Top 10 Jersey Fouls of 2014 (Puck Daddy Year in Review)
(Puck Daddy presents its annual look back at the year in hockey. Check back every day through the New Year for our many lists and hot takes.)
We are often amazed by the creativity of puckheads when it comes to artistic expression of their favorite sport.
As always, Jersey Fouls is our ongoing exploration of the rules and etiquette for proper hockey jersey creation and exhibition. If you spot what you think may be a foul in your arena, email a photo to us at [email protected] for inclusion in future installment.
Here are just some of the many Jersey Fouls that came across our desk this season. Thank you to all those who sent in pictures. Keep policing the arenas, fans!
10. As they say, the family that Fouls together stays together …
This J-Foul from Xar Jhantial is a first for us: The Full Family Foul, in which everyone is not only in personalized sweaters but the personalization is personalized. Wowzer!
From Xar:
“This lovely family of Chicago fans was seen at a Las Vegas Wranglers (ECHL) home game in late December. Not pictured is the “C” that #2 proudly wears upon his breast.”
Of course, the essential thing that has to happen is for the family to sit in the proper order. As it stands, the person on the end is getting milk at a hockey game, and she looks older than six.
By far, one of our most heartwarming Fouls and accurate too: “Duncan Keith” is actually Canadian for “Beer Me.”
9. From the fires of Mordor, an Oliver Ekman-Larsson Frankenjersey army emerged!
Um … what?
Er … whhaaaaaaat?
Via Cameron and Laura come this Oliver Ekman-Larsson Frankenjersey Army, combining his Phoenix Coyotes sweater with this Team Sweden sweater. Which is odd, because he only gets ice time while wearing one of them.
8. Miss, put down and step away from the Bedazzler.
Yes, it’s a bedazzled Colorado Avalanche Gabriel Landeskog jersey, via Ryan Boudling.
This was taken moments before Patrick Roy ripped off all the diamonds, stuffed them in his ears and told Jeremy Roenick he still couldn’t hear him…
We’ve heard there’s someone at the arena that designs these, and let’s face it, they’re well done. In fact, is it even a Foul to bling-out your sweater’s name, number and logo? To make your team’s star literally shine?
We see no reason why this shouldn’t be the official uniform of the Avalanche next season. MacKinnon and Duchene alone are flashy enough to warrant them.
Via Mike In Philly, this Foul is notable because he snapped it at Wells Fargo Center on Black Friday, and because it’s perhaps the greatest example of Flyers self-loathing outside of cheering mediocre goalies for making a pedestrian save after giving up three goals.
We’ve had many clever Fouls. This one is next level. From Seth Dean:
Nameplate: “Canadian.” Number: Upside-down 34 to make “Eh”
Brilliant, ya know?
5. Protest jersey or too cheap to buy a new one?
Reader Brian Lachance brings us this Montreal Canadiens Protest Jersey:
My sister went to the Habs game against the Islanders and saw this. She stopped to ask him what the story was and to take a pic. It was originally a Cammalleri jersey which morphed into an Eller jersey. The fan proudly took the picture. Points for creativity?
This is one of the most creative re-purposings of an old sweater we’ve seen, so yes, points for creativity. But we also imagine the time and energy put into creating it could have also been spent working some overtime to earn extra dough to, you know, buy a stinkin’ Lars Eller jersey.
(Author’s note: the dude has devil horns?)
This Foul comes from reader David and that glorious epicenter of Fouls known as the Washington Capitals fan base.
It’s pretty self explanatory: His head is painted red, so he’s the MAN IN RED and ironically the woman he’s with is also named RED and …
… hold on …
… wait a second …
GROSS.
3. Next level advertising at MSG.
It was a typical scene during the national anthem at Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The crowd in a frenzy. John Amirante bellowing each line. And a man in a snack food jersey seated along the glass.
Ian Mendes wondered if it was a new low in stealth marketing. The dude wearing it admits it’s gloriously shameless.
Aldo Zuppichini is the owner of Party‘tizers, which makes the Dippin Chips jerseys seen here:
He’s been a New York Rangers season ticket holder for 30 years, and began wearing his set of three jerseys – for each flavor! – to the games last season.
Each time his sweater (short-sleeved as it is) appears on television during the anthem, he said he’s inundated with tweets and texts. Which makes sense, because usually one expects to see a bunch of chips and salsa on the chest of a hockey fan after the third beer.
Zuppichini said he hasn’t given one of his jerseys to a Rangers player yet. We suggested trying to convince them it was for a minor league affiliate in Idaho.
2. Ilya Kovalchuk and toilet positioning.
An Ilya Kovalchuk jersey from earlier this season. From Luke:
“A little dark but it says ‘sits when he pees.’”
So he doesn’t like splash-back on the front of his khakis! This is a sin?!
(Also: Why can’t Devils fans make it easier to defend Devils fans?)
1. Los Angeles defenseman Jeff ‘Shcultz’ at HockeyFest.
The person in charge of stitching the nameplates on the back of the players jerseys for Kings’ pre-season fan event HockeyFest must still be lit up on the champagne from the Cup celebration. That is the real Jeff SCHultz wearing the misspelled jersey. (S/T Steven Gross)
We gave you one job, nameplate guy…
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Jen Neale is a staff writer for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter!
