If you get names on jerseys chances are things are going to end badly unless it's something like a national team jersey or the player is an absolute icon like Thornton or Marleau.
My history
- original black alternate - Michalek. And then he was traded
- post-lockout black alternate - Murray. And then he was traded
- post-lockout teal with the shoulder yoke - Vlasic. Still around, but is that really a win?
- Adidas of the design before the current one - Kane. Burned his bridges and was cut
- Retro inaugural jersey (bought around 2011) - Larionov. This one's safe since his tenure was long over when I got it. It got me a thumbs up from Doug Wilson at the last WJCs in Vancouver though
I also have a replica of the last design with the orange arm stripes and the year 2000ish version of the pre-lockout design that has metallic silver sleeves instead of gray. Both of those are blank. My plan originally was Hertl on the more modern one and Sturm on the silver sleeves but I've gotten somewhat gunshy there because a) Hertl's gone now and b) I can't exactly replace the other one if something goes wrong in the sewing process and I no longer know the guy at the local hockey shop who does customization (for about 10 years the guy I knew that was the lead customizer dude was a sharks fan so he used to joke about loving when I came in with something because he got to do cool jerseys instead of hundreds of Canucks ones)
If we expand outside of the Sharks I also have a Worcester Sharks black with Couture (that's fine) an assortment of national team jerseys with Sharks (Marleau, Hannan, Sturm, Greiss) or Vancouver Giants (Byram, Gilbert Brule) and a Vancouver Giants jersey with Brule on it that ended up kind of a downer because he busted so hard.
Outside of that I got a Seattle Seahawks jersey when I was a kid with Joey Galloway on it and then he held out and got traded the off-season after I got it. and I have a Vancouver Grizzlies jersey from like 2 years before they moved and a Raptors one with Vince Carter on it and then he got sulky and became detested among Raptors fans.
So basically the lesson is that either you get legends past or future on your jersey or you prepare for the likelihood that you're going to end up wearing something featuring a guy that has an ignominius end to his time with that team. Or you stick to national team jerseys where it's far less likely things go seriously sideways.
I suppose that constant wave of crushing disappointment was just preparing me for being a Sharks fan.
depending on Fanatics vs Adidas
