Reader Submission - 2014-15 HC Sochi Ryan Whitney Jersey

Our 29th reader submission comes from David Shucosky, and it's an authentic Lutch jersey from the primarily Russian Kontinental Hockey League.

Here is David's story about his  jersey, which is a real conversation starter.

Here's my submission. A Ryan Whitney HC Sochi jersey from 2014-15. Ryan recently wrote an article about hockey in Russia for the Player's Tribune. I got this jersey from Lutch's American division which operates out of California since I was tired of Reebok's crap quality and high prices (this authentic level jersey cost me about $160).

I actually tweeted a picture of it to Ryan and he was very impressed, he said he had no idea someone in the US would get a hold of this jersey. I also caused quite a stir on Twitter when I wore it to a Penguins game; Seth Rorabaugh of the Post-Gazette (@emptynetters) features a roundup of interesting jerseys at every home game.

The front of the jersey says HC Sochi, the rear says Krasnodar Krai, the province Sochi is in. That's the province's coat of arms on the shoulders. The sponsor patch is Megafon, the largest cell phone company in Russia. I can't find anything out about the 7 patch.

Thanks to David for taking the time to photograph his attractive jersey and the details of the various logos on the jersey as well as the stories of how it has been received by his fellow hockey fans. We really appreciate the work involved when our readers take the time and effort to share their jerseys through their writing and their photos.

On a personal note, we recently tweeted a link to Whitney's fascinating article about playing in Russia. Stories of playing and living in Russia from a North American's point of view are always a fascinating read and we can only hope Whitney's article is extended into a book some day.

Also, we personally have many Lutch jerseys in our own collection and recommend them without reservation. In the past, they were all dye-sublimated, which made for permanently bright colors - a much superior process to screen printing. Recently, Lutch added more embroidered crests and then fully sewn names and numbers like what NHL fans are accustomed to, a welcome change for many fans and collectors who feel that is a preferred way to construct a pro jersey, although we personally were perfectly happy with the sublimated jerseys which allowed for some striking and creative designs that set Lutch apart from the typical, more conservative NHL jersey.

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!