I have been collecting hockey related items ever since I can remember. As a kid, I collected anything and everything related to hockey...pucks, sticks, trading cards, game programs, ticket stubs, pins...you name it, there's a good chance I had a stash of it some where. Apparently the collecting bug is not something you grow out of because I am now collecting game worn jerseys or "gamers" as they are known in the collecting world.
I have always thought hockey jerseys were the most attractive of the major sports uniforms and have always wanted to start a collection of them. Opposed to just walking into a sporting goods store and buying a jersey off the rack, game worn jerseys offer the unique sense of owning a part of hockey history. It is kind of like building your own little Hockey Hall of Fame.
After discovering the world of game worn jerseys, I quickly picked up a couple jerseys of my life long favorite team; the Red Wings. However, it was soon there after, that I wanted to add some diversity to my collection. I decided a fun way to do that would be to collect jerseys of former players of the college team that I grew up watching; Lake Superior State.
My love for hockey began not only from playing hockey as a kid but from regularly attending games of the Lake Superior State Lakers. My parents were season ticket holders and strong supporters of the Laker hockey team. My father also worked for the university and we would often travel to away games as part of his job. Lucky for me, what I grew up watching was the building of a national power house, that eventually lead to 3 national championships in '88, '92 and '94. It was a fun time to grow up as a "laker kid".
The Lakers were a true to life David vs. Goliath story. The team turned the corner from perennial cellar dwellers in the early '80's with a humble goal to reach the CCHA final four at "The Joe". It wasn't long after reaching this goal in the '84-85 season, that this small school of roughly 3,000 students was not only competing with college hockey giants such as Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Maine but winning national titles. Their unbelievable run of a national power lasted a little over 10 years.
This type of run from a small school is virtually unheard of in todays college sport's world and may never happen again. Do you really think the George Mason basketball team will be back to the final four anytime soon? Or how about that Rutgers football team...do you think they will have a legitimate chance at winning even one national championship within the next ten years?
These great Laker teams of the past have produced 24 players that participated in at least one regular season NHL game. It is these players that have become the primary focus of my collection. I have been able to collect a jersey from 20 of these 24 players and have been able to cover 15 different NHL teams. I hope to eventually collect a jersey from each of these 24 players and be able to cover all 30 NHL teams. However, there are still 6 current NHL teams that no Laker has ever played for, so I'm going to need some help from some current and future players!
Enjoy the site and thanks for stopping by!
-Jeff
