Nothing Says "I Love You" More Than A Customized Hockey Jersey
Written: Feb 07 '04 (Updated Mar 09 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Customizable, authentic and officially licensed product.
Cons: Some might consider it expensive ..
The Bottom Line: Hockey fanatic? Hockey freak? Hockey Fan? Show your colors with an officially licensed CCM Center Ice hockey jersey.
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| Freak369's Full Review: CCM Philadelphia Flyers Customized Center Ice Prac... |
After a rather nasty divorce and several doomed-from-the-start relationships that followed, I started to think I’d be flying solo for the rest of my life. Sure I’d always have the boys but you know, there’s something about having a relationship with someone that consists of more than conversations about Lego sets, homeschooling and their bizarre science experiments. Enter Chris, previously referred to as Mr. X; in awesome shape, an emergency room doctor and pretty freakin’ cool all the way around. I often joked around with friends that there had to be “something” wrong with him – no way a catch like this remains single and playing the field. Have you ever seen the movie Alien? Remember that scene when the thing rips out of his stomach? That’s what I expected to happen … there had to be something that kept him from being attached to someone, even in the most basic definition of the term. It was about two months ago that the alien came to life – no – it didn’t rip out of his chest, it came in the form of a large box with a big red bow on it. Now, normally gifts with such pretty bows and wrapping paper don’t normally strike fear in me but it was the way he handed it to me and insisted that I open it immediately that really threw me for a loop.
The only words that came out of my mouth were “If there’s another animal in this box, I am not going to be thrilled.”
He fumbled around with his cellular phone and shoved his hands in and out of his pockets so many times I felt like handing him a tube of itch cream. He was more excited about the damn box and I was … and that was pretty evident when he ripped it out of my hands and started tearing at the paper I so gingerly tried to preserve. Inside were layers upon layers of tissue paper and when I finally dug through them I saw a section of clothing … a hockey jersey to be exact. Oh no, not just an off-the-rack $30.00 shirt but one with my name on the back of it. This is the exact moment when I knew why he wasn’t taken. Chris is a hockey fanatic. Not a hockey fan. Not a hockey enthusiast. Not a hockey aficionado. No, he is a certified, 110%, to the bone fanatic. He’s the equivalent of the guys that show up at football games in the dead of winter wearing a pair of shorts and their faces painted. It was then that I could rest easy, no alien would be popping out of his chest however after seeing him “in action” at a local sport bar with his cronies I have to wonder if maybe the alien might be a little easier to deal with.
Philadelphia Flyers Customized Center Ice Practice Jersey
After I opened the box I was informed [not told] that this would be the first of several hockey jerseys [never call them a “hockey shirt”] that I’d be getting as gifts. Don’t get me wrong, I think hockey is a great sport – where else can you hit someone with a stick and get two to five minutes in a penalty box? Try that in real life and you are in jail for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Having been familiar with the CCM line of clothing for many years I knew right off the bat that this shirt, err jersey, would be something that I’d have a hard time destroying – no matter how hard I tried. First off this isn’t an off-the-rack jersey, this is the same as a regulation NHL practice jersey – right down to the stitching, logo patch and letting style. The first time I slipped it on and saw the huge smile on Chris’ face I knew that no matter how much I grew to hate it, this jersey would be with me for a long, long time. Not that I am complaining in the least just that I have the feeling that this is a sign of things to come. And Chris, I know you will be reading this and there is no way in hell that the concrete gargoyles on the front steps will be replaced with Stanley Cup replicas so just drop the subject.
One of the first things that I noticed about the jersey was the huge logo patch on the front of it. My oldest son has several replica CCM game shirts [these don’t qualify to be called “a jersey”] and the patch logo seems a little too heavy for the shirt, this isn’t the case with the M1700 / M17000 line. The material is comfortable and not the least bit stiff – something that really worried me when I pulled it out of the box. After about seven or eight washes it still has all it’s color and the plethora of cleaning and prewash treatments I have used on it haven’t left faded or dull spots. The same can be said about the two large block number and the smaller letters that are used on the back of the shirt. They are stitched on, not ironed, and look just as good as they did when the shirt was brand spanking new. With my sons shirts there was some pilling on the letters after ten or so washes but it wasn’t anything that a pill shaver couldn’t fix. Even so, this “jersey” is so much nicer than the “shirts” my son has so it will only be a matter of time before Chris shows up with mini versions of the gold box with red ribbon for each of the brood.
If you are looking for a well made officially licensed product then this is it. Outside of going to an arena and stealing a shirt to have a piece of hockey gear, picking up one of these from any number of reputable sports stores is the best way to go. The shirt itself is heavy but no so heavy that you can get away without wearing a shirt under it in the evening and to be brutally honest, you’d be crazy to wear this thing freestyle [without a shirt under it] because it isn’t exactly something that you would want rubbing against your skin for an extended period of time. Washing this is pretty simple, just make sure that the first few times you wash it that you wash it as a single item or with things that won’t be ruined if some of the ink washes out – I threw in some of my older towels with it and it worked out great. I don’t suggest tossing this in the dryer since it could shrink it a little or bubble out the logo patch. I usually toss mine in the dryer with a softener sheet for about seven or eight minutes then hang it up to air dry.
Three Styles To Choose From …
While most of the Center ice practice jerseys are available in only two varieties [home and away], the Philadelphia Flyers have three to choose from. The standard home jersey [black body, white shoulders and lettering], away jersey [white body, orange shoulder and black lettering] and the third which is a retired home version [orange body, black lettering]. Lucky for me Chris picked out the away styled jersey and spung the extra money to have my name put on the back of it. When he told me how much the shirt cost I almost fell over – this was followed by a ten minute speech about how it is the same shirt that the team members wear, it’s designed to take a beating and no matter what you get on it, it will come out in the wash. I can say with complete honesty that the statements he made are 100% true. Even though the body of this is white, nothing I have dropped on it has stained it. Look at it this way, if the game jerseys can take three periods of abuse, not rip when pulled over someone’s head and all the blood washes out – forking out seventy five to a hundred bucks for something that’s almost indestructible doesn’t sound all that bad.
Please note, the photo that is listed here is incorrect. The photo shown is not for the M1700 / M17000 series of shirt but rather for the basic practice jersey that only has a two color combination, not three. This is where some people are getting tripped up with the pricing – the basic shirt is around $50.00 but if you are going to fork out that much money why not spend another twenty or thirty and get something that has the official patch on it and has the straight lettering instead of the curved [which, in my opinion, looks tacky as hell]. If you are going to be ordering this online, make sure that you are getting the jersey you want since most of the time if it is customized you can’t return it unless it’s defective [fat chance with this jersey] or they spelled the name wrong.
The Bottom Line
It goes without saying that this isn’t something that I’d purchase for myself. I think hockey is a great sport, it’s fun to watch and if a fight breaks out I’m one of the loonies that’s in the livingroom screaming for some teeth to hit the ice. That doesn’t mean I live, breathe, eat, sleep and dream about hockey [cough Chris cough] but I can appreciate the game. This shirt is solid and for me to say that about a piece of clothing means something. The fact that it can be customized if you want to do so means a lot to me and makes for a great gift for the person that seems to have everything. Chris paid close to a hundred bucks for the shirt, shipping and the personalization and he considers it a real bargain so I can’t complain one bit. As I said before, if you are looking to pick up a hockey jersey from an online store make sure that you are going to be getting the exact style that you want – if need be – call them and ask them for a physical description of it and get the persons name or extension number so if there is a problem when it arrives you have the information you need to get an exchange without having to jump through hoops.
As always, thanks for the read!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2004 Freak369
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