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Pro-Player replica years of production


terryzom

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Hi guys, new to this board, good to be here! Does anyone know for sure what years Pro-Player did NHL replicas? I'm going to customize a couple and want to get appropriate patches. Also, what is a good source to buy legit patches from?

I know for sure the authentics were only used for one year, 1999-00, I figure the replica's would be the same so 1999-00 was the only year they were used. As for patch's check out the patch thread.

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My understanding is that ProPlayer made replicas for all teams (even if they didn't wear ProPlayer authentics) starting in 1999 (not just limited to the 99-00 season, but potentially the end of the 98-99 season as well). This only lasted until the demise of ProPlayer which I believe was in 2000.

So from a season perspective it'd be 98-99 and 99-00. They also made a small number of jerseys for new teams that started in 2000-01, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild, but I believe they were out of business prior to the start of that season.

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They also made a small number of jerseys for new teams that started in 2000-01, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild, but I believe they were out of business prior to the start of that season.

That is correct. I have a ProPlayer Wild jersey and they never wore them on the ice. It felt like they awarded the franchise about 7 years before they started playing and ProPlayer bit the dust in between.

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Wow, you learn something new every day. I never knew that Pro Player had made NHL jerseys at one time.

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You can also check NHLUniforms.com which is a great resource for telling what year teams wore what style/make of jersey.

Just make sure to look at the entries by year/season (links on the right) instead of the team pages (links on the left) as the team pages don't differentiate between minor details like manufacturer if the overall style of the jersey remained unchanged.

For example it says the Rangers didn't change styles from 1999-2007 on the team page, when actually they went through 3 different manufacturers in that time (ProPlayer, CCM/Koho, RBK). The individual year pages for the Rangers do show the correct logos that let you know this.

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I found the copy of the press release posted on NHL.com that announced the Pro Player NHL deal, and it was dated October 26, 1998. It stated that effective July 1, 1999, Pro Player would market replica jerseys for all teams and authentic jerseys for the following teams:

Mighty Ducks of Anaheim

Boston Bruins

Buffalo Sabres

Calgary Flames

Chicago Blackhawks

Colorado Avalanche

Columbus Blue Jackets (begins play in 00-01 season)

Edmonton Oilers

Florida Panthers

Minnesota Wild (begins play in 00-01 season)

Montreal Canadians

New Jersey Devils

New York Rangers

Phoenix Coyotes

Pittsburgh Penguins

I saw replica PP jerseys in August 1999. I believe that they used the same supplier in Korea for their replica production as Starter did. They also produced replicas in Canada. Their authentic jerseys were Canadian made. Fruit of the Loom, PP's parent company pulled the plug on the PP brand in early 2000, and for the 2000-01 season, CCM/Koho gained exclusive rights for NHL jersey production. Even though Columbus and Minnesota did not play until October 2000, PP made authentic jerseys for those teams (Columbus-blue and white, Minnesota-white only). I have quite a few PP jerseys, including all three never used authentics, and I thought the quality was great. Their replicas were also well made and nice (except the Wild replica used a slightly different shade of green and a slight variance on the crest from the authentic).

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OK, so that said, let me take a poll:

What would you guys think about having EPS do a Vladimir Konstantinov white PP replica jersey with the "Believe" and 1998 Stanley Cup Patches on it? He wore both the white and red Wings jerseys with said patches at various press appearances during the cup tour, although I know only a 1997-98 Nike authentic would be 100% accurate, I'm thinking my option would be a great choice for a replica in this period. Your thoughts? What would you do? Thanks everyone for chiming in!

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Personally when it comes to replicas I am no where near as strict about the manufacturer, as long as the style is the same. This especially comes into play when talking about ProPlayer replicas because they were just so nice - the best quality replicas in my opinion.

At the end of the day, do what will make you happy and what you will enjoy to wear or have in your collection. Everyone in this hobby has their own little finicky rules about what they consider authentic, but it's your jersey do what you like.

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This especially comes into play when talking about ProPlayer replicas because they were just so nice - the best quality replicas in my opinion.

They had some nice replicas. My Pro Player Blues jersey from 2000 is still in decent condition, even after all the years of wear it has on it. They didn't last very long, I got mine at the beginning of the 2000-01 season on sale for about $40. I would gladly get another Pro Player in a heartbeat, and I prefer the 550s for my replicas.

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550 refers to the CCM replicas that were the norm before the new RBK edge/premier jerseys came out. They were generous cut, not as tapered and had a straight hem compared to the diaper cut that is on the new reeboks. The 6100 is just the authentic version of the 550 with fight strap double elbows and so forth.

Edit: canescop just beat me to it

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