2008 Germany National Team Marco Sturm Jersey

Born on this date in 1978, German Marco Sturm began his path to the NHL with the EV Landshut Jr. team the 1993-94 season. That same season he made his international debut for the Germany National Team during the 1994 European Junior Championships. He would play one more season for the Landshut juniors as well as playing in not only the European Juniors, but also the 1995 World Junior Championships.

He moved up to the Landshut senior team for the 1995-96 season, scoring 12 goals and 32 points in 47 games. At age 19, Sturm was still eligible as a junior and again competed in both the European Juniors, leading all players in scoring with 11 points in 5 games as the team captain, and the World Juniors, scoring 4 goals and 10 points in 6 games for Germany.

Later that year, Sturm was selected by the San Jose Sharks 21st overall in the first round of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, one of only two players selected in the first round to go on to be an NHL All-Star.

Sturm broke into the NHL with the Sharks

The 1996-97 season was Sturm's second with the Landshut senior team, this time scoring 16 goals and 43 points in 46 games. Following the DEL season, Sturm made his senior international debut at the 1997 World Championships, scoring a goal and 2 points for the Germans.

Sturm then signed with the Sharks and made the team out of training camp, scoring a goal in his first NHL game on October 4, 1997. He would finish the season with 10 goals and 30 points in 74 games, fifth among rookies and quickly established himself as an NHL regular. He would also make his Olympic debut during that season when he competed in two games for Germany at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Sturm spend the most time in the NHL with San Jose

He would play the next six seasons with the Sharks, scoring 38, 27 and 32 points from 1998-99 to 2000-01, with a high of 16 goals in 1998-99. That same season he would be named to the World All-Star Team for the NHL All-Star Game. Following the 2000-01 season, Sturm would return to the World Championships for the first time since 1997, scoring 4 goals and 5 points in 7 games.

His first of six consecutive 20 goal season would arrive in 2001-02 with 21 goals on his way to 4 points. Sturm would also return to the Olympics for the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City.

Sturm during the 2002 Olympics

He would set new personal bests with 28 goals and 48 points in 2002-03 and achieve another 20 goal, 40 point season in 2003-04. Later that fall, Sturm was a member of the German National Team at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey where he contributed 2 goals in 4 games.

Sturm competed for Germany at the 2004 World Cup

Following the World Cup, the owners locked out the players in a bitter labor dispute, which resulted in the entire 2004-05 NHL season being cancelled. As many NHL players did, Sturm returned to his home country and played with ERC Ingolstadt while hoping the NHL season would resume at any time. Eventually, he played 45 games, scoring 22 goals and 38 points for Ingolstadt as well as playing in the DEL All-Star Game.

Sturm was an all-star for Ingolstadt during the NHL lockout

Sturm returned to the Sharks for the start of the 2005-06 NHL season, but after 23 games, he was part of a blockbuster trade, which sent him, Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau to the Boston Bruins for their captain Joe Thornton. When Strum left the Sharks, he was ranked sixth in franchise scoring.

After scoring 6 goals and 16 points for San Jose, Sturm would settle right in with the Bruins and add another 23 goals and 43 points in 51 games in Boston, all of which added up to career highs with 29 goals and 59 points. During the season, Sturm was named as the captain for Germany for the 2006 Olympics in Torino, Italy, but was unable to compete due to an injury he suffered in early February.

Sturm completed his career best season with the Bruins

He was healthy enough to return to the Bruins and, following the regular season, played for Germany at the 2006 Division I Group A World Championships, where he scored 4 goals and 7 points in 5 games as Germany earned the promotion back to the top level of the IIHF World Championships for 2007 with a perfect 5-0 record, as Germany dominated with 34 goals scored while only allowing 4 as they shut out Japan, Great Britain and France.

Sturm helped Germany win promotion in 2006

Sturm had another fine season with the Bruins, where his speed served him well, scoring 27 goals and 44 points, while his defensive play made him a tough opponent to compete against. He matched his 27 goals again in 2007-08, but recorded 29 assists for 56 points, the second highest of his career. Following the Bruins exit from the playoffs, Sturm played in his fourth and final World Championships with 2 goals and 3 points in 6 games while serving as the team captain.

Sturm captained the Germans at the 2008 World Championships

He missed the majority of the 2008-09 season due to a knee injury, which limited him to 19 games. Sturm rebounded with a 22 goal, 37 point season, seeing action in 76 games of the 2009-10 season, proving he was fully recovered from his knee problems. Additionally, Sturm was again named the captain of the German Olympic Team for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, where he played in his third Olympic Games.

Sturm scores for Germany during the 2010 Olympics

Unfortunately, Sturm was hurt 21 seconds into the Bruins second round playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers, which resulted in a tear to his ACL and MCL which caused him to miss nearly half of the following 2010-11 season.

Sturm scores in overtime to win the 2010 Winter Classic for Boston

With his recovery nearly complete, Sturm was traded by Boston to the Los Angeles Kings. Ten days later he was activated from injured reserve. He scored 5 goals and 9 points in 17 games for the Kings, but was placed on waivers in late February. The following day he was claimed by the Washington Capitals, scoring a goal and 7 points in 18 regular season games before adding a goal and 3 points in 9 playoff games.

Sturm in a throwback jersey during his brief time with the Kings

Now a free agent, Sturm signed with the Vancouver Canucks, hoping they would return to the Stanley Cup Finals, but after just six games and no points, he was traded to the Florida Panthers, with whom he played in the final 42 games of his NHL career.

Sturm's final NHL club was the Florida Panthers

For the 2012-13 season, Sturm returned to Germany to play for the Cologne Sharks in February in time to play 5 regular season games and 12 playoff games, during which he scored 6 goals and 9 points in what would be he his final games before his retirement as a player.

Sturm's final season was with the Cologne Sharks

In 2015, Sturm was named the Head Coach and General Manager of the Germany National Team, which recently won their Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament to return to the Olympics in 2018 after missing out on the Game in 2014.

Sturm's final NHL totals were 938 games played with 242 goals and 245 assists for 487 points. He also scored 22 points in 68 NHL playoff games. Internationally, he played for Germany at the European Juniors twice, the World Juniors twice, the World Championships four times, the World Cup once and the Olympics three times.

Today's featured jersey is a 2008 Germany National Team Marco Sturm jersey. The IIHF celebrated it's 100th anniversary in 2008 and for that year's World Championships, all teams wore a throwback jersey for one game. For Germany, their design was based on their sweaters from 1932 and was worn during a 5-1 loss to Finland on May 3, 2008.

Bonus jersey: Today's bonus jersey is a 2004 Germany National Team Marco Sturm jersey. Germany first wore this style in 2001 and continued to wear it through the 2004 World Cup before it was replaced by a new style for the 2005 World Championships.

Extra bonus jersey: Today's extra bonus jersey is a 1999-00 San Jose Sharks Marco Sturm jersey. After the Sharks introduced the color teal to the NHL in 1991, they debuted a new, bold template with with arched striping as their alternate jersey first introduced in 1997-98.

The following season that third jersey became their new primary road jersey which prompted the need for a white home version. This paring was used through the 2006-07 season when it was retired with the debut of the new Reebok Edge jerseys for the 2007-08 season.

Today's video section begins with Sturm scoring the Game 6 overtime goal against the Montreal Canadiens in the 2008 playoffs.

If that wasn't enough, here are all 29 of Sturm's goals from the 2005-06 season in chronological order.

One more Sturm goal, this his overtime game winner in the 2010 NHL Winter Classic.

1993-94 San Jose Sharks Arturs Irbe Jersey

The San Jose Sharks second season of play in the NHL was a painful one, even by expansion club standards, as the Sharks had scored 39 points in the standings their first season due to a record of 17-58-5 with a league low 219 goals scored while allowing a league high 359.

Year two saw the team score one less goal, 218, but put forth a disastrous defensive effort, allowing 414 goals, the only team in the league that season to allow more than 400 while taking a run at the all-time mark for goals allowed in a season, as their 414 was one off the Detroit Red Wings 415 allowed in 1985-86 and the Washington Capitals record of 446 during their inaugural season of 1974-75.

The Sharks defensive woes led to 71 losses, leaving only 11 wins and 2 ties to add up to a mere 24 points in the standings.

Their second season saw the Sharks make some moves in an effort to better their club, picking up center Igor Larionov in the NHL Waiver Draft, although he would sign to play in Europe that season, and adding Michel Picard in a deal with the Hartford Whalers.

Following their terrible 1992-93 season, the Sharks acquired defenseman Jeff Norton from the New York Islanders in exchange for a third round draft pick as well as the slick skating Gaetan Duchesne from the Dallas Stars for a sixth round pick a week before the 1993 NHL Draft.

At the draft, the Sharks made waves when they dealt their second overall pick to the Hartford Whalers for Russian Sergei Makarov, Hartford's sixth overall pick, used to selected Russian Viktor Kozlov, a left wing from Dynamo Moscow, as well as additional picks in the second and third rounds.

Sergei Makarov

Forwards Jamie Baker and Bob Errey were signed as free agents in mid-August and Larionov was lured back from a year in Switzerland, thanks to the acquisition of his former line mate Makarov.

Still, despite the additions to the roster, the 1993-94 season began on a sour note, as the Sharks floundered to begin the season, losing 8 of their first 9 games, while only tying the other, leaving them with just a single point.

The Sharks finally broke through and won their first game on October 26th, a 3-1 triumph over the Edmonton Oilers, who waived Todd Elik following the game, which allowed the Sharks to claim the center.

Elik made his San Jose debut in a 4-3 win over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and after a loss to the Washington Capitals on October 30th, the Sharks went their next three without a loss, winning two and tying one to raise their record to 4-9-2 for 10 points.

Todd Elik

After two losses and a tie, San Jose really hit their stride during a long, long road trip, winning at New Jersey, tying the Rangers and defeating the Capitals before a loss at Boston. They rebounded with a win in Hartford.

While their road trip ended with a defeat by Buffalo, a five game unbeaten streak was aided by their return home after seven consecutive games on the road. The unbeaten streak began with three consecutive wins over Detroit and then taking a home and home series with the Mighty Ducks. The second win over Anaheim gave the Sharks 24 points, equalling their total from the prior season after only 27 games of the schedule.

After another tie and a win put them within sight of a .500 record at 11-13-5, a six consecutive losses dropped San Jose to 11-19-5. While their losing streak came to an end thanks to a tie in Toronto, a loss and a tie would follow before the Sharks were able to finally win their first game ten tires on New Year's Eve in Vancouver.

1994 began with a pair of ties and only a loss to Detroit interrupted what would become a steak of four wins and four ties blemished by only the one defeat. Their three consecutive wins from January 12th to 17th saw the Sharks set a franchise high with their 40th point of the season.

A loss to the Rangers was followed by a road trip which consisted of a tie, three wins and two losses before one of the most unusual scheduling quirks ever, as the Sharks would host the Chicago Blackhawks for three consecutive home games on February 8th, 11th and 13th! The first win over Chicago allowed the Sharks to double their 24 points from the previous season and the Blackhawks were happy to finally end their residency at The Shark Tank following two additional defeats at the hands of the Sharks.

Another rough period followed for San Jose, as the club lost six of their next seven before turing things around with a five game unbeaten streak of thee wins and two ties that saw the team now at 25-30-13.

Three consecutive losses in mid-March followed, but the San Jose enter the stretch drive with 63 points, a total they added to with a pair of ties at home to the Kings before heading out east for another of their extended road trips, beginning in Pittsburgh. Following their tie with the Penguins, the determined Sharks really heated up, knocking off Toronto, Winnipeg and St. Louis before returning home and beating both Winnipeg and Toronto again.

This was followed by a 7-4 win over Vancouver on this date in 1984 which gave them their 77th point of the season to set an NHL record, as their 53 point improvement over their previous season was the biggest turnaround I'm league history.

The Sharks continued to add to their record, as then beat the Kings in Los Angeles for their seventh consecutive win and ninth game without a loss when they needed it the most. While they did drop a pair of games in Vancouver and Calgary, the Sharks closed out the season at home with a victory over the Canucks and a tie with Edmonton to push their final record to 33-35-16 for 82 points, pushing their final improvement up to 58 points over 1992-93, easily outdistancing the Quebec Nordiques 52 point turnaround the previous season and the Winnipeg Jets 48 point gain in 1981-82.

The Sharks reward for their efforts was the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference playoffs and the #1 overall seed, the Detroit Red Wings. The Sharks raised eyebrows with a narrow 5-4 win over the Red Wings in Detroit to open the playoffs, but the Red Wings put their stamp of authority on the series with a dominant 4-0 shutout in Game 2, followed by a 3-2 win on the road in San Jose in Game 3.

Backed by their home fans and led by diminutive Latvian goaltender Arturs Irbe, San Jose evened the series with a 4-3 win in Game 4 and then let Detroit know they were not going away quietly with a 6-4 victory in Game 5 to head back to Detroit to finish out the series.

Artrus Irbe

Again, Detroit tried to break Sam Jose's spirit in the form of a 7-1 pounding of the upstart Sharks in Game 6, setting up the winner-take-all Game 7.

Johan Garpenlov teamed with Larionov and Sandis Ozolinsh to give the Sharks the lead just 47 seconds into the game and Makarov, from Larionov and Norton, added to the lead at 13:59 before Kris Draper's shorthanded goal got Detroit on the board with just 13 seconds left in the first.

Sandis Ozolinsh

Slava Kozlov tied the game early in the second period at 2:36 from Vladimir Konstantinov and Greg Johnson, but Irbe held strong in the Sharks net, stopping 17 of the Red Wing's 19 shots through two periods.

The Red Wings continued to pressure Irbe in the third, firing another 11 shots to raise their total for the game to 30, but they failed to solve the Latvian and he made James Baker's unassisted goal at 13:25 stand up as the series winner as the Sharks shocked the league by knocking off the #1 seed in a series that is still talked about to this day.

San Jose then advanced to face the #3 seeded Maple Leafs, which proved to be a back and forth affair, as the two teams traded victories through the first six games, setting up a Game 7 in Toronto, which was won by the Maple Leafs 4-2 despite being out shot by San Jose 31-21, ending a record setting season for the young Sharks in only their third season.

New additions Makarov and waiver claim Elik led the club in scoring, with Makarov leading the team on goals with 30 and points with 68. Elik netted 25 goals on his way to 66 points after being held scoreless in four games with Edmonton.

Ozolinsh led the defense with 26 goals, second best on the team, and 38 assists for 64 points, while Larionov, limited to 60 games, teamed once again with Makarov for 18 goals and 56 points. Pat Falloon and Garpenlov each had 53 points followed by the ageless Ray Whitney and newcomer Norton at 40 each. In all, five of the new arrivals finished in the top 10 in team scoring while Irbe's 74 games in goal saw him win 30 games to anchor the Sharks record setting improvement.

Today's featured jersey is a 1993-94 San Jose Sharks Arturs Irbe jersey. The Sharks entry into the NHL was an unusual one, as the owners of the Minnesota North Stars, George and Gordon Gund, were allowed to take over ownership of the new expansion San Jose entry, as well a claiming a number of North Stars players in the process.

As the league celebrated it's 75th anniversary in 1991-92 by having it's Original 6 teams wear throwback jerseys to honor the league's past, the expansion Sharks shocked the league by leading the way into the future with it's shocking teal jerseys at a time when the Flyers orange and Whalers green jerseys were the most radical ones in a sea of reds, blues and blacks.

The Sharks colors and logo proved to be a true innovation and a hit with the fans, as their entry into the league coincided with the rise of the Starter brand of team wear, making the Sharks jackets the fashion statement of it's day, crossing over into the mainstream of non-hockey fans who didn't know a puck from a stick.

This style jersey would serve the Sharks well for their first seven seasons until being replaced by their new alternate jersey, which took over as their primary jersey in 1998-99.

Today's video selection are highlights of the dramatic Game 7 when the Sharks upset the Red Wings in Detroit.

1993-94 San Jose Sharks Arturs Irbe Jersey

The San Jose Sharks second season of play in the NHL was a painful one, even by expansion club standards, as the Sharks had scored 39 points in the standings their first season due to a record of 17-58-5 with a league low 219 goals scored while allowing a league high 359.

Year two saw the team score one less goal, 218, but put forth a disastrous defensive effort, allowing 414 goals, the only team in the league that season to allow more than 400 while taking a run at the all-time mark for goals allowed in a season, as their 414 was one off the Detroit Red Wings 415 allowed in 1985-86 and the Washington Capitals record of 446 during their inaugural season of 1974-75.

The Sharks defensive woes led to 71 losses, leaving only 11 wins and 2 ties to add up to a mere 24 points in the standings.

Their second season saw the Sharks make some moves in an effort to better their club, picking up center Igor Larionov in the NHL Waiver Draft, although he would sign to play in Europe that season, and adding Michel Picard in a deal with the Hartford Whalers.

Following their terrible 1992-93 season, the Sharks acquired defenseman Jeff Norton from the New York Islanders in exchange for a third round draft pick as well as the slick skating Gaetan Duchesne from the Dallas Stars for a sixth round pick a week before the 1993 NHL Draft.

At the draft, the Sharks made waves when they dealt their second overall pick to the Hartford Whalers for Russian Sergei Makarov, Hartford's sixth overall pick, used to selected Russian Viktor Kozlov, a left wing from Dynamo Moscow, as well as additional picks in the second and third rounds.

Sergei Makarov

Forwards Jamie Baker and Bob Errey were signed as free agents in mid-August and Larionov was lured back from a year in Switzerland, thanks to the acquisition of his former line mate Makarov.

Still, despite the additions to the roster, the 1993-94 season began on a sour note, as the Sharks floundered to begin the season, losing 8 of their first 9 games, while only tying the other, leaving them with just a single point.

The Sharks finally broke through and won their first game on October 26th, a 3-1 triumph over the Edmonton Oilers, who waived Todd Elik following the game, which allowed the Sharks to claim the center.

Elik made his San Jose debut in a 4-3 win over the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and after a loss to the Washington Capitals on October 30th, the Sharks went their next three without a loss, winning two and tying one to raise their record to 4-9-2 for 10 points.

Todd Elik

After two losses and a tie, San Jose really hit their stride during a long, long road trip, winning at New Jersey, tying the Rangers and defeating the Capitals before a loss at Boston. They rebounded with a win in Hartford.

While their road trip ended with a defeat by Buffalo, a five game unbeaten streak was aided by their return home after seven consecutive games on the road. The unbeaten streak began with three consecutive wins over Detroit and then taking a home and home series with the Mighty Ducks. The second win over Anaheim gave the Sharks 24 points, equalling their total from the prior season after only 27 games of the schedule.

After another tie and a win put them within sight of a .500 record at 11-13-5, a six consecutive losses dropped San Jose to 11-19-5. While their losing streak came to an end thanks to a tie in Toronto, a loss and a tie would follow before the Sharks were able to finally win their first game ten tires on New Year's Eve in Vancouver.

1994 began with a pair of ties and only a loss to Detroit interrupted what would become a steak of four wins and four ties blemished by only the one defeat. Their three consecutive wins from January 12th to 17th saw the Sharks set a franchise high with their 40th point of the season.

A loss to the Rangers was followed by a road trip which consisted of a tie, three wins and two losses before one of the most unusual scheduling quirks ever, as the Sharks would host the Chicago Blackhawks for three consecutive home games on February 8th, 11th and 13th! The first win over Chicago allowed the Sharks to double their 24 points from the previous season and the Blackhawks were happy to finally end their residency at The Shark Tank following two additional defeats at the hands of the Sharks.

Another rough period followed for San Jose, as the club lost six of their next seven before turing things around with a five game unbeaten streak of thee wins and two ties that saw the team now at 25-30-13.

Three consecutive losses in mid-March followed, but the San Jose enter the stretch drive with 63 points, a total they added to with a pair of ties at home to the Kings before heading out east for another of their extended road trips, beginning in Pittsburgh. Following their tie with the Penguins, the determined Sharks really heated up, knocking off Toronto, Winnipeg and St. Louis before returning home and beating both Winnipeg and Toronto again.

This was followed by a 7-4 win over Vancouver on this date in 1984 which gave them their 77th point of the season to set an NHL record, as their 53 point improvement over their previous season was the biggest turnaround I'm league history.

The Sharks continued to add to their record, as then beat the Kings in Los Angeles for their seventh consecutive win and ninth game without a loss when they needed it the most. While they did drop a pair of games in Vancouver and Calgary, the Sharks closed out the season at home with a victory over the Canucks and a tie with Edmonton to push their final record to 33-35-16 for 82 points, pushing their final improvement up to 58 points over 1992-93, easily outdistancing the Quebec Nordiques 52 point turnaround the previous season and the Winnipeg Jets 48 point gain in 1981-82.

The Sharks reward for their efforts was the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference playoffs and the #1 overall seed, the Detroit Red Wings. The Sharks raised eyebrows with a narrow 5-4 win over the Red Wings in Detroit to open the playoffs, but the Red Wings put their stamp of authority on the series with a dominant 4-0 shutout in Game 2, followed by a 3-2 win on the road in San Jose in Game 3.

Backed by their home fans and led by diminutive Latvian goaltender Arturs Irbe, San Jose evened the series with a 4-3 win in Game 4 and then let Detroit know they were not going away quietly with a 6-4 victory in Game 5 to head back to Detroit to finish out the series.

Artrus Irbe

Again, Detroit tried to break Sam Jose's spirit in the form of a 7-1 pounding of the upstart Sharks in Game 6, setting up the winner-take-all Game 7.

Johan Garpenlov teamed with Larionov and Sandis Ozolinsh to give the Sharks the lead just 47 seconds into the game and Makarov, from Larionov and Norton, added to the lead at 13:59 before Kris Draper's shorthanded goal got Detroit on the board with just 13 seconds left in the first.

Sandis Ozolinsh

Slava Kozlov tied the game early in the second period at 2:36 from Vladimir Konstantinov and Greg Johnson, but Irbe held strong in the Sharks net, stopping 17 of the Red Wing's 19 shots through two periods.

The Red Wings continued to pressure Irbe in the third, firing another 11 shots to raise their total for the game to 30, but they failed to solve the Latvian and he made James Baker's unassisted goal at 13:25 stand up as the series winner as the Sharks shocked the league by knocking off the #1 seed in a series that is still talked about to this day.

San Jose then advanced to face the #3 seeded Maple Leafs, which proved to be a back and forth affair, as the two teams traded victories through the first six games, setting up a Game 7 in Toronto, which was won by the Maple Leafs 4-2 despite being out shot by San Jose 31-21, ending a record setting season for the young Sharks in only their third season.

New additions Makarov and waiver claim Elik led the club in scoring, with Makarov leading the team on goals with 30 and points with 68. Elik netted 25 goals on his way to 66 points after being held scoreless in four games with Edmonton.

Ozolinsh led the defense with 26 goals, second best on the team, and 38 assists for 64 points, while Larionov, limited to 60 games, teamed once again with Makarov for 18 goals and 56 points. Pat Falloon and Garpenlov each had 53 points followed by the ageless Ray Whitney and newcomer Norton at 40 each. In all, five of the new arrivals finished in the top 10 in team scoring while Irbe's 74 games in goal saw him win 30 games to anchor the Sharks record setting improvement.

Today's featured jersey is a 1993-94 San Jose Sharks Arturs Irbe jersey. The Sharks entry into the NHL was an unusual one, as the owners of the Minnesota North Stars, George and Gordon Gund, were allowed to take over ownership of the new expansion San Jose entry, as well a claiming a number of North Stars players in the process.

As the league celebrated it's 75th anniversary in 1991-92 by having it's Original 6 teams wear throwback jerseys to honor the league's past, the expansion Sharks shocked the league by leading the way into the future with it's shocking teal jerseys at a time when the Flyers orange and Whalers green jerseys were the most radical ones in a sea of reds, blues and blacks.

The Sharks colors and logo proved to be a true innovation and a hit with the fans, as their entry into the league coincided with the rise of the Starter brand of team wear, making the Sharks jackets the fashion statement of it's day, crossing over into the mainstream of non-hockey fans who didn't know a puck from a stick.

This style jersey would serve the Sharks well for their first seven seasons until being replaced by their new alternate jersey, which took over as their primary jersey in 1998-99.

Today's video selection are highlights of the dramatic Game 7 when the Sharks upset the Red Wings in Detroit.

1991-92 San Jose Sharks Arturs Irbe Jersey

Today marks the six month anniversary of Third String Goalie, and it only seems fitting that we not only feature a goalie jersey today, but the rookie jersey of our favorite player, Arturs Irbe - a story we've been looking forward to telling since the day we began this blog.

Irbe, a Latvian, was originally drafted 196th overall in the 10th round of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota North Stars and would go on to become an NHL All-Star.

His first professional club was Dynamo Riga of the Soviet Hockey League and he led them to a memorable run to the 1988 league finals where they eventually lost to the Soviet Central Red Army Club, as everyone did in those days, as CSKA Moscow reeled off 14 consecutive championships on a club stocked with the finest talent the power to draft players into the military could provide.

Dynamo Riga would then take part in the 1988-89 "Super Series" of exhibition games between Soviet and NHL clubs. Riga went 2-4-1 in their tour of North America including defeating the North Stars 2-1 in a game that featured Mike Modano, still playing junior hockey at the time, in a North Stars uniform for the first time ever. We suspect it was Irbe's performance in this game that attracted the attention of the North Stars, causing them to spend a late round draft pick on the Latvian later that spring.

Irbe would also be named to the Soviet National Team for the World Championships in 1989 and 1990, winning a gold medal both times with Irbe being named the Best Goalkeeper of 1990 tournament.

At this point Irbe's career was taking the normal path through the Soviet system, where the top talent would migrate toward the Central Red Army Club, who Irbe played for in the 1990 Super Series tour of North America. Once on the Soviet National Team and Red Army Club, his career would be set, as regular trips to the World Championships and the Olympics were assured for any player to have reached the level of being a member of the Red Army Club.

However, fate and politics would interfere with Irbe's career path. Latvia declared their independence from the Soviet Union on May 4, 1990 and the Soviets responded by invading Latvia in January of 1991 to prevent their leaving the Soviet Union.

Risking his career, as well as his safety, Irbe would quit the Red Army Club and return to Riga as 14 people were killed in Vilnius in neighboring Lithuania by the Soviets intending to prevent Lithuania's similar attempts to withdraw from the Soviet Union. Irbe, and thousands of others, took to the streets in protest, erecting barricades in front of government buildings and media outlets. Red Army hockey officials warned Irbe that if he did not return to the team, he would never play for it again.

Irbe did not return.

The danger of being in Riga at the time was very real, as 100 of the Black Berets of the Soviet Interior Ministry seized Latvia's Interior Ministry building, killing five people on January 21, 1991. They had already sized the main press building, attacked the police academy and shot out tires of vehicles at the barricades.

Death, or a one way trip to Siberia, was a very real possibility for Irbe who could have simply kept quiet and enjoyed life at the pinnacle of the Soviet hockey world.

Eventually Boris Yeltsin gained power in Russia and Latvia and the other Baltic States were granted their independence.

Meanwhile, the NHL rights to Irbe had transferred to the San Jose Sharks as part of a complex deal which would see then North Stars owners George and Gordon Gund granted the Sharks expansion franchise and be allowed to select 24 North Stars players to stock their roster.

With the good fortune of now having the option to come and play professionally in North America (it was only two years earlier that Alexander Mogilny had to defected in order to play in the NHL), Irbe would make the move across the Atlantic and spend the majority of the 1991-92 season playing for the Kansas City Blades of the IHL. He would make his NHL debut on this date in 1991, making 30 saves to pick up a win in his first start by defeating the Edmonton Oilers 6-2. It ended a 13 game losing streak for the Sharks who had only won once in 17 games at that point. The very next day Irbe would win his second start, 4-3 over the Islanders, for the first consecutive wins in Sharks history.

Irbe would be returned to Kansas City later that season where he would lead the Blades to the Turner Cup Championship with 12 wins in 15 playoff starts, share the James Norris Memorial Trophy with teammate Wade Flaherty and be named to the IHL All-Star Team.

During the 1992-93 season Irbe would play in 36 games for the Sharks, sharing time with Jeff Hackett and Bryan Hayward, leading the club with 7 of their meager 11 wins that season, as well as having the best goals against average of the three.

Irbe, now the clear number one goalie, would get 73 starts in the Sharks 84 games and play an NHL record 4412 minutes in 1993-94. The Sharks would improve by 22 wins and an NHL record 58 points in the standings. "Archie", as Irbe was known, was named to his first NHL All-Star Game that season, along with Sandis Ozolinsh, the first Latvians to be so honored. He would go 30-28-16 during the regular season and lead the Sharks to a stunning upset of the number one ranked Detroit Red Wings in seven games.

San Jose let the world know they were not going to be happy with just making the playoffs, surprising the Red Wings with a 5-4 win in Game 1 in Detroit. Things looked to be back to normal as the Red Wings shutout the visiting Sharks 4-0 in Game 2, and took Game 3 in San Jose 3-2.

The Sharks fought back to even the series by winning Game 4 by a 4-3 margin and Game 5 saw them push the Red Wings to the brink with a 6-4 win at home.

Back in Detroit, the Red Wings once more looked to be the dominant number one ranked team as they pounded the upstart Sharks 7-1 in a must-win game for Detroit to push the series to a seventh game. The Sharks however, would pull off the stunning upset and defeat the Red Wings in Detroit 3-2 on a late goal by Jamie Baker.

The Sharks would prove that the first round was no fluke by taking the third-seeded Toronto Maple Leafs to the full seven games in the second round before bowing out of the playoffs.

Unfortunately, Irbe would suffer a major off season injury in the summer of 1994. While at home in Riga, Irbe was doing sit-ups next to his sleeping dog, a Labrador-Newfoundland mix named Rambo. When he bumped the dog, it awoke startled and mauled Irbe, who suffered a severed artery, severe damage to the tendons and nerves in his hands and a broken finger. As a result, his play suffered the following season despite the additional recovery time afforded by the NHL lockout. His goals against rose from 2.84 to 3.26 and his save percentage dipped slightly.

Things got worse the following season, as his record in just 22 games was a dismal 4-12-4 with his goals against average ballooning to 4.59 and his save percentage down to a poor .860, which led to his being released by the Sharks.

He would recover from his injuries and sign with the Dallas Stars for one season before moving to the Vancouver Canucks the next season before finally finding a more permanent home with the Carolina Hurricanes. He would play six seasons in Carolina, including a trip to his second NHL All-Star Game in 1999 and a run to the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals.

A hero in his homeland and frequent member of his national team, Irbe would be chosen as the flag bearer for Latvia at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy and was recently named as the goaltending coach of the Washington Capitals.

Today's featured jersey is a CCM 1991-92 San Jose Sharks Arturs Irbe jersey as worn during Irbe's first start in the NHL, a 6-2 victory at home over in the Edmonton Oilers.

The jersey features the NHL 75th Anniversary patch worn on all the players jerseys that season.

First up today, rare footage of Irbe from the 1990 World Championships against the United States in a shootout. Irbe was named Best Goaltender of the tournament while winning the gold medal.

The game winning goal in Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Playoffs is our next highlight, as the Sharks shocked the Red Wings by eliminating them in the first round.

Irbe then robs Wendel Clark by doing Splits That No Man Should Ever Attempt in the second round of the 1994 playoffs versus Toronto.

Here is a great profile of Irbe done during his time with the Sharks.

Finally, an outstanding profile of Irbe, which really speaks to the thoughtfulness and character of the man.

Dasherboard: On our six month anniversary, here are some stats and facts to share.

Since we started Third String Goalie we have had over 37,000 hits, visitors from 70 different countries (which completely blows our minds), published 190 posts covering jerseys from Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada in the West to Omsk, Siberia in Russia in the East and from Ornskoldsvik, Sweden in the North to Sunrise, Florida in the South, opened our online store, added our jersey locator map, had an article published in The Hockey News Greatest Jerseys of All-Time issue (how cool was that?!), acquired a pair of obscure jerseys from our wantlist, started our twitter feed, been linked to by several web sites, launched our facebook page and made new friends along the way.

As a thank you for being with us, we are going to let you know about our favorite freebie in the hockey world - The IIHF newsletter IceTimes. Published every other month, it features news, stats, photos and results from international hockey around the world, and the IIHF Annual Report, a 100 page full-color complete recap of the previous year in international hockey, published every fall. The photos alone are worth the effort to get one.

If you are a fan of international hockey, at 12 pages per issue, IceTimes has the most relevant and interesting content per page of any hockey publication around. With the Olympics coming up, it is especially worth your time. An electronic version of IceTimes can be downloaded as a .pdf file at the above link as well.

You can request to be put on the IIHF mailing list to receive IceTimes for free and request your complimentary copy of the IIHF Annual Report by emailing media@iihf.com and be sure to include your shipping address.

Also, a reminder that you can now follow us on your My Yahoo! page and iGoogle page, twitter or facebook as well as making us one of the "blogs you follow" at blogger.com using the links in the right hand column.

Also, the studio shots of the jerseys we own are all clickable links, which will take you to our webshots gallery. If you would like to see any of the photos of our jerseys or patches in their full, hi-res size, click on the link above the photo for "albums" (or just use the shortcut we just provided) and then look for the "make friends" link in the right hand side. Once your friend request is approved, you will be able to view and download our images in the hi-res size.

Thanks for reading, and remember, never, ever tuck your jersey into your pants.