1986-87 Cooper Baltimore Home Game Worn
#8 Jeff Cornelius
Manufacturer: Cooper
Size: L
Purchased From: Facebook "Game Worn Jersey Collectors" Group
Lettered by: The Baltimore Skipjacks
The Story: I planned on writing the "story" for this jersey to be about the jersey itself, and it'll still largely remain that way, but in doing some research on it, I learned a little bit about the player, too!
So let's start there. Jeff Cornelius is likely a name you've never heard unless you're a hockey fan from Kingston, Ontario, which is not only Cornelius's home town, but it's also where he gained most of his hockey notoriety. He was a bruising defenseman who began his junior hockey career by playing five games for the Kingston Canadiens of the Ontario Hockey League in the 1982-83 season. He then spent the next two years with the OHL's Toronto Marlboros before returning to his hometown for two more years, where he was Kingston's captain, then finishing his junior career with New Westminster of the Western Hockey League. He was a big hitter, especially when his gloves came off! Drafted by the Boston Bruins in the third round of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft - exactly 60 spots behind Mario Lemieux - he was invited to training camps with Boston and New Jersey, but he couldn't make an NHL roster. He did play seven game of pro hockey, all with the American Hockey League's Baltimore Skipjacks, who were the Penguins top-level affiliate in 1986-87. Only a 21-year-old rookie for his cup of coffee in the AHL, he didn't register a point in his seven games, but he did manage 25 penalty minutes. No doubt, some - maybe even all - of those minutes were of the five-minute fighting major variety! He didn't last long with the Jacks and, with the writing on the wall, called it a career at age 21. His old stomping grounds of Kingston, however, is a place where hockey fans have long memories. Now called the Kingston Frontenacs, his old junior team recognized their former captain and his battle against cancer, inviting him to drop the puck for a ceremonial face-off at Hockey Fights Cancer Night on October 16, 2022 (pictured above). As of this writing, he's currently in remission and I wish him the very best in his battle.
Now, about the jersey. This Cooper mesh jersey comes from an era where hockey jerseys were hockey jerseys. They were made to withstand tons of punishment, and this one has held up well over the years. Everything from the screen printed Skipjacks logo to the double-layer heavy vinyl lettering is in remarkable shape for a jersey that's almost 40 years old, and were it not for a pretty sizable black mark on the back, it would be tough to tell this jersey was game worn. When turned inside-out, there's evidence of a nameplate being on the jersey, with some snags around the perimeter of where a nameplate would be. It was common back then for teams to recycle jerseys, especially when they were in near-pristine condition. Then there's the tie-down style fight strap, which was cut at the very bottom, requiring it to literally be tied into the player's pants to be functional. All in all, though Cornelius was never part of the Penguins organization, this jersey represents a long-forgotten era for the team. The Jacks were the Penguins AHL affiliate from 1982-1987, so this jersey would've been from Baltimore's last year in black and gold uniforms. And this Jacks team featured a number of players who would star for the big club in later years, including their captains, Phil Bourque and Chris Dahlquist, Alain Lemieux (the guy with the more famous younger brother), Troy Loney, Dwight Mathiasen, goaltenders Roberto Romano and Steve Guenette, and future Pens coach Michel Therrien.
PHOTOS COMING SOON
Size: L
Purchased From: Facebook "Game Worn Jersey Collectors" Group
Lettered by: The Baltimore Skipjacks
The Story: I planned on writing the "story" for this jersey to be about the jersey itself, and it'll still largely remain that way, but in doing some research on it, I learned a little bit about the player, too!
So let's start there. Jeff Cornelius is likely a name you've never heard unless you're a hockey fan from Kingston, Ontario, which is not only Cornelius's home town, but it's also where he gained most of his hockey notoriety. He was a bruising defenseman who began his junior hockey career by playing five games for the Kingston Canadiens of the Ontario Hockey League in the 1982-83 season. He then spent the next two years with the OHL's Toronto Marlboros before returning to his hometown for two more years, where he was Kingston's captain, then finishing his junior career with New Westminster of the Western Hockey League. He was a big hitter, especially when his gloves came off! Drafted by the Boston Bruins in the third round of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft - exactly 60 spots behind Mario Lemieux - he was invited to training camps with Boston and New Jersey, but he couldn't make an NHL roster. He did play seven game of pro hockey, all with the American Hockey League's Baltimore Skipjacks, who were the Penguins top-level affiliate in 1986-87. Only a 21-year-old rookie for his cup of coffee in the AHL, he didn't register a point in his seven games, but he did manage 25 penalty minutes. No doubt, some - maybe even all - of those minutes were of the five-minute fighting major variety! He didn't last long with the Jacks and, with the writing on the wall, called it a career at age 21. His old stomping grounds of Kingston, however, is a place where hockey fans have long memories. Now called the Kingston Frontenacs, his old junior team recognized their former captain and his battle against cancer, inviting him to drop the puck for a ceremonial face-off at Hockey Fights Cancer Night on October 16, 2022 (pictured above). As of this writing, he's currently in remission and I wish him the very best in his battle.
Now, about the jersey. This Cooper mesh jersey comes from an era where hockey jerseys were hockey jerseys. They were made to withstand tons of punishment, and this one has held up well over the years. Everything from the screen printed Skipjacks logo to the double-layer heavy vinyl lettering is in remarkable shape for a jersey that's almost 40 years old, and were it not for a pretty sizable black mark on the back, it would be tough to tell this jersey was game worn. When turned inside-out, there's evidence of a nameplate being on the jersey, with some snags around the perimeter of where a nameplate would be. It was common back then for teams to recycle jerseys, especially when they were in near-pristine condition. Then there's the tie-down style fight strap, which was cut at the very bottom, requiring it to literally be tied into the player's pants to be functional. All in all, though Cornelius was never part of the Penguins organization, this jersey represents a long-forgotten era for the team. The Jacks were the Penguins AHL affiliate from 1982-1987, so this jersey would've been from Baltimore's last year in black and gold uniforms. And this Jacks team featured a number of players who would star for the big club in later years, including their captains, Phil Bourque and Chris Dahlquist, Alain Lemieux (the guy with the more famous younger brother), Troy Loney, Dwight Mathiasen, goaltenders Roberto Romano and Steve Guenette, and future Pens coach Michel Therrien.
PHOTOS COMING SOON