The History of the Hockey Jersey 1983-1993

Today we are very excited to bring to you an interview with Chris Delorme, author of the fantastic new book, The History of the Hockey Jersey 1983-1993. If you are a reader of this blog, you need this book!

The book is 8.5" x 11" and runs 160 pages with over 750 color photos which show not only the jerseys from all of the NHL teams of the era and all the All-Star jerseys as well, but key details of the tagging, patches and cresting as well. Additionally, the book is a Limited Edition first run individually numbered to just 1,000 copies. Simply put, this is an awesome book that  instantly goes straight to the top of our favorites list. As long as we've been collecting jerseys, you'd think we'd know a thing or two about them, but we learned more about the finer points of jersey evolution in the first ten pages than we have in the last ten years.

Not only does the book detail all of the various jersey styles, it also details the different manufacturers, fabrics worn, the changes in manufacturer logos as well a player profiles of the star players who wore the jerseys, which is a nice compliment to the extensive jersey information which gives the book life and breaks up what could be the monotony of noting but the detailed information about the jerseys if that's all it contained. Finally, the book is printed on quality bright white paper that lets the vibrant colors of the jersey photography shine through.

Chris was kind enough to take some time and answer some questions for us.

TSG: Your book, The History of the Hockey Jersey 1983-1993 has recently been published. When did the project start? Was there a particular inspiration for doing it?

CD: Upon first glance, the most common question I receive from readers, is -
“Wow, how long did it take you to put the book together?”

I normally answer roughly two years, but truth be told, I’m not sure.

I started collecting hockey cards and comic books with my father when I was 12 years old, and by college I’d graduated on to hockey jerseys.

I originally collected anything and everything under the sun: the newest/hottest designs, the best players, patched jerseys of all sorts, but after recognizing that there will always be a new jersey to obtain, I decided to exhibit some discipline and refocus my collection. I then started researching the history of the hockey jersey, and noticed that the business of marketing was really beginning to clash with the culture and heritage of the jerseys starting in the early 80s, and increased throughout the time period of the book.

In the 60s and 70s, a lot of local suppliers and customizers helped create and ingrain signature colors, textures, designs, and style. Staring in the 1980s, several companies were fighting for the rights to supply NHL teams, and as a result we saw a relatively large variety of jersey styles, as well as materials and customization.

This lead to further marketing, the introduction of alternate jerseys, and by 1993, we began to see completely redesigned uniforms for certain teams, a trend that’s commonplace today. 1983-1993 truly was the golden age of jerseys.

TSG: You not only have examples of each type of jersey during that era, but the players whose jerseys are pictured are phenomenal. Are they all from your personal collection? Are they all game worn in the book? How many jerseys do you personally own?

CD: A good portion of the jerseys are still part of my personal collection, but several have since found new homes through buying/selling/trading with fellow enthusiasts. It tends be an ever revolving closet in this hobby, as most collectors can attest to.
The jerseys in the book are a mixed bag of gamers and game-issued, with a few pro authentics (done to team spec) in cases where no gamers were available.  As a matter of fact, when I started putting the book together, despite having the bulk of what I needed in my collection, there were still several key gaps that needed filling to ensure I did the book service. For some of those I turned to the collecting community for help, and a few fellow collectors actually loaned me their jerseys temporarily, simply to be able to take pictures for the book. And how awesome is that? It’s testament to just how great some of the people are in this fine hobby of ours.

My only criterion for the book was that everything needed to be pro on-ice jerseys: no replicas, no semi-pros, nothing done by other companies or manufacturers, and, of course, no fake stuff.

Along the same vein, I should also point out that there are certain players that were (unintentionally) omitted from the book, simply because I’ve never come across said players’ jerseys. Trottier and Potvin in the Islanders chapter, for example, and I would have loved to have included Michel Goulet and the Stastny brothers in the Nordiques chapter, but some players didn’t make it in the book simply because I’ve never come across their jerseys in all my years of collecting.

TSG: It must have taken ages to not only photograph all those jerseys, but then outline them to prepare them for publication. Did you have a life while producing the book? 

CD: I’m a public servant with the Canadian Federal Government by day (when in Rome…), and indulge in a variety of extracurricular activities during the week, including playing hockey twice a week - the latter being a priority . Maintaining a good balance between my professional and social lives, with that of the book endeavour, certainly wasn’t always obvious.

That said, I’m very fortunate that I didn’t have to do it alone and a lot of the credit should go to my production assistant, Hilary Chaiton, who spent a ridiculous amount of time helping me put things together. We often dedicated several nights a week, as well as entire weekends together working on the layout and design of the book. Hilary showed infinite patience throughout the entire process, accorded me some as well, and it’s not a stretch to say the book wouldn’t have come to fruition without her.

TSG: How has the book been received? 

CD: Better than expected, I’m happy to report. I’ve received a lot of great feedback and so far everyone seems to be really appreciative, often asking when they can expect to see the next iteration of the book.

One instance of gratitude that really stands out - a fellow jersey collector wrote me to thank me for the book, and included a picture of his young son, smiling from ear to ear, holding my book tightly between both arms, with the caption "Dad, will you read me the book tonight before bed?"

I can’t help but remember back to the books I cherished as a kid and how much they meant to me, and to think that my book can be that to someone else’s child, well, that one instant validated that all of my effort was well worth it.

TSG: At the end of the book you state you are seeking help with the 1994-2004 edition. Having gone through all you did to produce the first one, are you still planning on, and looking forward to, creating the next one? 

CD: The next iteration of the book, ‘The History of the NHL Hockey Jersey, 1994-2004’ is currently in production. No ETA yet, but hopefully the experience I gained writing the first book will help to expedite the release of the next edition.

TSG: We know that 1983-1993 is your favorite era. Within that, is there a favorite single season where you feel the jerseys were the best above all others? 

CD: I really like the early 80s mesh jerseys, but if I had to pick a season, it’s 1991-92. An NHL 75^thanniversary patch was worn league-wide, Turn Back The Clock (TBTC) alternate jerseys were worn for select games by Original Six teams, 7 teams wore anniversary patches and all of them were great, and it truly was the end of a golden era for jerseys; in ’93 several teams completely redesigned their uniforms, a trend that continued exponentially throughout the 90s and is commonplace today.

TSG: The content of the book is amazing. We have hundreds of jerseys in our collection, and learned more in the first ten pages of your book than we have in the last ten years. How were you able to determine when teams changed jersey fabrics, especially when it was a new set just for the playoffs for example? Was there enough consistency back then to make those determinations? 

CD: Through a lot of research - acquiring old calendars, magazines, and other publications, watching old VHS videos and classic NHL games online, talking with fellow collectors, and, of course, through the jerseys themselves. It was hard to determine just how much information I should put in the book, or what should be left out, and I ultimately decided not to get into a tremendous amount of detail regarding wear and tear, team repairs, custom tailoring, etc.

It would have been really cool to delve into the game-wear aspect of the hobby more, but perhaps too much information, and I really wanted to ensure the book appeals to a broader audience of hockey fans, not just jersey collectors.

TSG: Do you have any particular favorite jerseys from that era? We’ll be kind and allow you to pick a Top 5. 

CD:  

1 - 1983-84 road Blues: my favorite NHL jersey of all time

2 - 1985-86 home Jets: flight satin on white mesh, classic style, colors, and logo…what more could you ask for? 

3 - 1988 Wales Conference All-Star: classic style, black and orange NHL crest and color scheme 

4 - 1991-92 Pens Cup Finals: 4 patches, Ultrafil knit, the last year for that style jersey 

5 - 1991-92 Rangers TBTC alternates: the only time the team wore Ultrafil knit, and the best Rangers design ever

The New York Rangers 1991-92 Turn Back the Clock jersey

TSG: Since there weren’t any strange alternate jerseys during the time period of your book, any jerseys you did not care for from that era? 

CD: Nope, I like ‘em all 

TSG: What things did you learn about the jerseys while making the book surprised you? 

CD: Leaning about all the little/subtle intricacies and anomalies that exist from jersey to jersey, set to set. There’s a crazy amount of information that’s often taken for granted, or goes unnoticed.

TSG: We love jersey patches. Were there any patches from that period of time that stand out to you? 

CD: The 1991-92 North Stars 25^th Anniversary patch, featuring Mike Modano and Bill Goldsworthy facing off, and even a linesman dropping the puck!

The 1991-92 Minnesota North Stars 25^th Anniversary patch

TSG: It certainly was an era of stability for jerseys, which then seemed more about a team’s identity than merchandise profits. Quickly thumbing trough the book you can see very little change in the team’s overall design until the last couple of years. Only eight teams (the Whalers, Kings, North Stars, Devils, Maple Leafs, Penguins, Canucks and Jets) changed styles, with only the Kings (1988), Canucks (1985 & 1989) and Jets (1990) not being in the very last season of the book 1992-93. If this book is 160 pages, will the next decade require twice that many pages with the addition of third jerseys and the change in thinking to jerseys as profit generators? 

CD: Yes, I anticipate quite a few more pages, and certainly a lot more content, but despite posing a more challenging endeavour, hopefully the next book can surpass expectations just as well as the first one has.

TSG: Any other points you’d like to make? Go ahead and add them! 

CD: Perhaps just a bit of praise for you and other collectors and enthusiasts who take the time to produce content and information to feed our need to learn and share. I’ve been reading Third String Goalie for a while now, and regularly visit and contribute in forums and FB groups, on other websites, etc, and have a lot of respect for anyone who takes the time to add a little bit more insight into the jersey collecting universe. Virtual high five, Jeff 

Thanks very much Chris for taking the time to answer our questions and producing such a great book. Like anyone else who has a copy of this book, we already cannot wait for the next one!

To get your copy of The History of the Hockey Jersey 1983-1993, visit TheJerseyBook.com to place your order in time for Christmas. Don't forget, it's a limited edition of just 1,000 copies, so don't delay.

Chris has been getting great reviews of his book as well as attention from the media. First, click this link to hear a seven minute interview with Chris on CBC News.

Next, here is an interview with Chris from CTV Morning Live Ottawa.

Best Binder Page Top Nine - Arturs Irbe

We here at Third String Goalie are regular readers of the Wrigley Wax blog about one man's Chicago Cubs baseball card collection. Based on an idea from The Junior Junkie, who posted his Best Binder Page of his top nine Ken Griffey Jr. cards, our friends at Wrigley Wax posted their Top Nine Chicago Cubs cards of all time.

Inspired by this idea, we decided to post our Top Nine Binder Page of our all-time favorite player, Arturs Irbe. The cards span essentially Irbe's entire career and are presented in chronological order.

Top Row: 

1990-90 O-Pee-Chee #501 - This card pictures Irbe from his Soviet Championship League team Dynamo Riga from his hometown of Riga, Latvia, which was then a part of the Soviet Union. This photo was taken during a Super Series game vs. the Minnesota North Stars, a game we were in attendance for. Irbe must have impressed the North Stars management that day, as he was drafted by Minnesota in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft.

1991-92 Kansas City Blades #5 - This card pictures a smiling Irbe while in uniform for the Kansas City Blades of the IHL. In a complicated deal, the ownership of the North Stars were given an expansion franchise, the San Jose Sharks, and sold the North Stars to new ownership but were able to retain the rights to a number of North Stars players and draft picks, one of which was Irbe. This card was a part of a 20 card Blades team set. Irbe played 32 games for Kansas City in 1991-92.

1991-92 Upper Deck French #532 -  From Irbe's rookie NHL season, this card has it all. It shows his birdcage helmet and white goalie gear, when combined with his white home jersey gives him the appearance of the Michelin Man. We've always liked the NHL 75th Anniversary logo which adorns the front of the card, but perhaps our favorite part is the French translation for "goaltender" on the upper right - "Gardien de But".

Middle Row:

1991 Swedish Semic Stickers #77 - Made in Sweden and quite difficult to obtain, this sticker shows Irbe in a CCCP jersey and the sticker is decorated with a Soviet Hammer and Sickle flag.

1993-94 EA Sports #120 - Only available packaged with copies of the EA Sports NHL video game, another card that is not easy to come by.

1994-95 Topps Stadium Club Members Only #17 - This card shows Irbe in his first NHL All-Star jersey from the 1994 game in Madison Square Garden hosted by the New York Rangers and is another good look at his helmet and pads.

Bottom Row:

1995 Sporta Avize - Sporta Avize is a sports magazine from Latvia who produced a set of unnumbered cards, one of which was Irbe, pictured for the first time in the maroon jersey of his native Latvia following the breakup of the Soviet Union. His well worn leg pads are looking particularly dingy by now.

2000-01 Be A Player Memorabilia Emerald #255 - This card was chosen for three reasons. First, it's horizontal format shows Irbe in full extension doing the splits and reaching up to make a glove save. Seriously, tilt your head to the left and take a look at how it shows off his renowned flexibility. Second, his leg pads, blocker and glove are just beat to hell by now, and certainly more grey than white, especially when contrasted with his helmet. Irbe was known for carrying a sewing kit and making his own repairs to his well-worn pads and this shot shows just how hammered they had gotten. Finally, this card represents all the mindless parallel cards we accumulated in our fervor to have all Irbe's card releases. This particular card came in four variations - the base card, the ruby version limited to 200, the sapphire version limited to 100 and this emerald variation, of which our is #3 out of a run of just 10. We have quite a number of other limited run Irbe cards, some genuine low print runs of unique cards, while many others short prints of color variations of varying amounts, many of those being 50 or less, but chose this emerald version to represent those.

Regrettably, we were drawn into trying to collect all the needless versions of his cards, most of which is the fault of the defunct Pacific Trading Cards company. For example, in 1999-00 Pacific released eight different hockey card sets (Aurora, Crown Royale, Dynagon Ice, Omega, Pacific, Paramount, Prism and Revolution) and then produced as many as nine different color and finish variations of each of those eight base set cards, not to mention the insert cards for those sets! It was out of control madness.

In that one season alone of 1999-00, Pacific was responsible for 49 Irbe cards if you count all the variations. Sticking to just the base cards and the inserts, that number shrinks to a much more reasonable 13 cards, meaning 36 of the 49 were simply color variations of the perfectly fine base cards. We could go on about the effect that had on Topps and Upper Deck, who joined in on the craze, but we've still got one final card to talk about…

2005-06 HK Riga 2000 #041 - After the demise of Irbe's original club Dynamo Riga, a new club rose to take it's place, HK Riga 2000. The team was founded in 2004-05 and lasted until 2008-09. Irbe had been traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets for the 2004-05 season, but the NHL season was cancelled and he, like many others, kept active that season by playing in Europe. When the NHL returned to the ice in 2005-06, Irbe remained in Europe with Riga 2000. While the photo on his HK Riga 2000 card from the previous season is better, we like the 2005-06 card because it is all done in the Cyrillic alphabet, making it just that much cooler. This card is also where he chose to stop our extensive collection, as it was the final one produced of him prior to the end of his playing career in 2006-07.

While there have been a number of cards produced of Irbe since the end of his career, we found that it was a good time to come to our senses and call it a day as the gimmicks and exclusivity of the cards had taken the fun out of it for us.

That said, we never did track down a 1998-99 Dynagon Ice #33 Ice Blue variation numbered out of 67 and would still love to fill that singularly annoying gap in our collection... 

1980-81 New York Islanders Billy Smith Jersey

NHL history was made on this date in 1979, when Rob Ramage of the hapless Colorado Rockies, while on a delayed penalty call, would send the puck back to the point anticipating a Rockies teammate would be stationed there, only to find the point vacated and the puck making the long journey down the length of the ice and right into the Rockies goal and the record books.

Rob Ramage

Since Islanders goaltender Billy Smith was the last Islander to touch the puck, he was the official scorer of the goal, the first one credited to a goaltender in NHL history.

Billy Smith

Ron Hextall became the first goaltender to legitimately aim for the net and score a goal in the NHL eight years later on December 8, 1987 when he scored against the Boston Bruins, who had pulled goaltender Rejean Lemelin for a sixth attacker who was apparently not in any way a sixth defender.

Ron Hextall shoots for the far goal

Hextall scored a second goal during the playoffs on April 11, 1989 versus the Washington Capitals, entering the record books as the first goalie to score during the playoffs.

Chris Osgood of the Detroit Red Wings added his name to the list of goaltenders who have scored on March 6, 1996 with a shot the length of the ice in Hartford versus the Whalers.

Chris Osgood

April 17, 1997 would see the first of Martin Brodeur's three goals, as he would fire one in against the Montreal Canadiens. Brodeur would be credited with his second goal, despite being about 125 feet from the puck when a mishandled puck by the Philadelphia Flyers found it's way into an unguarded Flyers net on February 15th of 2000. Brodeur's third credited goal would arrive on March 21, 2013 when the Carolina Hurricanes would errantly put the puck into their own net as their goalie Dan Ellis was skating to the bench for an extra attacker. Ellis attempted to intercept the puck, but when he was unable, not only was Brodeur credited with the goal, but it counted against Ellis since he was still technically on the ice at the time, regardless of how far from his crease he was.

Martin Brodeur

Jose Theodore, then of the Montreal Canadiens would score with style on January 2, 2001 with a backhand shot, as he launched the puck the length of the ice on Long Island against New York in the process of shutting out the Islanders, the only goalie to shoot the puck into the goal and record a shutout in the same game.

Jose Theodore

Evgeni Nabokov joined the scoring ranks on March 10, 2002 when he fired one in against the Canucks in Vancouver for the sixth goalie to score with a direct shot on goal.

The Sharks Evgeni Nabokov

Mike Smith of the Phoenix Coyotes became the seventh and most recent goalie to purposely shoot the puck into the opposing goal when he scored with one tenth of a second remaining against the Detroit Red Wings on October 19, 2013, the first goal by a direct shot in over 11 years.

Mike Smith celebrates his goal in 2013

Damian Rhodes of the Ottawa Senators (1999), Mika Noronen of the Buffalo Sabres (2004), Chris Mason of the Nashville Predators (2006) and Cam Ward (2011) would all receive credit for goals of the Billy Smith variety, as the opponents would all misfire in some manner and send pucks down the ice and into their own nets.

Today's featured jersey is a 1980-81 New York Islanders Billy Smith jersey, the same style he was wearing when he "opened the floodgates" of goalies scoring in the NHL.

In addition to going into the history books as the first goalie to score a goal, Billy Smith did manage to accumulate four Stanley Cups during the early 1980's while with the New York Islanders dynasty.

This particular style of jersey with the white and orange sleeve stripes was first introduced for the 1978-79 and used through the 1983-84 season before the Islanders changed the specification of the names on the back from two-color to single color white names. The appearance of the "Sandow SK" branding on the rear hem was one of the earliest instances of manufacturer logos appearing on NHL jerseys, which began only the season before and was the first season ever on an Islanders jersey.

photo courtesy of Classic Auctions

Bonus Jersey: Today's bonus jersey is a 1979-80 Colorado Rockies Rob Ramage jersey. Ramage's errant pass led to Billy Smith being credited with the first goal ever scored by a goaltender.

The Rockies wore the same jerseys for their six years in Colorado before moving to New Jersey, with the only notable change being adding names to the backs of their blue road jerseys for their second season of 1977-78.

photo courtesy of Classic Auctions

Here is the play on which Billy Smith was credited with the first goal ever scored by an NHL goalie.

Here is a wonderful compilation of all the goals scored by goalkeepers in the NHL (up to the time the video was created), several of which are direct shots by the goalies themselves, and not "own goals" on the part of the other team. Be warned, the volume varies quite a bit from clip to clip!

The last video today is a look at the career of Billy Smith from the "Greatest Hockey Legends" series.

1986-87 Vancouver Canucks Michel Petit Jersey

Pull up a chair, sit back and let us tell you about a journey which follows a long and winding path across a vast continent from west to east, from the north to the south and finally to distant lands across a mighty ocean and back. And then back again...

The professional hockey career of Michel Petit began in 1982-83 when he made his NHL debut with a pair of games for the Vancouver Canucks after having been the Canucks 1st pick in the 1982 Entry Draft. He spent the majority of the season with the St. Jean Castors of the QMJHL in Canadian Juniors, 2,302 miles to the east but made the Canucks squad after 19 games with the Canadian National Team in 1983-84 and saw action in 44 games, which included the defenseman's first goal.

Petit played 69 games with the Canucks in 1984-85 and split time between the Canucks and the Fredericton Express of the AHL (in eastern Canada 2,670 miles away in New Brunswick) in 1985-86. After one more season with the Canucks, ten games into the 1988-89 season he was dealt to the New York Rangers for two players, across the border 2,425 miles away. Once in New York, he wasted little time establishing a career high in penalty minutes, racking up 223 in 64 games with the Rangers in addition to the 35 he had already accumulated in Vancouver.

After a second season on Broadway, the Rangers dealt Petit back across the border to the Quebec Nordiques 442 miles to the north. Following the season Petit had the honor of skating for Canada at the 1990 World Championships in Switzerland.

After 19 games of the 1990-91 season, Petit began his journey back west when he was included in a trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs, 451 miles to the southwest. He played in 54 games with the Maple Leafs and set a career high in goals and points that season, lighting the lamp 4 times in Quebec and 9 times in Toronto for a total of 13. His final point total reached 37, eclipsing his previous season's mark of 36.

Petit once more was on the move 1,682 miles down the Trans Canada Highway when he was a part of the blockbuster ten player deal with the Calgary Flames which sent Doug Gilmour to Toronto. He played two and a half seasons with the Flames before completing his second trip across the continent, and third trip across the border, when he signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Kings for the 1995-95 season, 1,194 miles south.

Racking up the frequent flyer miles, the Kings sent Petit was sent 2,148 miles across the United States 9 games into the following season when they traded him to the Tampa Bay Lightning, a season which included the most playoff action of his career with six postseason games.

It was back north across the Canadian border 2,363 miles up to Edmonton where he signed as a free agent to start the 1996-97 campaign. By January he had only seen action in 18 games and was claimed off of waivers by the Philadelphia Flyers across the border once more 2,009 miles to the east.

He began the 1997-98 season with the Detroit Vipers of the IHL (441 miles from Philadelphia) and was then signed by the Phoenix Coyotes in November, adding another 1,686 miles to his journey and making him the first player in NHL history to play for ten different teams when he made his Coyotes debut on this date in 1987.

He began the 1998-99 season 256 miles north with the Las Vegas Thunder of the IHL but missed the majority of the season when he suffered a head injury which limited him to just six games.

Petit's journey through the world of hockey now expanded beyond North America when he signed to play with the Frankfurt Lions of the German DEL for 1999-00, adding 5,577 miles to his itinerary. Still with the Lions at the start of the 2000-01 season, he returned to North America when he joined the Chicago Wolves in the IHL, 4,341 miles on the return leg to the United States.

With no North American opportunities available for the 2001-02 season, Petit packed his gear bag for the final time when he closed out his playing career with 14 games with HC Bolzano of the Italian Serie A in the far northeast of Italy where the Italian Serie A hockey league is concentrated, 4,571 miles from the midwest.

By our calculations, Petit played professionally for 16 different clubs in four different countries which included crossing an international border to change clubs ten different times, traveling 34,558 miles from club to club, and he wore a total of 21 different NHL jerseys.

Images from NHLUniforms.com

While a remarkable number, it falls far short of the estimated 40 worn by Third String Goalie legend Mike Sillinger.

Today's featured jersey is a 1986-87 Vancouver Canucks Michel Petit jersey. This jersey was worn during Petit's sixth season with the Canucks prior the beginning of his hockey odyssey that would send him back and forth across North America seven times.

This style of Canucks jersey was adopted in 1985 after seven seasons with the controversial "flying V" style worn in Petit's NHL debut season. In 1985-86 when this jersey debuted it was worn with both the Expo 86 patch as well as the City of Vancouver 100th Anniversary patch.

During the season our featured jersey was worn, the Canucks wore one of the most unique patches in NHL history, a patch supporting Rick Hansen's Man in Motion World Tour, where Hansen pushed his wheelchair nearly 25,000 miles to raise money for spinal cord injury research over two years through 34 countries and 4 continents, which raised $26 million. It is the only patch in league history to be placed on the lower left hem.

Two seasons later the Canucks wore a memorial patch to former NHL player and Canucks goodwill ambassador "Babe" Pratt, making for four different patches worn during the four year lifespan of this style Canucks jersey before it evolved to an even simpler style in 1989-90.

Bonus Jersey: Today's bonus jersey is a 2000-01 Frankfurt Lions Michel Petit jersey from his second season with Frankfurt in the German DEL. Petit was not alone that season, as the nine leading scorers for Frankfurt were fellow Canadians!

The Lions were founded in 1959 and won the DEL championship in 2004, but sadly ceased operations at the end of the 2009-10 season after 50 seasons of competition.

In today's video section, Dale Henry of the Islanders shreds Petit's jersey in the early part of a brawl and Petit responds by knocking Henry into the middle of next week.

Here, Petit stands in against Bob Probert, and while he may not have won the fight, he certainly earns our respect for getting back up off the ice twice and continuing to battle the feared Probert, even landing a few solid blows in the process.

1995-96 Detroit Red Wings Chris Osgood Jersey

Born on this date in 1972, goaltender Chris Osgood played for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League beginning with the 1989-90 season. After another full season with the Tigers, which included scoring a goal on January 3, 1991, he was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings that spring.

Osgood's road to the NHL began in Medicine Hat

In 1991-92, Osgood played 15 games for Medicine Hat, 16 with the Brandon Wheat Kings and finally 21 more with the Seattle Thunderbirds, who he backstopped to the Memorial Cup tournament to conclude his junior hockey career.

For the 1992-93 season, Osgood was assigned to the Adirondack Red Wings of the AHL, where he played in 45 games. He would play 4 games for Adirondack to begin the 1993-94 season until becoming the fourth goaltender that season for the Detroit Red Wings. There, he took the reins and played in 41 games for Detroit, posting a stellar 23-8-5 record, but the heavily favored Red Wings lost in the first round of the playoffs, with a gaffe by Osgood late in the third period of Game 7 leading to the defeat.

Detroit management felt the young Osgood was not ready for number one status and traded for Stanley Cup winner Mike Vernon during the offseason. The 1994-95 season was delayed by labor issues and limited Osgood to 19 games in support of Vernon's 30 appearances. The club made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, but were eventually swept in four straight.

For the 1995-96 season, Osgood played in 50 games, winning a league high 39 as well as finishing with an NHL leading 2.17 goals against average, which allowed him and Vernon to share the William Jennings Trophy for the tandem allowing the fewest goals in the league.

Vernon and Osgood with the Jennings Trophy

His outstanding season also saw him make his first NHL All-Star Game. If that weren't enough, Osgood also became a member of an exclusive club, as he scored a goal, becoming only the second goaltender after Ron Hextall to actually score on a direct shot.

Osgood played in his first All-Star Game in 1996

Osgood and Vernon again split the playing time in 1996-97, with Osgood finishing with a 23-13-9 record from 47 appearances. Vernon started the bulk of the playoff games, as Osgood was limited to 2 games during Detroit's march to their first Stanley Cup championship in 42 years.

Following the injuries to teammate Vladimir Konstantinov in the days following their 1997 championship, the 1997-98 Red Wings were a team on a mission. Vernon was traded, which made Osgood the undisputed number one goaltender. He responded with a 33-20-11 record and 6 shutouts during the regular season before going 16-6 during the playoffs as Detroit won their second consecutive Stanley Cup.

Osgood hoists the Stanley Cup in 1998

Osgood also had a memorable career moment that season when he fought Patrick Roy of the rival Colorado Avalanche, who had fought Vernon during the previous season.

Osgood would play three additional seasons as the Red Wings top netminder, but his games played and win totals would slide a bit each season and the team failed to return to the cup finals. Finally, Detroit was able to acquire six-time Vezina Trophy winner Dominik Hasek. After unsuccessfully trying to trade Osgood, the Red Wings place him on waivers and he was acquired by the New York Islanders prior to the 2001-02 season.

Osgood while a member of the Islanders

He would play a season and a half with the Islanders, which included helping them return to the playoffs after a 32 win season in 2001-02 before being traded to the St. Louis Blues during the 2002-03 season.

Osgood during him time with St. Louis

Osgood played 9 games at the end of 2002-03 and played in 67 as the Blues number one goaltender, winning 31 in 2003-04, but playoff success eluded the Blues and Osgood's contract expired at the end of the season. It was also the last NHL hockey played until 2005-06 due to the lockout which cancelled the 2004-05 season. Unlike many players, Osgood did not seek out a team in Europe to keep active and sat out the entire season.

He was re-signed by the Red Wings for 2005-06, but a groin injury delayed the start of his season, which began with a three game conditioning stint with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL. Once back with Detroit, Osgood went 20-6-5 but an injury cut short his playoffs and the Red Wings postseason.

Osgood during his conditioning stint in Grand Rapids

For the 2006-07 season, Hasek returned to Detroit while Osgood suffered a fractured hand, which led to Hasek assuming the number one role for the season which limited Osgood to 21 appearances. The following season Osgood played 43 games with a 27-9-4 record, 4 shutouts and a 2.09 goals against average as he and Hasek split playing time during the regular season, with the duo winning the Jennings Trophy for the second time in Osgood's career. Osgood's performance that season also earned him another NHL All-Star Game appearance.

The dominating duo of Osgood and Hasek

teamed up to win the Jennings Trophy in 2008

After Hasek started the playoffs, Osgood took over in Game 4 of the first round. He then started Game 5 and the Red Wings went on a 9 game winning streak to eliminate Nashville and Colorado as well as putting Dallas on the brink.

Eventually the Stars were eliminated and Osgood started the Stanley Cup Finals by shutting out the high powered Pittsburgh Penguins in Games 1 and 2. The Red Wings would go on to win the series in six games to capture the Stanley Cup for the third time in Osgood's career. During the playoffs, Osgood was 14-4 with a 1.55 goals against.

Osgood celebrates winning his third Stanley Cup in 2008

The 2008-09 regular season was a difficult one for Osgood, but Detroit was still strong enough as defending champions to qualify for the playoffs, where he was able to turn his game around to carry the Red Wings to Game 7 of the finals, where they lost a rematch to Pittsburgh.

His playing time diminished over the next to seasons down to 23 games in 2009-10 and finally 11 games in 2010-11, but he was still able to win 5 games that year which included Osgood winning his 400th career game, just the 10th goaltender in NHL history to reach that milestone.

Osgood with his trademark birdcage mask,

the last goalie in the NHL to wear the two piece design

Following the season, he announced his retirement from the game with a record of 401-216-95 with 50 shutouts, 3 Stanley Cups, 2 Jennings Trophies, 3 NHL All-Star Games and Top Ten positions all-time in Career Wins, Win Percentage, Playoff Wins and Playoff Shutouts.

Chris Osgood

Today's featured jersey is a 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings Chris Osgood jersey as worn during the season Osgood had a 2.17 goals against average and set a career high with 39 wins to lead the league in both categories.

This classic Red Wings jersey dates back to the 1932-33 season when the franchise changed their name from the Detorit Falcons to the Red Wings under the ownership of James Norris. There have been a few minor tweaks along the way, but the jersey has essentially reamined unchanged since it's introduction.

Bonus jersey: Today's bonus jersey is a Detroit Red Wings Chris Osgood 2009-10 jersey as worn during the opening games of the NHL season which took place against the St. Louis Blues in Stockholm, Sweden as part of the NHL Premiere games. This jersey was worn during Osgood's final season when he won his 400th game, putting him in exclusive company among NHL goaltenders.

This jersey is a Reebok Edge jersey which was introduced into the NHL for the 2007-08 season. While many teams were given complete jersey makeovers, teams like Detroit with jersey traditions which dated back decades, insisted on maintaining their classic look.

In today's video section, Osgood wins his 400th NHL game and is mobbed by his teammates.

Here, Osgood scores a goal against the Hartford Whalers on March 6, 1996.

Next, extended highlights from Osgood in the 1990's.

You never know when those goaltending skills will come in handy.