Hey Hockeybuzzards!
Four days off from National Hockey Card Day and we have our second winner in the Upper Deck sponsored contest where readers were asked to share their hockey card memories. Today’s winner is Michael Goldfarb from Nashville who proves that some people will go so far as to break their own limbs to spite their parents for not letting them stay home to sort their cards! Well, no, that’s not exactly how it goes………..why don’t I just let you read it……… :
My memories of hockey cards does include playing hockey. When I was in high school I was really into eBay and auctions. One day after the last day of my freshman year I received hockey cards from an auction that I had won earlier that month. There were almost 20 boxes in the package and it was really heavy. The auction that I won was for over 30,000 cards. Most of those cards were from the late 70s and mostly 80s.
My dad arrives home, and tells me to get ready for open hockey at the Southern Ice Arena. I told him can I work on organizing the cards, and logging them on the computer and that I’d rather do open hockey next week. He said no, because he didn't want me to get out of shape. So I admit defeat and end up getting my hockey gear together putting it in the car and driving there. I pay my 10 dollar admission and get my equipment on and then head out on to the ice. It was a great day for hockey. There were 15 people out there and they all are pretty good. I shoot a few pucks around and do my traditional stretches and warm up drills. Then we threw our sticks into the center of the ice, and made a pick up game. Well I was thrown onto a team full of people that are from a rival high school, but it isn't competition so it was cool. Not long in I get a pass on the right wing side of the ice and blast a slap shot into the net but in the process I caught an edge at the hash marks and slide feet first into the boards. I black out for a minute but when I get out of it I feel a stinging pain in my lower leg. I thought I just jammed my leg but it didn't hurt that bad.
I was helped to the bench where the adrenaline wore off and I started to feel the real pain and it hurt a lot. I waited a while for it to go down, and I went on the ice to test my leg. Pain hit whenever I step on it or put weight on it. I head to the locker room take off my gear which took a long long time because of the pain.
I come out of the locker room my dad is waiting by the gate to the ice and he thought something happened. I went to the hospital where they initially said it was a sprain but the next day they found out it was a fracture and I needed surgery. So a week after that I had my surgery, and I now have 2 screws in my left leg and I spent my whole remainder of the summer in bed sorting and logging my hockey cards. I didn't get better until the second day of school. The irony of me wanting to stay home that day instead of playing…
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Hump Day Jersey Review #3: The Las Vegas Thunder (IHL)
When we talk about the sudden rise in the popularity of hockey in the US during the early 1990s, we most often refer to the NHL, its rise in ratings and the resultant expansion in franchises. It was not only on the grand stage that the boom in interest was noted, however, as the 90’s also bookended an expansion, and ultimately the last legs, of another league: the IHL.
This expansion resulted in the creation of the team that is the focus of today’s Hump Day Jersey Review: The Las Vegas Thunder. Awarded as the 13th franchise in the nearly 50 year old IHL on February 1st, 1993, the Thunder opened their inaugural 1993-94 season with Butch Goring as their coach, and having signed a 17 year-old Radek Bonk to a contract, making him the first under-aged European born player signed to a contract in North America.
The team played their first season in a jersey design not substantially different from what would brand their team for the life of the franchise. Sporting a colour scheme very similar to that of the San Jose Sharks at the time, the Thunder sported a look that revolved around more angular striping versus the normative horizontal designs of the day. Also notable was a logo that was much more basic than one might have anticipated given the team’s name, foregoing something busy and cartoonish for a subdued team name over a puck in motion. It was a nice, simple design that was easy to take in and enjoy.
HOME
AWAY
94-95
The 94-95 season was a highlight one for the Thunder, hosting the IHL All-Star game, and signing two marquee names to their roster: Alexei Yashin, who played for the Thunder during the lockout, and Manon Rheaume, the first female goaltender to play in an NHL game when she took the ice for the Tampa Bay Lightning in a pre-season game against St. Louis.
In terms of the jerseys, no substantial design changes are notable on the home and away jerseys, with the exception of the addition of an All Star game patch, as well as another patch commemorating the 50th anniversary of the league. The Thunder also added an alternate 3rd jersey to their lineup, essentially a design which re-arranges the colouring of their home jersey in such a way that made the teal and grey more prominent.
HOME
AWAY
ALTERNATE
95-96
The 1995-96 season saw some changes of note within the franchise. Moving from the net, Clint Malarchuk was hired as the assistant GM of the club. Also, Curtis Joseph joined the club from November 1, 1995 until January 12, 1996 during his contract holdout from St. Louis. Then on March 5, 1996 the Thunder played a game in a one-night-only second alternate jersey! Dubbed the “Tie Dye” jersey, it looked less tie dye than Sci-Fi! Unfortunately, the success of this night prompted the franchise to attempt another themed-jersey night the next season that was quite unfortunate in terms of the finished product!!
For the ’95 season jerseys, the colour re-arrangement commenced with the introduction of the third jersey in 94-95 washed over the home and away shirts as well. The secondary teal colouring of the home jerseys and secondary blue of the away jerseys, once trimming below the non-striped areas of the torso and sleaves were relegated to the striping and replaced with black. While allowing for more contrast on the home jerseys, it created what was essentially an all-black away jersey highlighted with teal and silver striping, and gave a more menacing appearance than previous incarnations. While the numbering of the away jerseys remained blue, that of the homes was changed to black from the original teal. Similar adjustments were made to the alternate jersey this season, replacing the sub-stripe grey/silver trim with black, ditto the grey/silver numbering to black, while the black striping on the torso and arms was replaced with the grey/silver formerly on the trim. Finally, sponsorship of the team via Ceasar’s Palace saw namesake patches applied to the upper right chest of all uniforms.
HOME
AWAY
ALTERNATE
96-97
This season was that of the affiliation for the franchise. Prior to the season The Thunder and Russian Elite League franchise the Russian Torpedos reached an exchange agreement, the fisrt such agreement ever reached in the IHL. Around the same time the Thunder also reached a limited affiliation agreement for the 1996-97 season with the Phoenix Coyotes. The agreement allowed for the NHL club to have between 2 and 4 of their players playing for Las Vegas. It was under this agreement that Daniel Briere came to play a single game with the team, scoring a goal and an assist while donning the uniform.
Oh yeah. There was also that unfortunate themed jersey night I referred to earlier! On February 14, 1997, the Thunder donned Valentine’s Day themed jerseys for a game against the Quebec Rafaels. As if that were not enough, the ice was also tinted pink. The players definitely earned their salaries that night!!
No real changes to the uniforms this year, except for the addition of a shoulder patch. This patch, only placed on the right shoulder, was the head of the team’s mascot, a polar bear named Boom Boom. While the name sounds goofy, and the patch had the potential to be, it actually comes off quite well. The reception around this character addition likely spurned on a major shift in the appearance of the jersey for the following year….
HOME
AWAY
ALTERNATE
97-98
Major player note for the season: Petr Nedved, in the midst of a contract dispute with the Pittsburgh Penguins, signs a contract to play with Las Vegas from April of 1998 through to the teams elimination from the playoffs. Meh….
The REAL news that season was the major change in the jerseys! While the colour schemes ultimately remained the same, the team logo and patches were significantly altered. In place of the Thunder name over the flying puck came a logo featuring an armour-plated Boom Boom clutching a lightening bolt and a hockey stick. Much more angular and bold than the original logo, something that had the possibility of being quite bad actually turned out really cool looking! Boom Boom’s head, in a bit more of a cartoon fashion, was featured on shoulder patches as well. The shoulder patches had a more triangular shape to them, while the jersey logo was more wedge shaped.
Also gone was the outlining of the neckline in favour of a striping that outlined the shoulders of the jersey. In addition, the numbering was altered somewhat, dropping the shadowed presentation of previous years in favour of a more 2-dimensional outlined design.
HOME
AWAY
ALTERNATE
98-99
Well, this is the last season for our Las Vegas team! Unable to reach a new lease agreement, or secure one at the other area arenas, the team folds at the end of the season. Good time to look at the names that graced the Thunder rosters over it’s storied…….6 year existence? Yeah, well, uh….here’s the list:
Radek Bonk
Daniel Briere
Pavol Demitra
Paul DiPietro
Bryan Fogarty
Brent Gretzky
Peter Ing
Curtis Joseph
Patrice Lefebvre
Clint Malarchuk
Petr Nedvěd
Manon Rheaume
Ruslan Salei
Paxton Schulte
Alexei Yashin
Sergei Zholtok
As far as the jerseys go, only one real change: shoulder patches. The triangular design of the previous season was gone in favour of a circular one which framed in the team name a lot better than previously. I like the finished product! So much so I bought myself a home jersey to truck around in. Always a nice conversation starter!!
HOME
AWAY
ALTERNATE
Las Vegas Thunder: For being the team where players in the midst of contract disputes can run to in order to avoid cash flow problems, I salute you! (Come on! Doesn’t it seem like they made a habit of it?)
Shawn Gates
[email protected]
Facebook: Shawn Gates
Previous Hump Day Jersey Reviews:
The Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
The New England/Hartford Whalers (WHA/NHL)
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Next Monday I’ll have a break of 08-09 Fleer Ultra for you to have a gander at. Meanwhile, there is still a week left on the draw for prizes from the 08-09 UD Series One break (February 21st). So for a shot at that head over to the
2008-09 Upper Deck Series One Box Break, watch it, answer a few easy questions, and enter to win a card of your choice from this break!
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