It looks as if my NHL jersey collecting days have come to an end. I have finally acquired a New Jersey Devils Martin Brodeur jersey in the dark red road style worn from the early-90s to the late-00s.
Cosmetically, it does have flaws - but that's expected when you're purchasing secondhand. Aesthetically, however, all of the numbers and letters on this beautiful sweater are embroidered in double layered tackle twill. Growing up in the 90s and 2000s, Martin Brodeur was one of the most talked about goaltenders in the league and knew full well as a collector, I had to obtain his jersey.
Born on 6 May 1972 in Montreal, QC, Martin Pierre Brodeur started goaltending at the age of 7. In 1989, he played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for the Saint-Hyacinthe Laser. In the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, he was selected 20th overall by the New Jersey Devils and play 4 NHL games that year. He'd make his full time roster debut in the 1993-94 season playing in 47 games and earn the Calder Trophy as the league's best rookie. He'd register a 27-11-8 record with a 2.40 GAA and a .915 SV%
In his sophomore year during the lockout 1994-95 season, the New Jersey Devils won their first Stanley Cup Championship in a clean sweep series over Detroit. In 20 playoff games, he registered a 16-4 win-loss record with a .927 SV%.
Martin Brodeur continued dominating the league for the rest of the 1990s often finishing the season as the wins leader and playing in four straight All-Star Games from 1996-99.
At the end of the 1999-00 season, Martin Brodeur won his second Stanley Cup Championship in a 4-2 series win against the defending champion Dallas. The final 2 games of that series ended in triple and double overtime. In 23 postseason games, he finished with a 16-4 record with 1.61 GAA and a .927 SV%.
During the 2000s, Martin Brodeur would play in five straight All-Star Games from 2000-04. In 2001, the goaltender's dream match was made when he faced his idol; Patrick Roy, and the Colorado Avalanche, in the Stanley Cup Finals. Sadly, the Eastern Conference Champions lost in seven games.
In 2003, Martin Brodeur would win his first Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender and his third Stanley Cup Championship. He finished the season with a league leading 41 wins and 9 shutouts. In 24 playoff games, he recorded 16 wins and a still standing league record 7 shutouts. He'd win three more Vezina Trophies in 2004, 2007, and 2008. His final All-Star Game appearance took place in 2007.
During the mid-to-late 2000s, Martin Brodeur resumed making a name for himself statistically while helping his team make consecutive playoff appearances until 2010. In 2007, he set the record for most wins in a season with 48 and became the all time wins leader with 522 in 2009. The 2011-12 season would be the last time Martin Brodeur played in the Stanley Cup Finals in a losing effort to the LA Kings.
After the 2013-14 season, Martin Brodeur signed with the St. Louis Blues and played in 7 games before officially retiring from the NHL. At the end of his career, he was the NHL's all time leader in games played, wins, losses, minutes, regular season and playoff shutouts, and postseason GAA.
Martin Brodeur has represented Team Canada on eight different occassions. His most notable accomplishments were two gold medals in the 2002 and 2010 Olympic Winter Games and a gold medal at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.
In February 2016, the New Jersey Devils retired #30 in his honour and erected a bronze statue of him at the Prudential Center.
In 2017, Martin Brodeur was inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame as a player.
NHL Highlights & Accomplishments
1, 266 games played, 691 wins, 74, 438 minutes 125 shutouts, 2.24 GAA, .912 SV%
3x Stanley Cup Champion [2005, 2000, 2003]
1994 All Rookie Team
1994 Calder Trophy
First All-Star Team [2003, 2004, 2007]
9x NHL All-Star [1996-2001, 2003-04, 2007]
4x Vezina Trophy [2003, 2004, 2007, 2008]
“I just want to have fun doing what I’m doing. When the time comes that it is a drag to play hockey, that’s when I’ll say leave it to someone else to do this job for the Devils.” ~ Martin Brodeur
The fine folks at Ninetimes Skateshop assisted me greatly with an issue on my last purchase. With that, I ordered 2 new FA decks from their sale. One is an Anthony Van Engelen Devil on Horseback graphic [left] and the Vortex team model [right]. Both boards have the embossed FA wordmark across the bottom.
I have never been more stoked on a skateboard company since the mid-2000s and whatever FA is doing, they're doing it right. Support your local skate shops.
Ninetimes Skate Shop in Alberta had a sale on some hardgoods and I grabbed these 2 FA decks. Above is the AVE Archangel graphic and below is the Gino Iannucci Doll. Both have the embossed FA logo from top to bottom. Unfortunately, one deck was defected and the folks at Ninetimes helped out 100% in helping me obtain another board [which you will see very soon].
It looks like prices of skateboard decks have increased in the retail world. Every now and then, shops will have a hardgoods sale. Although supporting them is highly recommended, I encourage you to check out secondhand markets online. You'll be pretty surprised what you can find. These are a few boards I picked up within the past year. Some decks came as completes and were hardly ridden. I will definitely post more of my secondhand pickups in the near future.
This past August, I picked up an Isle Chris Jones deck which was done by artist Milo Brennan. Upon looking closely, you can see Nirvana's In Utero within the artwork, which happens to be one of my favourite albums. Support your local/independent skate shop.
This past spring, DC Shoes had a massive online sale and I grabbed a pair of the Kalis Vulc. If you're in need of a sturdy pair of low cut vulcanized shoes, look no further than these Josh Kalis pro models.
Recently picked up a few new Hockey Skateboards while the shops were throwing a sale. Above is the Ben Kadow Summoned deck with embossed ink. Hopefully it'll help with my lack of boardslides. Below is the John Fitzgerald Stone deck with a reflective foil graphic.
This HUF NY deck was originally released last year for charity benefitting those affected by the coronavirus. Although I bought it on eBay, the seller did not ask for a profit - which is highly respectable. It was a major shock when HUF founder Keith Hufnagel passed away last September. I've always been a fan of his skating, clothing and he just seemed like an overall good person gont too soon.This deck is a keeper.
This year has definitely picked up as it went on. This is probably one of the biggest things to happen for me. Recently, Heroin Skateboards had an Instagram contest to win an autographed Ira Ingram "Curb Killer" deck. Originally, only one winner was named, but the overwhelming amount of entries led to five winners. Luckily, I was named one of the five due to submitting the most hard posts on my profile. Thanks so much to Heroin Skateboards, Mark Fos, and Ira Ingram for this win. Keep up the great work and support independent skate shops.
As a bonus, Fos drew a custom Curb Killer with my name on it. Never have I thought to one day see my name in iconic Fos artwork. This beats 10 Curb Killer decks any day.
Normally I never blog this, but I have been a victim of way too many scams over the years. It's a tough lesson learned. I'm here to help guide any readers into the right direction and I hope the small audience I have can spread the word.
Company car
Model/colour: Ford F150 XTR/Black
License plate number: AX 46612
Address: 25 Settlers Court Whitby ON L1M2L3
On May 26 '21, I scheduled an appointment with Quality Affordable Pest Control [QAPC] to exterminate rodents. The owner, Rocco Beninato [who also operates Empire Wildlife Removal], stated they will extract the rodents for $185 + tax [$209.05 total]. On May 28 '21, their exterminator, Joe, showed up at 9am and immediately stated it's rats, increased the price, threw Tide Pods in the walls, and "installed" a rat trap for a new grand total of $435. No tax if I paid in cash [which I did] after they followed me to the bank. No rats were extracted, but they'll die outside eventually in 4 weeks according to them.
Before payment, the two brothers [Joe and Rocco] did not want to issue an invoice. They sent poorly typed e-mails to state some service was done and provided a fake business address of an empty lot.
After they drove off, I wanted an e-mail confirming my 6 month warranty. Rocco twice sent replies with the wrong date and admits it was a typeo.
Along these lines, Empire Wildlife Removal/QAPC have scams written all over them. A complaint was sent to the Competition Bureau and will continue to send statements to the bureau. I will also submit a Google Review, they'll obviously say I have the wrong company, but e-mail statements will prove otherwise.
Owner: Rocco Beninato
Scams should not happen to anyone. I highly encourage consumers to click here when they have experienced unethical business practices. Here are a few tips/red flags for the consumer:
1. The telephone operator should state the name of their business. In this case, she answered "Pest Control" as opposed to the actual company name. Other examples can be "locksmith," "repair," or "mechanic."
2. They immediately upsell. When they tell you a brand new price after a phone consulation, it's best to tell them to either stick with the original price or not to advance their service. Call the police if they don't leave and state they're trespassing. Avoid 911, it's not an emergency. Have a direct number to your police division.
3. Ask for an invoice before paying. If they don't issue one, keep hold of the money until they provide some sort of service has been proven on their end. An invoice provides all the information on their end FOR YOU. Their information MUST be presented.
4. Ask your family and friends. Post on social media about a problem and see who responds. It's always best to hire someone with a legit track record as opposed to checking up on Google.
5. Don't believe online reviews. Simple statement. Ask people you know.
6. Take it to social media. Whether one person or a thousand people see it, it's out there in public view.
7. Ask them to present a license or ID if they do not have a uniform or company car.
I recently came across an online ad for a vintage Chocolate Skateboards Gino Iannucci deck. It was originally a complete, but the deck was too difficult not to buy. I couldn't find too much on it, but it definitely pre-dates 2014 when he moved on to Fucking Awesome after riding under the Crailtap umbrealla from 1997 to late-2013. A Long Island native, it was only fitting to see his name with an orange and blue colourway.
Back in 2018, I purchased [and regretfully sold] this and was hoping to someday pick up another Seek Skateboard without having to rob a bank. Luckily I came across this Seek Skateboards Rob Dyrdek pro model. Seek Skateboards was the first company I remember using chrome on their graphics. The company launched in early 2002 and sadly shut down in the summer of 2004. Below are a few ads and vids I came across online with a small history of the company.
Seek Skateboards was out of DNA Distribution, who also housed Alien Workshop and Habitat. OG Alien Workshop pro and cofounder Rob Dyrdek parted ways with the chance to make a company more hip-hop oriented. His Day in the Life article in 411VM Issue 67 was heavily filmed with Seek Skateboards.
Rookie Alien Workshop pro Mikey Taylor joined his teammates on Seek along with newcomers Flo Marfaing from Far, Alex Carolino, American Greg Meyers and veteran Canadian pro Colin McKay.
Josh Kalis also skated for Alien Workshop and was the other cofounder. According to him, he wanted to have a North American company with international skaters as opposed to flowing boards across borders. In an interview, he states Seek ended because there were not enough graphic designers to accomodate three companies at DNA Distribution.
About a week ago on Boxing Day, I was saddened to see breaking news of The Pickering Markets shutting their doors after 47 years. This past year was the worst for millions both medically and financially. I could go on a rant, but instead, I'll use this blog to celebrate something that's been a part of me since my childhood. From buying trading cards, toys, hemp pills, jerseys, toiletries, and food - The Pickering Markets served as a staple in the Durham Region. No where else can a family have a free photo with Santa Claus, but the Market helped provide that service. These vendors are not billionaire CEOs, they're regular citizens operating their own business two days a week. The food court was unique on its own especially Diannah's Island Foods, they had the best jerk pork I've ever had. I gave another company a shot, but it just wasn't the same. Diannah's was hands down the best and will sorely be missed.
Roadshow Antiques occupied 1/3 of the building and that's where I'd spend more of my time, even on weekdays since they were opened seven days a week. When I'd finish my morning shift or just wanted a place to go, the antique market provided that zen energy. There's something about that warehouse showing me that if you take care of something really well, it can last a very long time and perhaps be worth a lot down the road. Even how things were displayed had a calming effect. Fun Fact: The Shape of Water [directed by Peter Jackson] was filmed in Toronto and won the Academy Award for Best Production Design. Several of the props in that film were purchased at Roadshow Antiques in Pickering.
The most notable memories I can think of were the autograph signings. Heritage Stick Co. and The Pickering Markets brought big names to the community from the Leafs, Raptors and Blue Jays. It was in those lines where you can chat with the fan beside you and before you know it, you're shaking hands with a professional athlete. It was those I looked forward to, not the autograph, but the community. The first autograph signing I attended was for Johnny Bower back in 2009. One of the mangers, Kim, noticed I was the first one there and said I can have the first spot once the signing starts. But somewhere she found me and said I can come right up to the office and meet The China Wall personally. From then on, I knew this was a place for the people. Thanks again, Kim.
I've spent a ton of time here with family and friends. In the back of my mind, I felt it would always be there because it always has. It cheered me up at my lowest and would leave never thinking it was a waste of time. Sadly within my 30s, there were just other commitments limiting my visits, but I could still plan for my next trip because as long as there was a weekend, there was Pickering Markets. Who knows what the future entails for this building, perhaps another chance once things have fully gotten back to normal. But for the time being, I'd like to thank the wonderful staff and vendors of The Pickering Markets for many wonderful weekends and hope to see them all again in the near future. Support local business.
