Vintage Penguins CCM Jersey Questions

[PenguinsFan88]

Hi guys,

Am new here but just have a few questions regarding the old CCM jerseys as I have always wanted to own a certain one in particular. Am a jersey collecting noob (only have 1) so go easy on me.

1. Out of curiousity are there any sports/jersey stores in Toronto that still sell the CCM 1991-92 Mario Lemieux away jerseys? I've always wanted to own one and since I live in a small Ontario town with just a tiny jersey shop that only sells current stuff, so locally I'm of out of luck. Was planning on hopefully taking a trip down to Toronto next summer though.

2. Worst comes to worst, are there any reputable sports/jersey stores online (in either Canada or the USA only) that sell the the CCM 1991-92 Mario Lemieux away jerseys? If so, where can I find one?

3. As another option, is it better (and cheaper) to buy a blank CCM 1991-92 Penguins away jersey and just pay the extea $ to have Mario Lemieux's name and #'s sewn on? I read somewhere that the ones sold by CCM with the name and numbers already on them used an incorrect, tall and narrow font for the numbers on the sleeves rather than the Penguins "squat, nearly square shaped numbers" that they used back in the day. Is that true or just internet gibberish?

4. According to the webshop of the Hockey Hall of Fame, apparantly they sell the Pittsburgh 1992 Vintage jerseys there on their webshop for $120 Look Here To See What I Mean are those the CCM ones or are those just knockoffs? How are the quality of jerseys sold at the Hockey Hall Of Fame...good?

5. Where is the best place to get the "Badger Bob Memorial Patch", 1992 Stanley Cup Patch, and 25th Anniversary Patch for that Lemieux jersey....Ebay?

6. Are CCM throwbacks the same...or is there a price differance. I.E. are there different models? If so which one do I want? Are their "Premiers" and "Authentics" with the CCM jersies (like how there is with the RBK jerseys) or there just one kind for a set price?

Hopefully one or more of you guys can answer any and all of my questions. Also if there is anything else that you guys think I need to know about these Lemieux jerseys by all means let me know?

Thanks.

Edited June 17, 2010 by PenguinsFan88

[hagerstownpensfan]

2. Worst comes to worst, are there any reputable sports/jersey stores online (in either Canada or the USA only) that sell the the CCM 1991-92 Mario Lemieux away jerseys? If so, where can I find one?

I know a couple of stores online have them. Sports K, Cool Hockey, River City Sports all have them. However, they are replicas. As far as I know no one sells the authentics any more, best bet is here on the boards or on ebay.

3. As another option, is it better (and cheaper) to buy a blank CCM 1991-92 Penguins away jersey and just pay the extea $ to have Mario Lemieux's name and #'s sewn on? I read somewhere that the ones sold by CCM with the name and numbers already on them used an incorrect, tall and narrow font for the numbers on the sleeves rather than the Penguins "squat, nearly square shaped numbers" that they used back in the day. Is that true or just internet gibberish?

This is true. Compare the pre-customized one here to the gamer toward the bottom of this page. The gamer is the home jersey from the prior year, but the font is still the same as '92. So, I think you are better off to buy blank and customize, especially if you plan on adding the '92 patches.

5. Where is the best place to get the "Badger Bob Memorial Patch", 1992 Stanley Cup Patch, and 25th Anniversary Patch for that Lemieux jersey....Ebay?

I got some off of ebay. The ones I got are pretty close, just be careful which ones you buy as there are a lot out there that are very poorly done. Once again, these will almost all be reproductions, not actually "authentic" patches.

Good luck!

[PenguinsFan88]

I know a couple of stores online have them. Sports K, Cool Hockey, River City Sports all have them. However, they are replicas. As far as I know no one sells the authentics any more, best bet is here on the boards or on ebay.

This is true. Compare the pre-customized one here to the gamer toward the bottom of this page. The gamer is the home jersey from the prior year, but the font is still the same as '92. So, I think you are better off to buy blank and customize, especially if you plan on adding the '92 patches.

I got some off of ebay. The ones I got are pretty close, just be careful which ones you buy as there are a lot out there that are very poorly done. Once again, these will almost all be reproductions, not actually "authentic" patches.

Good luck!

Hmmm so nobody sells CCM Authenics anymore eh? Well what is the difference between CCM Authentics and the CCM replicas anyway? Is it just minor differances for the most part (like how there's little differances between the RBK Premier and RBK Edge Authentic jerseys nowadays?) How nice do the CCM replicas look? Are they easy to distinguish from the Authentics or do both look nice no matter what kind your wearing? Are the replicas made of durable material, or are they cheaply made? As the last thing I wanna do is spend alot of $ customizing a very cheaply made jersey.

Out of the sites you linked me to which carry the jerseys online, which one would you recommend the most in terms of great quality and hassle free ordering? Does anyone here know about the quality of jerseys sold at the Hockey Hall of Fame or if any are available in Toronto though? See I would feel much more comfortable buying a jersey in person (where I can try it on, see how it fits, feel the material, etc. instead of just going online where ya never know what you might get)

What about these. They are called the "CCM Heroes Of Hockey" line and are already lettered. Are they lettered correctly with everything hand-sewn on nicely? Here's a Lemieux one for $150 Here would that be a worthwhile purchase?

If there's anything else you think (or anyone elese thinks) I should know. By all means, tell me. Thank you for all your feedback so far.

[hagerstownpensfan]

It all really depends on what you are looking for. I have two of the replicas from the 80's-90's that were made by CCM. One is a kinda flimsy lightweight material, the other is a little heavier air knit. These show up frequently on ebay, I got mine for between $20-$30 each. However they are not in new condition and will not have the double shoulders/elbows, fight strap, etc.

I also have two of the authentics. These are much heavier ultrafil material and have double shoulders/elbows, fight strap, etc. These are what is worn on the ice. They don't show up on ebay nearly as often and are normally $200+.

The ones I linked you to I don't have so I can't speak to the quality. However being that they are made by CCM it shouldn't be an issue. This is the route you want to go if you want a brand new jersey. There are some differences however with the main one being the crest. Also, these will not have the double shoulders/elbows, fight strap, etc. I would not buy one of the HOH jerseys if you want it to be a '92 because the font is incorrect.

As for not buying online, most if not all of these sites have a size chart to help you pick a jersey. Just grab a shirt from your closet and measure it to compare.

Also, stay away from 99% of the '92 jerseys you see on ebay as they are most likely fakes. Hope that helps!

[Iced on the Island]

You could try on some others at your local store then order by mail based on those sizes....if u know a 52 or XL fit s u then you're good to go...as far as ebay....definitely post a pic of your intended purchase on here for an opinion from the many "experts" who have been collecting these for years as if you are new to this much of the jerseys of the style you are after are horrible unofficial reproductions. Getting stung with one of these is the worst feeling around. Having said that there are many quality authentics on the bay if you are willing to atch and wait. Personally I've dealt with Rivercity sports for almost 20 yrs w/o issue..I don't know some of the others that were suggested to you, but I would not hesistate to recommend them either by phone/mail or in the store itself.....and if you want the 'grail' of Pens jerseys search out a 93-96 diagonal Pittsburgh style starter version made in the US( they were nylon mesh), a very excellent example of a pro NHL jersey that is just not made anymore...

[hagerstownpensfan]

You could try on some others at your local store then order by mail based on those sizes....if u know a 52 or XL fit s u then you're good to go...as far as ebay....definitely post a pic of your intended purchase on here for an opinion from the many "experts" who have been collecting these for years as if you are new to this much of the jerseys of the style you are after are horrible unofficial reproductions. Getting stung with one of these is the worst feeling around. Having said that there are many quality authentics on the bay if you are willing to atch and wait. Personally I've dealt with Rivercity sports for almost 20 yrs w/o issue..I don't know some of the others that were suggested to you, but I would not hesistate to recommend them either by phone/mail or in the store itself.....and if you want the 'grail' of Pens jerseys search out a 93-96 diagonal Pittsburgh style starter version made in the US( they were nylon mesh), a very excellent example of a pro NHL jersey that is just not made anymore...

I never knew that the Pens wore the mesh when they had the diagonal Pittsburgh. I thought they only wore mesh from '97-'99. I'm just going by this. Anyone have any pics of the diagonal Pittsburgh on a mesh jersey?

[akteon]

I believe you are both talking about the same jersey - the elusive Penguins Starter mesh they only wore for half a season in 1996-97. They did wear Starter from 97-99, but not mesh. They also had a white Starter mesh, but the third (that replaced the black diagonal in 1997-98) was never mesh.

[hagerstownpensfan]

Awesome, thanks for sharing that! Were these made for retail?

[akteon]

My understanding is that they were not available for retail. Of the ones I've seen, all have been very large sizes 56-58-60 and some goalie cut, which kinda leads me to believe they may have been left over team issue. I've seen some sold as such from reputable sellers.

There was one white one on eBay with supposedly retail tags from a Starter outlet (which I didn't know existed) that I believe was 56-G. That's the only reference to them being available at retail I know of.

Edit: Two other members of this forum, JustAnotherVictim and cupcake jesus, also have Pens Starter mesh jerseys and they may know more about it than I do. Victim has a black a one, and CCJ has a black one and a white one I think.

[hagerstownpensfan]

Good to know. Is it the same story with the white ones? I assume both are very hard to track down?

[tasty]

I have a game used DeRouville goalie cut that I use in net myself.

[PenguinsFan88]

It all really depends on what you are looking for. I have two of the replicas from the 80's-90's that were made by CCM. One is a kinda flimsy lightweight material, the other is a little heavier air knit. These show up frequently on ebay, I got mine for between $20-$30 each. However they are not in new condition and will not have the double shoulders/elbows, fight strap, etc.

I also have two of the authentics. These are much heavier ultrafil material and have double shoulders/elbows, fight strap, etc. These are what is worn on the ice. They don't show up on ebay nearly as often and are normally $200+.

The ones I linked you to I don't have so I can't speak to the quality. However being that they are made by CCM it shouldn't be an issue. This is the route you want to go if you want a brand new jersey. There are some differences however with the main one being the crest. Also, these will not have the double shoulders/elbows, fight strap, etc. I would not buy one of the HOH jerseys if you want it to be a '92 because the font is incorrect.

As for not buying online, most if not all of these sites have a size chart to help you pick a jersey. Just grab a shirt from your closet and measure it to compare.

Also, stay away from 99% of the '92 jerseys you see on ebay as they are most likely fakes. Hope that helps!

Yeppers I want a brand new jersey so I think I will hopefully get the sports store here to order me one if they can from one of the places you suggested. What crest differances were you referring to though? What did you mean when you said that the one I should go with (i.e. from River City Sports) doesn't have double shoulders/elbows? I'm comfused as to what the not having double shoulder/elbow comment thing refers to. It's nothing crucial right? As for fight straps well I'm not in (nor will I ever be in) the NHL so I don't care about that. So you say the HOH jersies have the wrong font eh? Hmm, I wonder why CCM wouldn't have them made correctly.

And yeah I would not be buying a jersey from Ebay. No way. I might use Ebay for the special patches (i.e. the Badger Bob Memorial patch) but that's as far as I'll go. Way too much of a risk IMO.

Thanks for all your help guys, if I think of anymore stuff to ask...I shall.

[hagerstownpensfan]

No, the double elbows/shoulders and fight strap are just features that are on authentics that are not on most replicas. The HOH font has the last name a little big and the sleeve font is incorrect. If you look at a picture of a gamer with the correct font the cutout at the bottom of the 6's is a rectangular shape which is due to the squat almost square shaped numbers you spoke of earlier. On the HOH it is more square shaped and the 6's are longer. On the front crest its just a little different, minor things like the eyebrow of the Penguin and the material it is made of. If you zoom in on the crest on any of the sites I listed for you and then compare it to the crest on one of the gamers I posted earlier you will see what I mean.

[Sluggermatt15]

Yeppers I want a brand new jersey so I think I will hopefully get the sports store here to order me one if they can from one of the places you suggested. What crest differances were you referring to though? What did you mean when you said that the one I should go with (i.e. from River City Sports) doesn't have double shoulders/elbows? I'm comfused as to what the not having double shoulder/elbow comment thing refers to. It's nothing crucial right? As for fight straps well I'm not in (nor will I ever be in) the NHL so I don't care about that. So you say the HOH jersies have the wrong font eh? Hmm, I wonder why CCM wouldn't have them made correctly.

And yeah I would not be buying a jersey from Ebay. No way. I might use Ebay for the special patches (i.e. the Badger Bob Memorial patch) but that's as far as I'll go. Way too much of a risk IMO.

Thanks for all your help guys, if I think of anymore stuff to ask...I shall.

If you plan on using ebay for patches, be careful! It's highly doubtful you will find an "authentic" older patch such as one of the Penguins 90s Cups or the Badger Bob patch. Most of the patches on ebay are reproduction patches, meaning they look similar to the authentic ones, but aren't actually authentic from that time. They are recreated to resemble them. I have a list of reliable patch sellers on ebay if you need some assistance with that.

[Iced on the Island]

My understanding is that they were not available for retail. Of the ones I've seen, all have been very large sizes 56-58-60 and some goalie cut, which kinda leads me to believe they may have been left over team issue. I've seen some sold as such from reputable sellers.

There was one white one on eBay with supposedly retail tags from a Starter outlet (which I didn't know existed) that I believe was 56-G. That's the only reference to them being available at retail I know of.

Edit: Two other members of this forum, JustAnotherVictim and cupcake jesus, also have Pens Starter mesh jerseys and they may know more about it than I do. Victim has a black a one, and CCJ has a black one and a white one I think.

I've got 2 of each the road and home from others on the net(one home white is a GW Alexei Morozov), the nylon mesh are the only ones I've come across from Berlin wisconsin so they are likely only as lef tover team stock as the ones I've got are 56-R and 58-R...the Berlin jersys were only supposed to be team issued as the El Salvador/Haitian/Dominican ones were sold to the public, but seeing as I bought/traded with others for some they obviously made their way out to others than the team....

[PenguinsFan88]

If you zoom in on the crest on any of the sites I listed for you and then compare it to the crest on one of the gamers I posted earlier you will see what I mean.

Oh ok so you mean that (for example) the jersey being sold in the River City Sports link has a few very minor crest differances than a gamer? Or did you mean that the HOH jerseys have crest differances and that the jerseys sold by River City Sports are closest in appearance to the gamers? If I go with my plan of getting the jersey store here to order me the jersey that's available from River City Sports, and it had crest differances, I highly doubt they are noticeable right? As worrysome as I may sound (which in reality I'm only minorly worried), it's just because the last thing I wanna do is look silly. Plus if I'm gonna pay over $100 for all this, I want everything to be correct.

This next question is also futuristic but if I order a blank from River City Sports and decide to get it customized here in town, do I need to ask them about having a particular letting kit, or will they automatically know which font and numberings to use with that particular jersey? Like do they keep catalogues of say which fonts and number styles were used by which teams, during which years for which jerseys? I've never had a jersey customized before so I have no clue how it works (aside from having to pay $ per letter and number of course). I wouldn't have to buy a lettering kit and bring it there I hope...right?

If you plan on using ebay for patches, be careful! It's highly doubtful you will find an "authentic" older patch such as one of the Penguins 90s Cups or the Badger Bob patch. Most of the patches on ebay are reproduction patches, meaning they look similar to the authentic ones, but aren't actually authentic from that time. They are recreated to resemble them. I have a list of reliable patch sellers on ebay if you need some assistance with that.

Thanks for the offer man I'll probably message ya when I hopefully do get my jersey in the near future. So out of curiousity are there still places online that sell the true authentic Badger Bob Memorial patches, 25th Anniversary patches, and the 90's Cup patches, etc. or is everything all reproductions now since it's been so many years? I just wondered. Obviously I'd go the truly authentic patch route if I can, so feel free to shed some more light on that if ya can pal. But if I did have to do the reproduction thing, then I guess that's OK too...as long as they look decent.

Edited June 18, 2010 by PenguinsFan88

[hagerstownpensfan]

The jersey that RCS uses the same crest as what the HOH jersey uses I believe. Neither is identical to what was used in those days. It is however the closest you will get outside of purchasing a gamer/original authentic. As far as the customization, you could contact Ice Jerseys. I'm sure they would be able to do it. That said its always best to be very specific with what you want. Use pictures, old NHL cards, whatever to be sure they know exactly what you want. The more information you give them to work with, the better the chance you will be pleased with the final product.

[JustAnothaVictim]

As far as I know the white mesh jersey were also used in 97-98 and/or 98-99. For some reasons the mesh jerseys in 96-97 were re-hemed to hide the STARTER letters but I don't know why. But that's how I customized it after buying it blank.

Edit: Pics of Marios Gamers

[tasty]

Where did you manage to find the blank?

[akteon]

Where did you manage to find the blank?

I got my blank black mesh Pens from eBay (not cheaply either) and I know that's also where CCJ got his black one because he outbid me for it. Victim's was the first I'd ever seen, and I believe he also got his on eBay in Germany (correct me if I'm wrong).

So as JeffB has often said, the answer is always "eBay".

[JustAnothaVictim]

I got my blank black mesh Pens from eBay (not cheaply either) and I know that's also where CCJ got his black one because he outbid me for it. Victim's was the first I'd ever seen, and I believe he also got his on eBay in Germany (correct me if I'm wrong).

So as JeffB has often said, the answer is always "eBay".

We probably got it from the same seller on ebay. I just don't remember his name but it'll come back to mind once I see it

[akteon]

We probably got it from the same seller on ebay. I just don't remember his name but it'll come back to mind once I see it

I just looked back and I'm fairly sure I got mine from sellerjhustle1. Right now he's only got baseball items, but previously he's had some great Pengiuns GI items.

[tasty]

What I wouldn't do for those jerseys.....I love the Starter Mesh. Like I mentioned, I bought a game-used Phillipe DeRouville and I use it in net myself. lol Would love to get some blanks to turn into Lemieux's....

[bjd624]

i have a red hawks starter mesh jersey ... ihate it

[akteon]

i have a red hawks starter mesh jersey ... ihate it

Do you have a picture of it? I looked in your webshots and didn't see any mesh jerseys, Starter or otherwise.

As far as I know they never made Starter Mesh Blackhawks jerseys. While Starter did make replica jerseys for the entire league in the late 90's, they only made mesh versions for authentic/on-ice jerseys. Even then only a handful of teams wore Starter mesh - Pittsburgh, Colorado, St. Louis, and the New York Rangers. The Blackhawks never wore on-ice Starter jerseys, during that period they wore Nike.