So QC...what was with those Cowboy jerseys?

[Hack&Lube]

Many NHL fans have now seen the infamous Cowboy/Sheriff jerseys that the Mallards once wore, I was curious as to the full story behind them. I've heard a few short comments that they were for a charity or some kind of one-off game but what's the full story on them? Why that particular design at all?

[Hoody]

I may need the help of others to complete the story, but here is the gist of it.

Every year the team here in the QC had a charity auction game, usually held in Feb. or March to raise money for a local charity (Gilda's Club, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Genesis Medical Center, Etc.). It started , I believe, or first year of having hockey, in '95. They would always have a special jersey made up for the event, and after the game, have a local auctioneer come in and auction them off. The players would dance, sing, do skits, etc. One year we had guys bring one of the players trucks out onto the ice during the auction, start up a charcoal grill, and cook burgers, dogs, and eat while they watched the sales. They broke out the coolers and had a few while they cooked. It was great. They would do just about anything to get their bids up. At first, the jersey were throwback style jerseys, then it moved to themed holiday sweaters, (Halloween, St. Patrick's Day, Valentine's day), but were usually still normal jerseys in the themed colours. Then it started getting bad, and started turning into "printed" style jerseys, (disco, Hawaiian floral), then came the cartoons. That's were the cowboy came from, along with a pirate style jersey, complete with ruffles. I'm sure DS has a complete catalog of the different jerseys we have had over the years. They were all picked by, I think, our GM at the time, Howard Cornfield. We managed to bring in obscene amounts of money for those jerseys every year (I believe 1 year we brought in over $100,000.). Others will probably be able to add to the story.

Hoody

[Hack&Lube]

Wow, so there were even more wacky ones than those sheriff ones?

[Drunk Skunk]

COMPLETE specialty jersey history of the Mallards in a couple later posts!







I have pictures of pretty much all of them, but will be busy uploading last night's pictures for awhile. I'll add some pictures of the various auction jerseys this afternoon. Until then, however, here are three pics of the pirate theme jerseys -

Pirate 1
Pirate 2
Pirate 3

[looooob]

Originally Posted by Drunk Skunk

I have pictures of pretty much all of them, but will be busy uploading last night's pictures for awhile. I'll add some pictures of the various auction jerseys this afternoon. Until then, however, here are three pics of the pirate theme jerseys -

Pirate 1
Pirate 2
Pirate 3

yikes, that's almost a Seinfeld episode there

[SparkyOne]

Ah, memories!!!!

The auctions sometimes got absolutely wild. Players stripped to up the bidding and always did their own skits (which some worked on for weeks, including renting costumes!). We have always had a great relationship with our players and it made for a great night for all....especially since the actual jersey itself was kept top secret until the guys hit the ice.

Wait til you see some of the others! I've never bought an auction jersey, but it's an event not to be missed! Wonder if we'll still have them....

I just was looking for a total to back up what Hoody said and found this in a QConline article from last spring....

It's a chance to let their hair down and show the fans what they're all about. That's the way the Quad City Mallards' players prepare for the annual jersey auction.

"Every team has a jersey auction, but it's usually standing up there with your suit on and holding up a jersey," Mallards defenseman Steve MacIntyre said. "This is so much more fun and entertaining. The fans love it and the guys love it. This is our chance to show the fans we're more than hockey players. We get to show them what we're about and what we like to do."

The Mallards' organization also passed a milestone early in the auction. When Sean Starke's jersey went for $1,800, it meant the total for the 12 auctionss passed a half-million dollars that the team has donated to charity through its annual event.

Another article also said that there will, indeed, be another jersey auction this spring....

[Drunk Skunk]

Originally Posted by SparkyOne

Ah, memories!!!!

The auctions sometimes got absolutely wild. Players stripped to up the bidding and always did their own skits (which some worked on for weeks, including renting costumes!). We have always had a great relationship with our players and it made for a great night for all....especially since the actual jersey itself was kept top secret until the guys hit the ice.

Wait til you see some of the others! I've never bought an auction jersey, but it's an event not to be missed! Wonder if we'll still have them....

I just was looking for a total to back up what Hoody said and found this in a QConline article from last spring....



Another article also said that there will, indeed, be another jersey auction this spring....

One of my ex-girlfriends bought Vlad Serov's disco jersey. It's uncomfortable wearing a jersey that cost $2,600.

[icarus]

Those pirate jerseys are hilarious and disgusting at the same time.

[foofighter15]

Wow that's awesome. What league were the Mallards?
Can you imagine Sutters face if he showed up at the QC Flames had kept that tradition alive without telling him?

[SparkyOne]

Originally Posted by foofighter15

Wow that's awesome. What league were the Mallards?
Can you imagine Sutters face if he showed up at the QC Flames had kept that tradition alive without telling him?

United Hockey League. Formerly the Colonial Hockey League (CoHL). Thunder Bay had some awesome teams in the CoHL!

[Hoody]

I may have over-estimated in my original post. If Sparky's article mentioned that we passed $500,000 in twelve years, I know we didn't do $100,000 in a single year. I apologize for the inflation, but we still had people paying obscene amounts of money for a game-worn sweater, even if it was for charity. Someone mentioned you could get a NHL gamer for less money that some of those ugly Mallard sweaters went for.

Hoody

[Kev]

Gayest jerseys ever.

I always wonder when I see things like this, how do the people who make these decisions get into the positions they do to have the power to make them???

Was Mike Milbury in charge there?

[Drunk Skunk]

We've had some hideous jerseys. I'll find the warmup jersey pictures too. Here's some other auction shirts

"Touch Of Class" night

Last year's St. Patrick's Day jersey 1 and 2.

Race Night 1, 2, and 3.

Originally Posted by foofighter15

Wow that's awesome. What league were the Mallards?
Can you imagine Sutters face if he showed up at the QC Flames had kept that tradition alive without telling him?

We are. There is a jersey auction later this season.

[tvp2003]

No pics of the Cowboy jersey yet? Here you go, in all its glory:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../cowboy6lr.png

There have been a lot of "unusual" jerseys in hockey, but this baseball one takes the cake... behold, the Price is Right jersey!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/199/5...cd96af6e_o.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1209/...7454bdee_o.jpg

Gotta love the name tag and the "big wheel" sleeve trim

[Drunk Skunk]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

No pics of the Cowboy jersey yet? Here you go, in all its glory:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1.../cowboy6lr.png

There have been a lot of "unusual" jerseys in hockey, but this baseball one takes the cake... behold, the Price is Right jersey!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/199/5...cd96af6e_o.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1209/...7454bdee_o.jpg

Gotta love the name tag and the "big wheel" sleeve trim

That pic of the cowboy jerseys is mine.

[STeeLy]

If I had to pick a fav out of those charity Jerseys... I'd definitely go with Race night

[SparkyOne]

Originally Posted by Drunk Skunk

We've had some hideous jerseys.

We certainly have! I had totally forgotten that the tux jerseys were called "A Touch of Class"!!

Those, the cowboys and the pirates are my least favorites. Just downright horrible. I think the "bad" started with the Hawaiian jerseys and they went down hill from there!! What's really unbelievable is that people actually wore them after they won them!!!

I'm glad the charities get the bucks, but there's no way I'm spending my hard-earned money on those things!!!

[Drunk Skunk]

The valentine jerseys we had quite a few years ago were really sharp, so were the "millenium ducks". I'll see if I can't find pictures of them somewhere

[PIMking]

Originally Posted by Drunk Skunk

The valentine jerseys we had quite a few years ago were really sharp, so were the "millenium ducks". I'll see if I can't find pictures of them somewhere

Last year they were going to wear Pink jerseys for valentines day and the players voted it down.

[Drunk Skunk]

Picture heavy post - this is a visual history of most, if not all, of the Quad City specialty jerseys. Some of them are hideous. I'll describe some of them

St. Patrick's Day jerseys from the first year of the Mallards, auctioned


Halloween jersey from the second season, given away in a free drawing(This was a promo jersey for a radio station)



"Throwback" jersey from the second season, auctioned


"Roman" jersey from the third season, auctioned



Valentine's Day "Broken Hearts" jersey from the fourth season, auctioned



"Millennium Mallards" jersey from the fifth season, auctioned(highest single auction jersey ever, Gary Gulash, $7,100)


"Disco Ducks" jersey from the sixth season, auctioned


(MORE TO COME)