A while ago, I won a Twitter contest for 3 free Altamont tees. Yesterday, the package finally arrived at my house. So, this is what it feels like to be sponsored by one of the gnarliest clothing companies in skating. Much thanks to Fred and the rest of the staff at Sole Technology.
West 49 sent me a $10 gift card, but since it expires at the end of the month - might as well spend now. I decided to grab a video that's been on my "Want List" for a while, but never got around to actually buying it. Strange Brew is a Canadian produced skate video with a ton of my favourite riders like Spencer Hamilton, Russ Milligan, and Ted DeGros.
According to some reports including the Toronto Star, next season's Blue Jays logo has been leaked online. This must explain the massive 50% off sale at the stadium gift shop this passed week. However, it's causing a bit of a stir among their fans. Some are disliking it while others are already embracing it. I, for one, am not hating it at all. I'm actually all for the classic look with a twist and think the team should represent Canada and of course, more blue. Then again, a terrible jersey can ruin a great logo. Also keep in mind that this is image leaked. Although the club is not confirming or denying its legitimacy - it doesn't mean some random fan made it all up.
I'm guessing this artist was inspired by the team's previous logos from 1977 and 1997.
Just wanted to add, the title of this post is meant to be interrogative. But from what I read, it's bad luck to have question marks at the end of titles.
Too many snapbacks have hit the streets, so I thought I should switch up my collection for these last few days of summer. What you are looking at is the official cap of the Vancouver Canadians, the single-A club for the Toronto Blue Jays and the 2011 Northwest League Champions.
I'm not sure if anyone's pointed this out, but it looks like the the MiLB logo is derived from a photograph of Jackie Robinson, who also was a minor leaguer.
Previous Canadians include Rickey Henderson, Miguel Tejada, and Nick Swisher [above].
F-cked Up's 2nd studio album The Chemistry of Common Life recieved the 2009 Polaris Music Award. An honour bestowed on the best Canadian album based on artistic merit.
I picked up this Santa Cruz deck on sale at Hammer for the price of a blank or shop board at most places. This is probably one of the worst times to buy a new deck now that the weather is getting cold and bitter. But this is for those very rare post-summer days when it is possible to skate. I just wanted to show what the top of the board looked like before I applied the grip. Neat, huh?
I threw on a bunch of old but new parts I've had for over a year or so.
This is becoming a very expensive hobby. But whatever, I'm glad to be back for another post for Jersey Sunday. Today's feature is my New York IslandersMike Bossy uniform.
Fun fact: The letter "I" in "Islanders" points at the direct location of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island, New York; their home arena since 1972.
I won the jersey online and was on the fence as to whom I wanted on the back. The Islanders of the 80s were a very dominant team. But I decided to go with Mike Bossy because he's one of the greatest goal scorers of all time and #22 also happens to be the same numbers of our birthdays. I know Starter was not the manufacturer of uniforms in the early 80s, but this was the closest I could get to one. I highly doubt anyone will notice anyways. I also wanted very specific font for the numbers. The team changed it up a bit year after year. I'll get to why I wanted this particular shape.
Thanks again to Joe from SportZone for the great job. Check out the matching action figure too.
I also won this vintage New York Islanders snapback online.
Made by Apex One, it sports a white and orange stripe on the side, which is a perfect match with the jersey. The team logo is also embroidered on the back for that added flare.
Michael Dean Bossy was born on 22 January 1957 in Montreal, QB and played for the Laval National of the QMJHL from 1972-77. After 5 seasons as a junior, the 20-year old right winger was drafted 15th overall by the New York Islanders in 1977.
During his contract negotiations, Mike Bossy predicted he would have a 50 goal season. A bold statement by a youngster who has not yet skated on professional ice. However, he would finish the season with 53 goals - a record that stood for 15 years. He would earn a spot in the NHL All-Star Game and recieve the Calder Trophy as the league's best rookie. The young French-Canadian would be placed on the same line as Clark Gillies and Bryan Trottier and were nicknamed "The Trio Grande."
In Mike Bossy's sophomore year, he would again reach the 50 goal mark finishing the year with 69 goals and totalling 126 points in the 1978-79 season.
In the 1980-81 season, Mike Bossy duplicated one of the greatest goal scoring performances in league history. He was on pace to score 50 goals in 50 games. No other player has done so since the 1944-45 season when another French-Canadian born right winger named Maurice Richard set that record. With 48 goals going into his 50th game, Bossy hit the back of the net twice in the dying minutes of a home game against the Quebec Nordiques.
Between 1980-1983, the New York Islanders would help Long Island become home of a dynasty, winning the Stanley Cup in 4 straight years. One highlighted playoff moment was in 1982 when he scored the series clinching goal on the road against the Vancouver Canucks. With 17 goals and 10 assists, he recieved the Conn Smythe Trophy. Seeing how this was his best performance in the playoffs, I wanted my jersey to have the exact same number font of that season.
Mike Bossy is considered to be one of the best pure goal scorers in league history and his .762 goals per game and 21.18 shooting percentage are at the top of the all-time leaders list. He is also the first, and so far only, player to have 50+ goals in 9 straight seasons. In 752 regular season games played, he has 573 goals and 553 assists for a total of 1126 points. In 129 playoff appearances, he has a total of 160 points with 85 goals. For a player with only 10 NHL seasons on his resume, he is one of the fastest individuals to accumulate the number of goals he's earned.
Throughtout his playing days, Mike Bossy has been an outspoken advocate to ban fighting in the league. Citing his opinion that it's not meant to be a part of the game nor a good image for the young kids watching. For his graceful sportsmanlike conduct, he was awarded the Lady Byng Trophy 3 times in his career.
Unfortunately, his time in the the National Hockey League was cut short. Chronic back problems would limit his playing abilities and retired from the game in 1987. In 1991, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and one year later, the #22 was retired by the New York Islanders organization in his honour.
Mike Bossy represented Team Canada twice in two Canada Cup Tournaments. His first came in 1981 where the Soviets ousted them in the gold medal game, and again in 1984. In the latter year, he would score in OT against USSR in the semis to lead Canada to the finals and the eventual championship.
Career Highlights & Awards:
Calder Trophy [1978], 4x Stanley Cup Champion [1980-83], Conn Smythe Award [1982], 7x NHL All-Star [1978, 1980-83, 1985-86], 3x Lady Byng Award [1983-84, 1986], Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee [1991], jersey #22 retired by the New York Islanders.
Legends of Hockey: Mike Bossy
"We never got one millionth of the recognition we should . . . People don't talk about us in the first mention of great teams." - Mike Bossy on the New York Islanders
Happy September everyone! I can't believe summer is almost over. But what won't be over is a new blog header every month. This month, I made up an image honouring one of skateboarding's most historical landmarks; Embarcadero in San Francisco. Where legendary skaters like Henry Sanchez and Mike Carroll left their marks.
I also named it after Plan B's first skate video, Questionable, where the plaza was heavily featured.
Between 1980-1983, the New York Islanders would help Long Island become home of a dynasty, winning the Stanley Cup in 4 straight years. One highlighted playoff moment was in 1982 when he scored the series clinching goal on the road against the Vancouver Canucks. With 17 goals and 10 assists, he recieved the Conn Smythe Trophy. Seeing how this was his best performance in the playoffs, I wanted my jersey to have the exact same number font of that season.
Mike Bossy is considered to be one of the best pure goal scorers in league history and his .762 goals per game and 21.18 shooting percentage are at the top of the all-time leaders list. He is also the first, and so far only, player to have 50+ goals in 9 straight seasons. In 752 regular season games played, he has 573 goals and 553 assists for a total of 1126 points. In 129 playoff appearances, he has a total of 160 points with 85 goals. For a player with only 10 NHL seasons on his resume, he is one of the fastest individuals to accumulate the number of goals he's earned.
Throughtout his playing days, Mike Bossy has been an outspoken advocate to ban fighting in the league. Citing his opinion that it's not meant to be a part of the game nor a good image for the young kids watching. For his graceful sportsmanlike conduct, he was awarded the Lady Byng Trophy 3 times in his career.
Unfortunately, his time in the the National Hockey League was cut short. Chronic back problems would limit his playing abilities and retired from the game in 1987. In 1991, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and one year later, the #22 was retired by the New York Islanders organization in his honour.
Mike Bossy represented Team Canada twice in two Canada Cup Tournaments. His first came in 1981 where the Soviets ousted them in the gold medal game, and again in 1984. In the latter year, he would score in OT against USSR in the semis to lead Canada to the finals and the eventual championship.
Career Highlights & Awards:
Calder Trophy [1978], 4x Stanley Cup Champion [1980-83], Conn Smythe Award [1982], 7x NHL All-Star [1978, 1980-83, 1985-86], 3x Lady Byng Award [1983-84, 1986], Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee [1991], jersey #22 retired by the New York Islanders.
Legends of Hockey: Mike Bossy
"We never got one millionth of the recognition we should . . . People don't talk about us in the first mention of great teams." - Mike Bossy on the New York Islanders
