How did you decide what jerseys to collect?

[SuperTheGreat]

Like lots of fans in Colorado I didn't really have the chance to see any hockey outside of the olympics until '95. I didn't start watching until the avs played the hawks in the '96 playoffs, then watched them beat the redwings in the conference finals. That was it...I was hooked on hockey and the Avalanche. My dad got me a Starter replica Forsberg jersey in '97. I was in college for a while (screwed around for 7 years to get my bachelor's) and had no money, so I was satisfied with that for a bit. Then CCM got the jersey contract and the replicas for avs jerseys are sub-standard in my opinion...the shoulder patches are terrible so I swore I'd never buy one, and accepted the fact that I couldn't afford an authentic. Added a Sakic 3rd replica (no terrible footprint shoulder patches) as soon as they came out with them and I was good for many, many years.

This past year I wanted a Ryan O'Reilly jersey but, hard to believe, I HATE the Edge design of the current Avalanche jersey and I refuse to buy one. They look like a ##### BBQ apron. I kicked around the idea of getting an old style jersey and having it customized as an O'Reilly and that started me researching, reading forums, then got me here and HFBoards. Lots more reading and looking on Ebay, then some more reading and finally I scored a burgundy Starter Mesh authentic on Ebay that had been customized with Chris Drury. I intended on stripping the nameplate and replacing it with O'Reilly, but because I did really like Chris Drury when he played here, I have since decided to keep it a Drury and bought a blank to have made into an O'Reilly (I know it's a foul, but I find the current Avs jersey design even more foul and I won't buy one). Every avs game I've been to since they got here I've seen someone in a Starter Mesh jersey and have been bitterly jealous. Now that I know what I'm doing (sort of...still lots to learn) thanks to the knowledgeable posters on these boards and now that I can afford a little spending on myself I have gotten 3 more Starter mesh authentics and have begun taking them to Denver Athletic one at a time to be customized. Also have a '01 all star North America soon to become a Joe Sakic and - ed. finally got my hands on - an '01 all star World Team to make into a Peter Forsberg. HOOKED!

Edited June 26, 2012 by SuperTheGreat

[JustAnothaVictim]

I actually have quite a few Philippino friends that speak Spanish.

Every Filipino speaks at least a bit Spanish. Nothing odd actually.

[JohnnyOnTheSpot]

In response to the thread title...Claude Giroux got me pregnant.

[oxbo1690]

I started colleting international jerseys because I like the idea that a player can never get traded from his team. I have also had a fascination with globalism in tandem with hockey for much of my life so it makes sense.

[NYIJM29]

In response to the thread title...Claude Giroux got me pregnant.

Before you go into the heat, be sure to package the meat.

[Sluggermatt15]

In response to the thread title...Claude Giroux got me pregnant.

So you're starting to churn out jerseys now?

[madflava]

I've always been a Caps fan but the first jersey I ever bought was in high school and it was a 92-93 authentic Boston Bruins home jersey. I bought it because I was a huge fan of Adam Oates and Joe Juneau at the time. Who would have thought that they would eventually become Caps players and I would get to watch them play live on home ice. My second jersey was an authentic Maple Leafs away jersey from 1994 which was a Christmas gift from my brother because he knew how much I liked Doug Gilmour. My third jersey was an authentic away Caps jersey bought for $60 in 1996 when my local pro shop was clearing them out because they figured nobody would want them because the new Caps jersey was all the the rage. I then took a 12 year break from collecting jerseys until 2008 when I decide to collect every style of authentic Caps jerseys they ever wore before they became impossible to find. I've then branched out to other teams and now I collect players that I admire. I hope one day to have a small closet of jerseys with all my favorite players jerseys to wear on game days or to pass down to my kids.

[oiler99]

I bought my first jersey in 2001. It was a Red Wings replica, which I left blank. At that time I wasn't so much interested in collecting them so for a long time I didn't buy any. Somewhere around 2009 or 2010 I started thinking that it would be great to have some of my favorite players' jerseys hanging on my wall and also Finnish players jerseys. The final nail in the coffin was meeting Teemu Selanne at the NHL Premiere in 2011. After that i decided that if I ever get a second chance to be here, i'd better have something worth signing. The first jersey I got was a Gretzky Oilers jersey in Christmas of 2011. It was a knockoff but I didn't know it at the time, nor did i believe it when someone told me it's fake. Now I focus solely on authentics. But it was great to have that lesson of knowing what is authentic and what isn't.

These days I collect the jerseys of the players I have grown up watching. I am focusing more on team jerseys and having them customized with the player of my choice. It's kind of like having your own personal Hall Of Fame. I work as a volunteer for a semi-pro (third highest level) hockey team in my hometown in Raahe, Finland (being a DJ to their games) so I love the game and the jersey collecting was a natural step for me. Last year was a learning process and this year I plan to focus on getting the players I want as authentics.