1990-91 Sokol Kiev Vasily Bobrovnikov Jersey

July by the Numbers crosses the Atlantic for jersey #13.

Sokol Kiev (Kiev Falcons) are the oldest and most successful team in Ukrainian hockey history.

The club was founded as Dynamo Kiev in 1963 and began play in the second division in the Soviet Union, of which Ukraine was then a member. After a sixth place finish during their first season, Kiev won the second division in 1964-65, earning promotion to the top level, the Soviet Championship.

The 1964-65 Dynamo Kiev team, which won promotion to the Soviet Championship

Kiev would remain in the top division through the 1969-70 season when a last place finish doomed them to relegation back to the second division.

Three seasons later on the occasion of the club's tenth anniversary, the team would change it's name to Sokol Kiev. It would take until 1978, when a second place finish would elevate Kiev back up to the top level. They would not only avoid relegation, but achieve the highest finish in team history with a third place in 1984-85 aided by Nikolai Narimanov's league leading 26 goals.

In 1986 the club became the first and only team from Ukraine invited to compete for the Spengler Cup, where they would reach the finals. It was also during this time period that the club would add future NHL players Dimitri Khristich, Ruslan Fedotenko and Alexander Godynyuk to their roster. Further international recognition would come with their victory in the 1989 Tampere Cup in Finland.

Dimitri Khristich

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Los Angeles Kings would select defenseman Alexi Zhitnik 81st in the fourth round of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, making him the highest drafted player from Sokol in team history.

Alexi Zhitnik

Ramil Yuldashev led the league in goals in 1990 and points in 1991 while Valery Shiryaev would be named Best Defenseman both seasons. With the breakup of the Soviet Union, it threw the organization of hockey in the region into a state of flux, with the league changing names to the CIS Championship and then the International Hockey League from 1992-93 to 1995-96 while Kiev remained a member throughout all the changes.

When the Russian Superleague was formed in 1996-97, the only member clubs were Russian and the Ukrainian Kiev team joined the Eastern European Hockey League, which was comprised of teams from Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine, allowing Kiev to not only escape competing against the powerful clubs of Russia, but to become "a big fish in a small pond" themselves.

In the league's eight seasons, Kiev would finish with the best record four times and become champions twice, in both 1998 and 1999. The EEHL lasted until the 2003-04 season, and following it's demise, three clubs, two from Latvia and Sokol Kiev, joined the Belarusian Extraliga.

They competed in the Extraliga for three seasons and then once again changed leagues, this time joining the Vysshaya Liga, the second highest level of Russian hockey, for the 2007-08 season. Due to the higher costs of playing in the Russian league, including higher participation fees for non-Russian teams and travel costs they must cover for the visiting teams, which included not only travel, but lodgings and meals as well, Kiev returned to the Belarus Extraliga again in 2009-10, where they played as the only Ukrainian team through 2010-11.

For the just completed 2011-12 season, Kiev was once again on the move, joining the newly created Professional Hockey League of Ukraine where the grandfather of Ukrainian hockey teams struggles to survive amidst reports of financial difficulties.

To date the club has retired numbers for five players in it's 50 years, #13 for Zhitnik, #8 for Khristich, #14 for Shyriaiev #11 for both Anatoly Stepanischev and #22 Yuri Sundrov.

Sokol Kiev's retired jerseys hang from their arena's rafters

Today's featured jersey is a 1990-91 Sokol Kiev Vasily Bobrovnikov jersey.

The white sections of this jersey are a type of material much like ultrafil, while the blue parts are lighter weight mesh. All the graphics are screened on, including the incredible player name on the back, which doesn't get any better than this for a classic example of the Cyrillic alphabet.

2007-08 Kassel Huskies Hugo Boisvert Jersey

July by the Numbers takes a trip to Germany for jersey #12.

There are many ways in which the game of hockey is the same no matter where it's played, yet there are also many idiosyncratic differences in the ways things are done in different regions of the world.

The Kassel Huskies are a prime example of the many differences. The club was founded in 1977 as one of the founding members of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Many European leagues are run in the same format as the professional soccer leagues of Europe and employ a system of promotion and relegation, a concept foreign to the North American sports ladder system of minor leagues.

In North American sports, such as baseball and hockey, young up and coming players or veteran players not good enough to make the top pro teams are assigned to a "farm team" for further seasoning in hopes of making the big clubs. There is no penalty for any club that finishes with one of the worst records each season, and in fact they are rewarded for doing so with the first picks of the new crop of players eligible to be drafted. Being terrible for an extended period of time is essentially how the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks grew into Stanley Cup champions.

In Europe however, the teams who finish at the bottom of the standings are often penalized with a demotion (or "relegation") to the next lowest league each season, which works as a powerful incentive to consistently field the most competitive club possible, year after year.

Meanwhile, the teams playing in the lower divisions are rewarded for their success by being promoted up to the next highest league for the following season, which results in greater revenues due to factors such as larger contracts from media outlets and greater sponsorship revenues as a result of increased exposure at the higher levels.

The Kassel Huskies demonstrate how promotion and relegation can work in Europe. At one time members of the 2nd Division of the Bundesliga, they were included in the formation of the new DEL in 1994, which made them members of the top division of German hockey. The Huskies remained there through the reintroduction of relegation in 1999-00, including a runner-up finish in 1996-97, until the 2005-06 season in which they suffered "the drop" back down to the 2nd Division of the Bundesliga, where they remained for two seasons.

At the conclusion of the 2007-08 season, as 2nd Bundesliga playoff champions, they were promoted back to the top level DEL for two seasons before they sadly folded due to bankruptcy, unfortunately also demonstrating the sometimes unstable nature of German professional hockey.

Hugo Boisvert of the Huskies is also representative of how European hockey, and Germany in particular, provides opportunities for professional players outside of North America. Boisvert attended Ohio State University from 1996-97 to 1998-99, leading the team in scoring in his last two seasons, which earned him a number of awards, including being named to the CCHA All-Rookie Team in 1997, the All-CCHA First Team and the First Team All-American in 1998 and the All-CCHA First Team and Second Team All-American, making him the only two-time All-American in Ohio State history, as well as being a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award in 1999.

Boisvert while an Ohio State Buckeye

Yet not one NHL club chose to spend a draft choice on Boisvert during his three years at Ohio State despite all the recognition, so following the completion of his college career, the native of St. Eustache, Quebec joined the Canadian National Team program for the 1999-00 season and then signed with the Orlando Solar Bears of the IHL for 2000-01. Following the demise of the Solar Bears he moved to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL for three seasons. While there, he did earn an invite to the Detroit Red Wings training camp, but failed to crack their roster for even a single NHL contest.

Following his fourth season in the minors, Boisvert made the decision to relocate to Germany, joining Duisburg EV of the German second division. The move was successful for both parties, as Boisvert led the Foxes in scoring and the team won promotion to the DEL for the following season. Following another season with EV Duisburg, in which Boisvert was named team captain, he moved to the Kassel Huskies, the very same team his EV Duisburg club defeated in a playoff to relegate!

Boisvert's first club in Europe was Duisburg EV

While the Huskies finished first in the 2nd Bundesliga in 2006-07, they were defeated in the playoffs to determine which club would be promoted up to the DEL. 2007-08 was a different story, as the dominant Huskies again finished first in the league, 27 points ahead of the next closest team, and marched through the playoffs to return to the DEL for 2008-09 for the second time in Boisvert's German career.

Boisvert while captain of the Huskies

After the Huskies folded following the 2009-10 season, Boisvert joined Dresdner Eislöwen club in the 2nd Bundesliga in hopes of brining his third separate club up to the DEL. 

Boisvert now with Dresdner Eislöwen

While other European leagues have tighter restrictions on the number of foreign players allowed on each team's roster to preserve opportunities for homegrown talent, the limit on the number of foreign players in the DEL is more liberal and is currently set at ten. In comparison, teams in the primarily Russian KHL are limited to signing five foreign players with no more than four skating in a game.

Since moving to Germany, Boisvert has now scored 153 goals and 319 points in nine seasons and captained two different clubs. His story is similar to other players we have written about whose NHL careers came to a close, but continued to play for years in Germany while earning much respect as captains of their clubs.

Another one of the main differences between the way things are done in North American professional hockey and Europe is in terms of the jerseys, particularly in how the jerseys are made and the approach to sponsorships.

While in North America the vast majority of jerseys at the NHL and AHL level have their stripes sewn into (or onto) the jerseys, keeping them frankly rather basic in design, many European jerseys employ the art of dye-sublimation, which starts with a blank white jersey and then has all the design elements printed onto the jersey, which allows for all manner of wild looks created by a graphic designer with no real limitation but their imagination, which can sometimes run amok. Then add on the excessive sponsorship logos common in Europe, and you can sometimes barely tell what the actual name of the team is.

Today's featured jersey is a 2007-08 Kassel Huskies Hugo Boisvert jersey as worn during the 2007-08 playoffs which features no less than 17 different sponsorship logos. Additionally, the jersey sports a collar of a style not found on North American jerseys. Hidden among the logos on the front is a captain's "C" and a screened back, full-bleed husky's head in an intimidating snarl. There are also flames shooting up the arms and across the torso, something you would never find on an NHL jersey where even a diagonal stripe is viewed as an oddity.

The jersey also has the European layout on the back, where one of the team's sponsors takes the prime real estate at the top of the back, while the players name is relegated to a position below his number.

Bonus Jersey: Today's Bonus jersey is a 2003-04 Detroit Red Wings Hugo Boisvert jersey. This jersey has the unusual block letters with serifs on the back, rather than the normal, vertically arched letters normally found on Red Wings jerseys. The reason for this is due to this jersey being worn in during pre-season games during training camp, when the Red Wings traditionally use the less complicated lettering style, saving their vertically arched lettering for the regular season.

Our video section today shows Hugo Boisvert scoring for the Kassel Huskies and sending their fans into something near rapture.

In this video of game action between Eisbaren Berlin and the Kassel Huskies, note the many sponsorship logos on the ice, including all five face-off circles as well as the area behind the goal lines as well as at center ice, which is now common in the NHL.

  

1991-92 Lake Superior State University Lakers Brian Rolston Jersey

July by the Numbers makes it's way to Michigan's Upper Peninsula for jersey #11.

The Lake Superior State University Lakers hockey program was founded in 1966 and joined the Central Collegiate Hockey Association in 1972, the second season of the conference.

The CCHA was formed in 1971 with just four member teams. The league grew to seven teams by 1978, but the conference gained national recognition in 1981 when it expanded from six teams to 11 with the defection of Michigan Tech, Notre Dame, Michigan State and Michigan from the WCHA. The new clubs proved their mettle by finishing 2-3-4-5 in the conference. The Bowling Green Falcons were the first CCHA team to win the national title in 1984, the first of eight for the conference. Lake Superior State leads with three, followed by Michigan (1996 and 1998) and Michigan State (1986 and 2007), each with two championship titles.

The Lakers won the CCHA regular season championship in 1972-73, but the fledgling CCHA consisted of but three members that season. Further success would elude the Lakers until the 1987-88 season, when LSSU captured the CCHA title with a 22-4-6 record, in a league that had now grown to a proper nine teams, and then defeat Maine in the semifinals 6-3 before defeating St. Lawrence 4-3 in overtime to win their first ever national championship.

Jim Dowd, Craig Hewson and Tim Breslin celebrate the national championship in 1988

The Lakers would win both the CCHA regular season title and the first of three consecutive CCHA playoff championships in 1990-91 before coming back to win not only the CCHA playoff championship again, but their second NCAA national championship in 1991-92 by a score of 5-3 over Wisconsin with a roster that included future NHLers Sandy Moger and Brian Rolston.

Brian Rolston

They would lose the NCAA championship game to Maine 5-4 the following season, but return to the top of the mountain with a 9-1 shellacking of Boston University in the championship final in 1994.

Their run of success concluded with a CCHA playoff championship in 1994-95 and a CCHA regular season title in 1995-96 when they posted a 22-6-2 record.

The most well known among former Lakers players include NHLers Bates Battaglia (1994-1997), Jim Dowd (1987-1991), who holds the school record for most points with 274 in his 181 game career, goaltender John Grahame (1994-1997), Rolston (1991-1993) and Doug Weight (1989-1991), with Dowd, Rolston, Grahame and Weight all going on to win the Stanley Cup.

Doug Weight

Today's featured jersey is a 1991-92 Lake Superior State University Lakers Brian Rolston jersey. This jersey is very similar in style to that worn by the Minnesota North Stars at home and the Toronto Maple Leafs that same season, as well as the Winnipeg Jets as recently as 1990.

The simple color combination of primary blue and yellow of LSSU make for a very attractive jersey and the bold, angled "Lakers" over their now iconic anchor makes for one of the nicest college hockey jerseys ever.

Here, Brian Rolston talks about being a musician.

Next, Rolston reflects on his college hockey career at LSSU.

Finally, a look at some of the traditions of Lake Superior State hockey.

  

1999 Mystery Alaska John Biebe Jersey

July by the Numbers settles down with some popcorn and a movie for jersey #10.

Released in 1999, Mystery, Alaska tells the story about the small town of Mystery located in the far reaches of Alaska.

When their weekly Saturday pickup hockey game is glorified by a cover story in Sports Illustrated (by a former town resident), the magazine article gives birth to the idea of the town hosting an exhibition game against the NHL's New York Rangers in a nationally televised event.

Just prior to the announcement of the challenge from the Rangers, town Sheriff John Biebe (portrayed by Academy Award winner Russell Crowe), a 13-year veteran of the Saturday Game, is cut from the squad in favor of teenager Stevie Weeks. who looks remarkably like a certain Sidney Crosby.

Weeks and Biebe

 (nice touch having Weeks wearing an Alaska Anchorage Seawolves t-shirt)

With the planned arrival of the Rangers, and big city values, the townsfolk begin to stress over the event and relationships become strained as the pressure mounts. Additionally, their planned game of "pond hockey" evolves into a standard game with boards and blue lines, which turn the rules back in favor of the NHL's Rangers.

Now off the team, Biebe is originally asked to coach the team, but when town Judge Walter Burns (the legendary Burt Reynolds) becomes the coach, he immediately reinstates Biebe to the squad and installs him as captain.

Sheriff Biebe and Judge Burns

With the day of the game now upon them, the team hits the ice decked out in gorgeous new jerseys never seen before in the movie.

After going up 2-0 after one period, the Rangers come storming back in the second to take a 5-2 lead heading into the third. The team from Mystery regroups and fights back to within 5-4, only to hit the crossbar with their goalie pulled to come within an eyelash of tying the club from the NHL, earning the respect of the Rangers and the town.

In fact, the Rangers were so impressed that two of the players from Mystery actually get tryouts with a Rangers minor league affiliate, which means with those players leaving town, Biebe is now back as a member of the Saturday Game.

Today's featured jersey is a 1999 Mystery Alaska John Biebe jersey. The color of buckskin with a leather lace-up collar, the jerseys feature a simple "M" logo and all the graphics done in black with cream trim, the jerseys are perhaps the finest ever in a hockey movie, as they capture the feeling and spirit of the wild Alaskan landscape in which the town's pond rests.

Today's video section begins with the trailer for Mystery, Alaska.

Next up the Saturday Game, which put the town on the map.

Finally, the boys from Mystery face off against the New York Rangers while wearing their new team jerseys.

  

1992-93 University of Maine Black Bears Paul Kariya Jersey

July by the Numbers takes us back to school with jersey #9.

The University of Maine hockey program was founded in 1977 and joined the Division II Eastern College Athletic Conference and the conference was upgraded to Division I in 1979. The Black Bears remained in the ECAC through the 1983-84 season before leaving to join the newly formed Hockey East conference.

Hockey East was formed in response to the fear that the Ivy League schools in the ECAC would leave that conference to form their own new league, which it turned out never came to pass.

With traditional college hockey powers Boston College, Boston University and Providence in the league, Hockey East gained immediate respectability and began it's first season with seven member clubs, which included the Black Bears.

It was tough going for Maine that first season in Hockey East, finishing a distant last with a 2-26-0 record under new coach Shawn Walsh. 1986-87 saw improvement with their first winning record in Hockey East, a 19-12-1 mark, good for third in the league followed by a stellar 20-4-2 record to win the league's regular season title in 1987-88 and made it to the national semifinals. While they placed second in the 1988-89 regular season, Maine captured it's first Hockey East playoff championship that season and again advanced to the Frozen Four.

The team remained a strong contender, with second place finishes the following two seasons, which included another Frozen Four appearance in 1991 before again winning both the Hockey East regular season and playoff championship in 1991-92 behind Hobey Baker Award winner Scott Pellerin.

The arrival of Canadian Paul Kariya from Vancouver and the goaltending duo of Garth Snow (21-0-1) and Mike Dunham (21-1-1) led the Black Bears to a memorable season. Kariya became the first freshman to win the Hobey Baker Award following his 33 goals and 91 assists for 124 points in just 51 games as Maine destroyed all before them, going 42-1-2, (with their only loss coming in overtime) winning the Hockey East regular season and playoff championship, as well as taking the first NCAA national championship in school and Hockey East history after staging a come from behind win after entering the third period trailing the defending champion Lake Superior State Lakers 4-2 when Jim Montgomery scored a hat trick, all on assists from Kariya, to propel Maine to the title.

Paul Kariya of Maine

Following the 1992-93 championship, Maine win the Hockey East regular season title in 1995, the conference playoff title in 2000 and 2004 and made it to the national championship final again in 1995 against Hockey East rival Boston University, won their second championship in 1999 (captained by Paul Kariya's brother Steve Kariya) and again reached the championship final in 2002 and 2004 in seven Frozen Four appearances.

Hockey East members have won the national championship a total of seven times, two by Maine in 1993 and 1999, two by Boston University in 1995 and 2009 and three by Boston College in 2001, 2008 and 2010, giving Hockey East, and the city of Boston, the last three in a row.

Today's featured jersey is a 1992-93 University of Maine Black Bears Paul Kariya jersey. This jersey has to be one of the Holy Grails of college hockey jerseys. Not only is this University of Maine jersey one of the most gorgeous, traditional looking jerseys, but it was worn by a college hockey legend, Paul Kariya, a 15 year NHL veteran who is just 11 points shy of 1,000 for his professional career.

The classic matching "Northwestern" stripes on the waist and arms, as well as the colored shoulder yoke with white trim by all rights should be the standard template for all hockey teams. When done in it's two shades of blue with white trim, it only gets more attractive. Add in the collegiate script logo on the front and it's nothing short of perfection.

Today's video features players from the 1993 national championship team recalling the title game and their third period comeback.

Next, an interview with Jim Montgomery and Paul Kariya, who teamed up to capture the 1993 National Championship for Maine, the first for Hockey East.

Finally, a look at the ridiculous skills Kariya possessed in college.

1974-75 Michigan Stags Dan Gruen Jersey

July by the Numbers continues with jersey #8 from the Michigan Stags.

The Los Angeles Sharks were one of the original WHA clubs, formed in 1972. Following their second season, they were sold to new owners, who relocated the team to Detroit and renamed them the Michigan Stags. They were hoping to take advantage of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings current losing ways and develop a rivalry with the Toronto Toros.

Gary Desjardins in net for the Stags

Keeping the red and black color scheme of the Sharks and hoping to fill the Cobo Arena's 12,000 seats, things did not work out as planned...

The Stags began their existence with a six game road trip, displaced by a circus at the start of the season. They carried over the poor play on the ice of the last placed Sharks and could not secure a TV deal either. 

At every turn, financial issues affected the club, as the new owners had no idea how much money it would take to operate a professional hockey team and were short of funds right out of the gate. Bus drivers would not take the team anywhere until paid in advance, hotels would not let them check in without being paid up front and there was not a curved stick in sight since the club got a deal on straight bladed sticks for a bargain price!

When attendance averaged 3,000 per game, the club's money problems which forced the trade of star forward Marc Tardif to the Quebec Nordiques in early December.

Tardif appears glum at the thought of being a Stag

Six weeks later the Stags were no more, with the owners folding the team on January 19th after only 61 games, even before legendary Red Wing Gordie Howe could return to Detroit for a game which certainly would have set a franchise attendance record.

With the league now as owners, a week later the team was resurrected and placed in Baltimore, now known as the Blades, where they finished the remaining 17 games of the schedule, going a dismal 3-13-1, prior to folding after the season.

Today's featured jersey is a 1974-75 Michigan Stags Dan Gruen jersey. The Stags used the same basic jersey as their predecessor Sharks, only with a new, nicely executed logo, with the Stag's legs forming a subtle "M" for Michigan. While not the most dynamic logo ever, it was clean and graphic and has aged very well.

When the team played it's final contest in Cleveland, creditors literally caught up to the team and repossessed their jerseys, forcing the club to play their last game in generic jerseys without any logo!

Today's audio file is some classic Stags radio play-by-play action from a game versus the New England Whalers in the 1974-75 season.

1990-91 Italy National Team Bob Manno Jersey

July by the Numbers crosses the Atlantic Ocean and heads to Italy for jersey #7.

Bob Manno, a defenseman, began his NHL career with the Vancouver Canucks in 1976-77. He played with the Canucks for five seasons, splitting time between the NHL and CHL with a high of 52 games in 1978-79.

Bob Manno while with the Canucks

He signed as a free agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1981-82 and played in 72 games that season, scoring an NHL career high 50 points. He was rewarded by playing in the NHL All-Star Game appearance that season. Following the regular season, Manno made his debut for the Italy National Team at the 1982 World Championships.

This led to him playing a year with HC Merano in the Italian Serie A followed by another World Championship experience with Italy in 1983.

He returned to North America and the NHL for the next two seasons, splitting time between the Red Wings (62 games) and the AHL (12), followed by a full season with Detroit in 1984-85, his last in the NHL.

He returned to Italy and HC Merano for the 1985-86 season, racking up 106 points in 36 games for the high powered Eagles, who were led by one time New York Ranger Mark Morrison's 147 points and former Maple Leaf Frank Nigro's 132 as Merano won the championship for the first time in it's history.

With Italy now down in the B Pool, Manno returned to action in the World Championships for the third time. One more season with Merano followed with another appearance for Italy in the World Championships in 1987 before he moved to HC Fassa for 1987-88 and 1988-89. After missing the 1988 Worlds, he contributed 5 assists in 7 games for Italy in 1989, his best showing in the World Championships to date, recognized by being named Best Defenseman in the tournament.

1989-90 had Manno on the move to HC Milano Saim for three seasons, including a championship in 1991, his second in Serie A. He was also named Best Defenseman in Serie A that year. He also made his final two World Championship appearances in 1990 and 1991, when he raised his personal best to 7 points in 7 games in 1991.

Manno closed out his international career in style, competing in his first Olympics in Albertville, France in 1992, where he scored a goal and 2 assists in 7 games.

He wound up his professional career with two seasons playing for the HC Bolzano Foxes, which included another Serie A Best Defenseman award in 1992.

Following his playing career, he moved into coaching, first in Italy and later in the German DEL.

Today's featured jersey is a 1990-91 Italy National Team Bob Manno jersey, one of the craziest national team jerseys ever produced.

The traditional approach begins at the shoulders with the white yoke and traditional Tackla diamond logos and the classic blue color of Italian National Team jerseys, but once one moves down to the ITALIA crest, tradition gets thrown out the window and the insanity begins with no less than 40 vertical stripes of varying widths and lengths on the body alone, interrupted on the front by five horizontal striping sections which create even more visual noise, bearing in mind that the Italian flag is comprised of vertical stripes!

If that weren't enough, the vertical striping frenzy continues on the sleeves, with 13 more stripes on each arm.

With just one jersey looking so incredibly busy sitting still, one can only imagine what five of them looked like on the ice, all in motion at the same time!

Truly one of the most visually jarring hockey jerseys in the history of the sport, and worn by someone who also had to wear the Canucks controversial "Flying V"!

Here is ERC Ingolstadt coach Bob Manno speaking in front of the press following a win after a game in Germany in early 2009. Fortunately for all involved he's dressed better than his old Italian National Team jersey.