I'd love to see some CP jersey collections! I'll post mine (in chronological order of when I got them!), why don't you post yours? Let's share some memories and revel in odd choices (there are a few of them in my collection).
Jersey #1 – Todd Bertuzzi
I think I got this jersey for Christmas in 2008, when I had just turned eight. The 2008-09 Flames acted as my introduction to the sport, and I still love that team to bits. I have copies of NHL 09 on three different platforms. My three favourite players on that team were Cammalleri, Bertuzzi, and Lombardi, so you can imagine how devastated I was when all three were gone by the beginning of next season. Still mad they picked Jokinen over Cammalleri, but that's eight-year-old me talking.
Anyway, I wore the hell out of this Bertuzzi jersey, as you can clearly tell. I'm very thankful it survived the 2013 floods – a couple other kiddie jerseys I had definitely did not, including an old Iginla team Canada jersey from the 2010 Olympics. I try not to think of them too much, but I think I only lost two jerseys so I'm not too cut up about that. More on the floods later.
Jersey #2 – Jarome Iginla
Iggy was never my favourite player on the Flames (I always liked guys like Tanguay and Cammalleri more) but he was still super awesome. I got this one for Christmas in 2009, after they brought back the retro designs for the 30th Anniversary. It doesn't fit me anymore, oh well. Maybe I'll frame it someday.
Jersey #3 – Heritage Classic
I got this one at Christmas 2010. I love my parents very dearly – they knew my interests weren't very broad. All they had to do was pick up a jersey on sale at SportChek and they'd have a happy son for weeks after Christmas morning. I wore this one to the Heritage Classic in 2011. Unlike the other 2011 HC jersey on this list, this jersey is 100% genuine, with a real felt logo and dark red striping.
Jersey #4 – The Jersey With My Own Name on the Back
I don't speak of this jersey. It was a regrettable decision made worse by how poorly-executed the customization was. No sleeve numbers? Heat-pressing?
One day, I will frame it or give it to my daughter or son (if I ever have either), assuming they like hockey (they better).
Jersey #5 – The Flood Jersey
My home was devastated in the 2013 floods and I was displaced for many years as the government and my family worked through many complex decisions. It was a tremendously trying time for me personally and it took me a long, long time to fully overcome the impact of that disaster.
However, for one sweet day a week after the waters hit, I was on the top of the world. I was surprised by Breakfast Television with a surprise visit from newly-acquired Flames forward TJ Galiardi, who gave me a bunch of hockey memorabilia (including this jersey) and hung out with me for a couple hours. It was a truly meaningful day, one that I haven't forgotten and never will. That day couldn't replace them tens of thousands of hockey cards that I had meticulously sorted into books... and kept in the basement. But it helped.
Jersey #6 – David Jones
After a couple years of dealing with the emotional and financial repercussions of the flood (which left me with a decreased appetite for hockey, oddly enough), the 2014-15 Flames rolled around and breathed renewed life into the dying hockey fan inside me. So, for the first time in forever, I asked for a new jersey for my birthday – a David Jones jersey.
At this point in time, with the season going as well as it was going, the Flames were doing great business. When you walked into a FanAttic, they had basically every player's jersey on the wall. Jooris, Raymond, Russell, Engelland... you name it.
But not David Jones. And that's precisely why I wanted one – because nobody else did. I've always related to the underdogs. So I became David Jones' #1 fan, despite never before having had any real reason to care about him. It turned out to be a great jersey choice – the Flames made the playoffs, and Jones was instrumental in helping them get to round two. And while that jersey is a little bit small on me now, it helps me remember just how low I was at a certain point after the flood – and how I got to feel better.
Jersey #7 – Sam Bennett
In early 2016, my dad and I went to a Flames game. We arrived pretty early and spent a few minutes before warmups checking out the inventory at the FanAttic.
A Nostradamian brainwave suddenly occurred to me.
"Hey, dad. If he [I pointed to a T-shirt in one of the displays] scores four goals tonight, you've gotta get me his jersey."
Maybe it was a little forward of me, sure. Sounds a little spoiled, definitely. But then we got back to our seats and started watching the Flames take on the Florida Panthers.
Yes, I swear this all happened.
Jersey #8 – Kris Versteeg
When I was 16, I was given a regular Flames jersey for my birthday and told to pick a name for the back. I chose Kris Versteeg – the story of how he spurned the Oilers in free agency was too good to pass up, even if he was on a one-year deal. It was between Versteeg and Jyrki Jokipakka, so I think I made a pretty good choice.
This is the only jersey I got customized at SportChek. They didn't do a great job (the name bar is pretty stiff), so I told myself that the next time I got a jersey customized, it would be done properly.
Jersey #9 – Mark Giordano
I found this blank white CCM jersey at a store on MacLeod called the Buy and Sell Store for $30. Great store with tons of awesome, cheap jerseys. I wanted a uniform of the captain, but I wanted it to stand out a bit. This is a jersey representing pre-Russia Gio – I don't think too many of those exist!
This jersey was beautifully customized by Kolbe31 (North Star Jerseys) here from Calgarypuck. Highly recommend their work.
Jersey #10 – James Neal
At Christmas 2018, with FanAttic doing a 50% off sale, I decided to treat myself to my first Adidas jersey. I grew up wearing #18 in hockey and I had liked the Neal signing, even if he had been slow to produce.
I told myself, "even if Neal's been slow to start as a Flame, he's got a five-year deal – I'll be able to wear this to the 'Dome forever."
Welp.