Tretiak and the club would take home the European Cup 13 times.

Internationally, Tretiak's resume would show three Olympic gold medals (1972 - Japan, 1976 - Austria and 1984 - Yugoslavia), ten World Championship gold medals (1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 & 1983) and gold medals in the European Championships nine times. In addition he would be named the winner of the Golden Hockey Stick as the most outstanding player in all of Europe in 1981, 1982 and 1983.

He would also participate in two Canada Cups, earning a bronze with a depleted squad in 1976 and gold in 1981 where he would be named the tournament's MVP. His final goals against average in 98 international games was an outstanding 1.78.

Another career highlight is the 1975-76 Red Army tour of North America, where the Red Army faced off against various NHL club teams, the first time any Soviet club team had faced an NHL team, and came away with dominant victories over the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins and a loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, but the most memorable game was a New Year's Eve contest against the Montreal Canadiens, that season's eventual Stanley Cup Champions, that ended in a 3-3 tie with Montreal out-shooting Red Army 38-13 in a game considered by many to be one of the greatest games ever played.

After his early retirement in 1984 at the age of 32, ranked as #37 in the Top 100 Stories of the Century by the International Ice Hockey Federation, due to his desire to face a new challenge and play in North America and the Soviet authorities refusal to grant him permission, the strain of the eleven month a year commitment required by the Soviet hockey system plus friction with his coach Viktor Tikhonov, Tretiak would finally make his way to North America, having been hired by the Chicago Blackhawks as goaltender coach in 1990.

He would become the first Soviet-trained player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and the first European voted in without ever having played in the NHL. His induction would be ranked as #55 on Top 100 Stories of the Century. In 2000 he would be voted the Best Russian Hockey Player of the 20th Century and named the Goaltender for the IIHF Centennial All-Star Team. Tretiak would be elected as the head of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation in 2006.

The IIHF Centennial All-Star Team announcement honoring Valeri Kharlamov, Tretiak, Slava Fetisov, Borje Salming, Wayne Gretzky and Sergei Makarov.

The many highlights of Tretiak's career appear over and over again of the IIHF list of the Top 100 Stories of the 20th Century. The Soviets victory over Canada in the 1981 Canada Cup ranks as #9, the New Year's Eve game with Montreal #23, the shock opening game of the 1972 Summit Series as #3 and the Soviets victory over the NHL All-Stars in the 1979 Challenge Cup as #36. Even the defeats of the Soviets during the Tretiak era were so uncommon that they merit recognition on the list as well. A loss to Poland in 1976 was #39, the conclusion of the 1972 Summit Series was #2, the loss to the USA in the 1980 Olympics was #1, their loss to the Czechs in 1972 was #5 and in 1974 was #67.

Today's featured jersey is a 1970 Soviet Union Vladislav Tretiak jersey. The owner of this fantastic piece of hockey history dates this jersey as having been worn from 1970 to 1972, up until the 1972 Summit Series when they Soviets wore a brand new set of sweaters.

Tretiak would have then worn this beginning at the age of 17 at the 1970 European Junior Championships (gold), followed by the World Championships (gold) as well as the Izvestia Cup (silver). In 1971 the cycle would be repeated with the European Juniors (gold), World Championships (gold) and Izvestia Cup (gold). The routine would change in 1972 with first the Olympics in Sapporo, Japan (gold) followed by the World Championships (silver) later in the spring. If in fact worn for each of those tournaments, which is entirely feasible as all those tournaments would total 34 games in all for both the red and white sweaters, this would have been a gold medal winning jersey six times and a silver twice out of eight tries, making this perhaps the most accomplished sweater in hockey history!

Photos courtesy of GameWorn.org

There is an interesting story about Tretiak's subsequent 1972 Canada Cup white sweater, as it was swiped by a young man named Doug Duke following a Soviet practice in Canada, and Duke was able to show it to Tretiak years later.

Vladislav Tretiak reunited with his white sweater
from the 1972 Summit Series

Today's first video is his introductory video from Tretiak's Hall of Fame induction.

Here are highlights from the memorable game between the Red Army and the Montreal Canadiens on New Year's Eve in 1975.

Minnesota Wild Best Jersey in Minnesota Tournament - Round 1

Thanks to your help, our nomination of the Warroad Warriors black jersey has made it past the preliminary phase and into the Round of 32 of the Minnesota Wild's Best Jersey in Minnesota Contest, and as a #1 seed no less!

Again, we could use your help going forward. Not only do we believe that this is the classic hockey sweater with it's striking and intimidating colors, but the stylish vertically arched lettering and iconic Indian head logo, designed and approved by the local Ojibwe tribe, only add to this timeless look. Plus, a vote for Warroad, just five miles from the Canadian border on the shore of Lake of the Woods, is a vote for old-time, play-all-day-until-mom-calls-you-home-for-dinner pond hockey with your buddies.

To vote for the Warroad black jersey (not the white one), please go to the voting page on Wild.com and scroll down to see the parings for voting where you will have another opportunity to help us get Warroad into the next round, which will be announced tomorrow, so we need your vote today.

We're paired with the hideous and garish International Falls Broncos, a jersey we wouldn't wish on our worst enemy, so do the right thing, and send Warroad's classic black and gold indian head logo on to the second round!

1995-96 Colorado Avalanche Joe Sakic Jersey

On this date in 2009, the Colorado Avalanche retired the #19 of long time captain Joe Sakic.

A little known fact is that Sakic's parents were Croatian immigrants and he grew up speaking Croatian before attending elementary school. He would be named Rookie of the Year in the Western Hockey League of Canadian Juniors in 1987 after scoring 133 points. He also survived a horrific bus crash involving his club, the Swift Current Broncos, in which four of his teammates were killed. Sakic was then drafted by the Quebec Nordiques 15th overall in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft.

The following year Sakic was named WHL Most Valuable Player and Canadian Major Junior Player of the Year after scoring 160 points.

Sakic during his days with Swift Current

He scored an assist on his NHL debut on October 6, 1988 versus the Hartford Whalers and originally wore sweater #88 because Alain Cote was wearing his preferred #19. He finished with 62 points in 70 games as a rookie.

Sakic wearing #88 as a rookie

With Cote now retired, Sakic claimed his #19 for 1989-90 and scored 102 points. 1990-91 saw Sakic score 109 points, sixth overall in the league, and be named co-captain of the Nordiques (for home games).

Sakic would miss 11 games in 1991-92, which would hurt him in his chances to repeat another 100 point season, and he would conclude the year with 94 points. During this time period. the Nordiques regularly finished in last place, which allowed them to load up on high draft choices and put them in position to acquire a number of talented players, highlighted by their trade of holdout Eric Lindros.

Now named full time team captain of the newly reconfigured Nordiques, Sakic would respond in 1992-93 with 105 points and lead the Nordiques out of the wilderness and into the playoffs for the first time in his career on the heels of a staggering 52 point improvement, double their total of the year prior. Without any previous playoff experience, the Nordiques would be eliminated in the first round by arch-rivals the Montreal Canadiens.

Sakic as captain of the Nordiques

1993-94 was a slight step back for Sakic, as he would fall short of the 100 point barrier with 92, but the Nordiques would take a large step back, dropping 28 points in the standings and miss the playoffs yet again.

The Nordiques final season of in Quebec saw Sakic finish fourth in scoring during the lockout shortened 1994-95 season and the Nordiques would capture the division title, only to be eliminated in six games by the New York Rangers, ending their time in Canada.

Relocated to Denver, the Colorado Avalanche took to the ice in the 1995-96 season hoping to continue the improvement shown during Sakic's seven seasons in Quebec. Little did anyone anticipate the events that would unfold that season.

After having a major falling out with the Montreal Canadiens, superstar goaltender Patrick Roy was traded to the Canadiens former arch-rivals, now located in Colorado, a trade which would have never, ever happened had the club remained in Quebec, and the Avalanche were now on their way to glory.

Sakic topped 50 goals for the first time with 51, adding 69 assists for a career high 120 points for third in the league. The Avalanche would storm the playoffs, defeating first the Vancouver Canucks, followed by the Chicago Blackhawks by identical 4 games to 2 margins. Next up was a hard fought series with the Detroit Red Wings, upsetting the team that finished 27 points ahead of them in the standings 4-2 for the right to face the upstart Florida Panthers, whom they easily dismissed in four straight games for the the franchises first Stanley Cup Championship in their first season out of Quebec. Sakic would lead the playoffs in scoring that season and be named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy.

It had been a long journey for Sakic, who, along with Curtis Leschyshyn, were the only two Nordiques players from the 1988-89 season to suffer through the years of last place finishes to eventually raise the Stanley Cup.

Sakic raises the 1996 Stanley Cup after many years of toil with the franchise

Sakic would eventually play 13 seasons in Colorado, scoring 100 points twice more in his career, eventually surpassing the 600 goal, 1,000 assist and 1,600 point marks. The Avalanche were regular fixtures in the playoffs, and contenders for the Stanley Cup for seven straight seasons, reaching the conference finals in six of those seven seasons, including winning the Stanley Cup again in 2001, the same season he won the Hart Trophy as league MVP, the Pearson Award and the Lady Byng Trophy.

Sakic again raised the Stanley Cup in 2001

Today's featured jersey is a 1995-96 Colorado Avalanche Joe Sakic jersey and features the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals patch. This jersey stands apart with it's "mountain range" striping on the waist and arms, unlike any other jersey of it's day. Combined with it's unique color palette, custom number font, memorable secondary shoulder logos and the club's success on the ice, this style Colorado Avalanche jersey is a true icon of it's era and only the change to the templated Reebok Edge jerseys killed off what would have likely been one of those jerseys that lived on unchanged for years.

The white names and numbers on this jersey have a textured herringbone pattern pattern to them, which is called "Glacier Twill". In addition to that detail, the silver outline around all the numbers is a metallic silver material, which is often done as a flat grey material on Avalanche jerseys. The lettering for the name is also tall and narrow, as shown by the shape of the "C", which is also often found as a nearly perfect circle shape with rounded, instead of flat sides like shown here.

Bonus jersey: Today's bonus jersey is a 1989-90 Quebec Nordiques Joe Sakic jersey. This jersey was worn on the road when Sakic was still an assistant captain of the club, as he would not become a co-captain until the following season, and then only for home games, raising questions about just when and why Sakic was wearing the "C" on the road in 1989-90, perhaps due to an injury to their then Captain Peter Stastny. Close inspection will reveal clear remnants of an "A", replaced by a somewhat crudely fashioned "C" over the top of the "A".

Our first video today are the Top 10 Joe Sakic Moments from his throughout his career.

Our second video is a tribute video dedicated to his entire career on the occasion of his retirement.

2012 Minnesota Hockey Collectors Expo

One week from today, Sunday, October 7th, is one of the highlights of the jersey collecting calendar, the 11th Annual Minnesota Hockey Collectors Expo. Anyone who can make it to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul should stop by Tom Reid's Hockey City Pub near the Xcel Energy Center from 11 AM to 6 PM.

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It's the largest gathering of game worn jerseys in Minnesota each year and you can count on seeing some amazing and varied collections in a great hockey environment. This event is free and features collectors bringing favorites from their personal collection for some good old show and tell, with an emphasis on jerseys related to the Minnesota Wild, Minnesota North Stars and Minnesota Gophers, as well as many other interesting jerseys from throughout the hockey world. It's great opportunity to see some great game worn jerseys up close, meet some new people and perhaps add a new jersey to your collection.

To further entice you to attend, here are some photos from last year's event.

Above is Scott Janvrin's impressive Ben Clymer collection. Collecting one player, such as Clymer can be a challenge when they make multiple stops in the NHL and the AHL, but that challenge increases exponentially when a player extends his career by playing in Europe, so this collection was all the more impressive with the addition of game worn jerseys from the German DEL.

Kyle Oen brought his amazing game worn Minnesota high school jersey collection that rivals the one on display at the Xcel Energy Center. He also has other Minnesota based teams in his collection, such as the Minnesota Moose and Minnesota Gophers. Kyle's love of all things Minnesota hockey related is expressed in his website, VintageMinnesotaHockey.com.

Above is John Lindberg's take on a Minnesota theme. Where Kyle collects teams from Minnesota, John is more about former Gophers NHL jerseys as well as Minnesota Wild prospects jerseys before they reach the NHL.

Can't make it to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto? Then having the opportunity to see Jon Bakke's collection of vintage jerseys can save you the trip. This year Jon went with a theme, bringing all his old Quebec Nordiques jerseys, the centerpiece of which are his Stastny brothers!

Jon can be easily spotted at Minnesota Wild games wearing his rotating collection of gamers, as he doesn't just hang them in a closet, he wears his regularly to Wild games.

Here is Jon sharing his collection with former North Star Maxwell, who probably had a few intense battles with the Nordiques before becoming one himself at one point in his career.

Speaking of Hall of Fame worthy collections, Dan Erspamer's Minnesota North Stars collection is highlighted with not only a first year North Stars jersey, but one belonging to the tragic Bill Masterton - a true gem of the expo. If you'd like to talk jerseys with Dan, he's an expert and can be found working at The Hockey Lodge store at Minnesota Wild home games, which take place just up the road from Reid's at the Xcel Energy Center.

Chris Groth (right) has his own hall of fame collection underway and goes for whatever catches his eye. He brought some real gems, including game worn jerseys from Luc Robitaille, Joe Sakic and Theo Fleury, but his Alexander Ovechkin game worn jersey was certainly an Expo highlight.

Eric Bodamer, who designed all the jerseys Nike supplied for the 1998 Olympic hockey tournament in Nagano, Japan, brought with his collection of game worn jerseys from his hometown Buffalo Sabres.

This collection with a Minnesota and Minnesota Wild theme was really impressive, particularly the Mikael Granlund jersey from HIFK Helsinki. Just how do people track these things down?! You have to appreciate dealing with the differences in time zone, language and currency when it comes to obtaining European jerseys!

Yes, you are seeing that right, it's a Milwaukee Admirals "Bob Uecker Night" jersey modeled after Uecker's infamous plaid sport coats! That jersey, and the rest of the collection on the table belong to Chris Jerina. The Uecker jersey, along with the Masterton jersey, was easily our favorite of the event.

Here was our contribution to the proceedings, our history of patches worn by the Minnesota Wild in their 10 years of play. We also brought our collection of game worn German National Team jerseys, which date from 1989 to 2009.

Another great person to meet was certainly Dan Schafer, who was the former equipment manager for the Minnesota Moose of the IHL. His Nordiques jersey from the late Stephane Morin was one of our personal highlights.

The walls of Tom Reid's are just dripping with hockey memorabilia and create the perfect environment to hold such an event.

Who says the event is just for guys?

Finally, the collection of event organizer Frechette, without whom the Expo would not exist. Dave's collection focuses primarily on Minnesota Wild players jerseys, only before they joined the Wild. Examples in his collection are Wild prospects jerseys from their college and junior team as well as European born players jerseys from their European club teams. He is shown with his new pride and joy, Dany Heatley's Ak Bars Kazan game worn jersey from Heatley's time in Russia during the lost NHL season of 2004-05.

How he is consistently able to track down jerseys from such a wide variety of sources is one of the more impressive things to take in at the Expo and his appreciation of hockey history is evidenced by the rare and wonderful Minnesota Fighting Saints WHA jersey seen here as well as his North Stars game worn jersey on display behind him.

This year's Minnesota Hockey Collectors Expo will feature a raffle for the first time, with some great prizes up for grabs from the collections of many of those in attendance in an effort to raise money for the Minnesota NHL Alumni Association, who will receive 100% of the proceeds from the raffle.

For details of the the 11th annual expo, including notable players who plan on attending, check out the event's facebook page. It's a can't miss event, and remember, Chicks Dig the Game Worn Jerseys!

We certainly hope those of you who can, will take the time to attend this can't miss event!