Sweaters Pt 1

If you play hockey you probably have learnt that you can never have too many hockey sweaters.  Team sweaters should only be worn for game days, leaving a lot of practices to wear something else.  Odds are they'll get pretty grubby and smelly unless they get washed frequently, so you shouldn't just wear the same one again and again.  Add to that the occasional need for someone to change into red/white/blue/black colours to even up the sides in a small rink game or a shinny, and there's need for a few different sweaters.

That's my excuse, anyway, for beginning a bit of a collection of the things.  Add to that the fact that they tend to have interesting designs / bright colours /an emotional 'tone' and it then becomes somewhat easy to take them up as a type of regular clothing in their own right.

I started my collection with an Edmonton Oilers sweater I saw at the markets in Sydney a bit over a year ago.  To that was added a Canadian (away (white) colours) from the International exhibition game in June last year.  I got a Vancouver blue top on my next Sydney trip.  Then, gave the missus a shopping list for her next trip to the markets and she came back with Colorado, Montreal (with 2009 centenary epulettes and #11 - Koivu on the back (then time captain before being traded to Anaheim where he remains)) and Redwings sweaters.  The Redwings was her idea because she liked the red (more on this one later).

And this weekend, I was in Sydney with the wife again, and again it was a trip to the market stall to see what they had...

Came back with a St Louis Blues one (royal blues with a stylised yellow note as the front symbol, #41 - Halak on the back) and an oldschool Columbus Blue Jacket sweater (18th Century cannon logo on white roundel in front of a dark navy blue top, with lacework).  Also another one which I won't describe here because it's a gift for someone...

Next weekend I'll be picking up my own Vikings sweater (Royal blue, Viking helmet with crossed sticks beneath ala jolly roger on the front), and a Wheelers sweater (maroon, no logo).

I had a chat with the stall holder this time, enquiring at the absence of 'L' sized tops (so it goes comfortably over my body armour) or of 'S' ones (for the kids) and she explained it by the fact that they're all remainders.  Hence, no Winnipeg Jets, few of the other 'minority' teams, the old designs that have been supplanted in the most recent season (which is good as I wouldn't wear the stars and stripes design of the present bluejackets top, but I do like the older gun logo), etc.  The numbered sweaters become remainders when the player is traded (hence, my Montreal player these day is with the Ducks, and my Blues player was traded earlier this year to Washington, making the sweaters almost worthless on the usual market).

Maybe I'll continue this in another post some time...