Any pro jersey/gamer collector will tell you that what they love about these hockey jerseys are the one-of-a-kind details.
Board burns, alterations, numbering materials, repairs, and stitching styles are what I love about the hobby. This week I’m going to show you some of the other little Easter eggs that you’ll only find on pro NHL hockey sweaters and game-worn jerseys that the casual retail collector might never know about.
So, tie down your fighting strap, because these Easter eggs might knock your teeth out!
Pro vs. Retail
First off, let’s establish the distinction between retail and pro.
Retail versions of NHL jerseys resemble the colours, cresting, and striping you’d see worn on the ice. These jerseys are made with thinner fabrics, and fit more like a shirt. They’re for more casual activities like reaching for a beer, drinking a beer, and spilling beer on yourself.
Pro jerseys usually have larger, sometimes more detailed crests than their retail counterparts. The retail jersey also lacks some of the functional features found on the pro jerseys; like fighting straps, reinforced elbows and shoulders, as well as a heavier, more durable fabric. Although retail pro jerseys come with fight straps, technically they are still considered replica jerseys by collectors.
One easy way to distinguish a retail pro jersey from an on-ice pro jersey: all on-ice pro jerseys are made in Canada.
Anyhow, while those are the main differences between retail and pro jerseys, some teams put more detail into their pro jerseys that are lost on the retail versions.
Here’s a look at what I’m talking about.
1. Minnesota North Stars
Ah, the old North Stars jersey. What a beaut! The logo on these hockey sweaters was done up in green and yellow for the home jersey, and white and yellow for the away sweater. From 1981-82 onwards, both logos featured a black outline.
The retail jerseys used an embroidered crest, but, on the jerseys that the players wore on the ice, the logos were made of twill, and the black outline was achieved by using black thread in a zig-zag pattern stitched twice over to give the logo depth and texture.
Bonus Easter egg: In the early 90s, when the North Stars switched over to the Stars logo that they would eventually take with them to Dallas, they included a small version of the Stars crest on the tail hem opposite the CCM tag on all pro jerseys.
So, on this version of the North Stars jersey, no tail logo means no pro!
Close-up view of the classic Minnesota North Stars logo- with some unique black stitching!
A close-up look at the monogrammed captain’s C displayed on the 50th Anniversary Kings jerseys.
2. Los Angeles Kings
This is a cool one. The LA Kings commemorated their 50th anniversary in 2016-17 with a 50th anniversary jersey. These jerseys featured gold trim letters and numbers, which can be had on the retail version. But, the game-worn version of the jersey included impressions of the Kings logo into the black twill used for the numbers and letters, sort of like an LA Kings watermark.
Game-worn jerseys often use different fabrics for names and numbers that can easily be added to a replica jersey by a skilled and knowledgeable customizer, but this case is different.
The on-ice supplier either refused to do this, or was instructed to NOT offer this design to the public! In fact, not to brag too much, but Keener Jerseys was the only other customizer aside from the Kings to achieve this look! It even inspired us to use the same technique for The Peg Authentic Brand’s 2017 Winnipeg White Out jersey!
If you look closely at the #1 to the right hand side of the image here, you can see how we replicated the Kings’ patterning style with The Peg Authentic Brand’s logo!
3. Columbus Blue Jackets
If you look very closely, you can notice the faint striping across the navy blue fabric!
Here’s something unique- the Blues used vinyl on their jerseys!
4. St. Louis Blues
Collecting vinyl isn’t just for music nerds if you’re a St. Louis Blues fan.
From 1987–1999 the Blues game jersey crest featured a layer of yellow vinyl to give the logo a three layer look without the cost of using a third layer of twill.
But, while the inclusion of vinyl helped bring the cost of the jersey down, that doesn’t mean it looked cheap.
Quite the opposite, actually, as the vinyl gave the logo a shine that made it look fancy-schmancy.
5. Winnipeg Jets
If you’re ever wondering if your Winnipeg Jets 1.0 sweater is a gamer or a replica, you just need to look at the tape job on the hockey stick.
Pro Jets jerseys from that era feature contrasting embroidery on the stick blade, giving the look of a taped up hockey stick.
The affectation was more obvious on the home jersey logo, but it was there on the road logo, too, if you look closely.
Definitely no Bobby Orr tape job here!
A comparison between two Jets logos, both showing the different embroidery on the stick blade.
A close-up look at the suede fabric used on the classic Howling Coyote logo.
6. Phoenix Coyotes
In 2002, the Phoenix Coyotes changed their logo from their Picasso-esque original logo to the howling coyote head.
What casual Yotes fans may not know is that on the pro version of this jersey, the Coyotes used suede for the tan coloured parts of the crest.
It’s a luxurious feature that collectors like myself really appreciate. Just don’t get caught in the rain with it!
It's all in the details
Like I always say, details are like elephants- they’re HUGE.
These little Easter eggs that NHL teams leave for us in their pro jerseys help enrich the team’s history, as well as the history of the game itself. Truly, pro hockey jerseys are pieces of art that deserve a great deal of reverence. That’s why we’re so obsessed with details here at Keener Jerseys.
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