1994 Bauer NHLPA Four-on-Four Challenge Authentic
#77 Paul Coffey
Manufacturer: Bauer
Size: 52
Purchased From: eBay
Lettered by: Unknown
The Story: One recurring theme for my collection is that I like to collect jerseys that not everyone has. You can always see hundreds of Lemieux, Crosby, or Malkin jerseys at every Penguins game. Here's one you'll be hard-pressed to find at the arena!
I've always wanted a Paul Coffey of-his-era Pens jersey. But given how rare any CCM Ultrafil jerseys from the early-1990's are, I've been unable to add one of those to the collection. Making matters worse, going the game-worn or team-issued route for a jersey worn or issued to a guy considered to be one of the top five defensemen in NHL history would not only be really, REALLY expensive, but his jerseys are really, really small. I've learned that his game-worn jerseys were size 48, which would be really small on me. But I kept looking, and kept looking, and kept looking. In early-2019, this one became available on eBay and I was able to work out a fair deal well below the seller's original asking price.
The 1994-95 NHL season was shortened to 48 games due to a lockout over a labor dispute. The players sought collective bargaining and the owners wanted a salary cap to help keep small market teams financially viable. The two sides came to an agreement in January and NHL play began on January 20, 1995. This jersey represents hockey that was played during that lockout. Some players went to European leagues on lockout-contingent contracts to earn a paycheck and stay in shape for the upcoming season while others stayed in North America waiting for the labor dispute to be resolved. During this period, the NHL Players Association put together a four-team tournament that was played from November 10-12, 1994, in Hamilton, Ontario. It was a fundraising tournament that brought in over a half-million dollars for Ronald McDonald Children's Charities of Canada and various minor hockey associations across North America. Many NHL stars played in this tournament, which featured four-on-four play on the ice. One of those stars was former Penguins great, Paul Coffey.
This authentic jersey is one of four jerseys worn in that tournament, as four teams were put together to play. All of the jerseys were the same, made with Ultrafil material just with different color schemes, and featured the NHLPA logo sublimated on the front with dual-layer tackle twill sleeve and back numbers and single-layer tackle twill letters spelling the players' names. There weren't many of these jerseys made, as they weren't mass-produced, but some unused blanks made it into the public. This is one of those jerseys.
Paul Coffey will always hold a place in this Penguins fan's heart, as he represents a change in the mentality of the team. While Mario Lemieux's arrival in 1984 signified the beginning of a new era for the Pens, their acquisition of Coffey, who, at 26 years old, already won three Stanley Cups, two Norris Trophies, and was the best blueliner in hockey, in a 1987 trade with Edmonton, it showed the hockey world they were serious about becoming winners. The Pens missed the playoffs by just one point that year - their sixth consecutive year finishing out of the postseason - but additional pieces, like goaltender Tom Barrasso, were soon brought in to augment the crop of up-and-coming young talent (John Cullen, Mark Recchi, and Kevin Stevens, to name a few) the Penguins had developed. This culminated in the Penguins winning their first Stanley Cup in 1991. Coffey, nicknamed "The Doctor" by Pens broadcaster Mike Lange because of his ability to slice up defenses like a surgeon, became only the second defenseman in NHL history to reach the 1000-point plateau in a record 770 games. In 1992, he surpassed Denis Potvin to become the NHL's all-time leader in goals, assists, and points by a defenseman. At the trade deadline in 1992, he was moved to Los Angeles in a deal that brought Rick Tocchet, Kjell Samuelsson, and Ken Wregget to Pittsburgh and launched the Pens to their second consecutive Stanley Cup. In 331 games over four and a half years in black and gold, Coffey scored 108 goals and 440 points - numbers that put a forward in the Hockey Hall of Fame. And he led his team by example with a quiet combination of class, experience, speed, and skill that all of his younger teammates, including Lemieux, followed. He was selected a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2004.
There's no question that, without Paul Coffey, the Penguins would not have won their first two Stanley Cups. And while the puzzle of getting to that level required many pieces, Coffey was one of the first and most important. I'm proud to finally add a Paul Coffey jersey to my collection, and I can't wait to see the looks I get and the conversations I have when I wear this jersey to the next Pens game!
Size: 52
Purchased From: eBay
Lettered by: Unknown
The Story: One recurring theme for my collection is that I like to collect jerseys that not everyone has. You can always see hundreds of Lemieux, Crosby, or Malkin jerseys at every Penguins game. Here's one you'll be hard-pressed to find at the arena!
I've always wanted a Paul Coffey of-his-era Pens jersey. But given how rare any CCM Ultrafil jerseys from the early-1990's are, I've been unable to add one of those to the collection. Making matters worse, going the game-worn or team-issued route for a jersey worn or issued to a guy considered to be one of the top five defensemen in NHL history would not only be really, REALLY expensive, but his jerseys are really, really small. I've learned that his game-worn jerseys were size 48, which would be really small on me. But I kept looking, and kept looking, and kept looking. In early-2019, this one became available on eBay and I was able to work out a fair deal well below the seller's original asking price.
The 1994-95 NHL season was shortened to 48 games due to a lockout over a labor dispute. The players sought collective bargaining and the owners wanted a salary cap to help keep small market teams financially viable. The two sides came to an agreement in January and NHL play began on January 20, 1995. This jersey represents hockey that was played during that lockout. Some players went to European leagues on lockout-contingent contracts to earn a paycheck and stay in shape for the upcoming season while others stayed in North America waiting for the labor dispute to be resolved. During this period, the NHL Players Association put together a four-team tournament that was played from November 10-12, 1994, in Hamilton, Ontario. It was a fundraising tournament that brought in over a half-million dollars for Ronald McDonald Children's Charities of Canada and various minor hockey associations across North America. Many NHL stars played in this tournament, which featured four-on-four play on the ice. One of those stars was former Penguins great, Paul Coffey.
This authentic jersey is one of four jerseys worn in that tournament, as four teams were put together to play. All of the jerseys were the same, made with Ultrafil material just with different color schemes, and featured the NHLPA logo sublimated on the front with dual-layer tackle twill sleeve and back numbers and single-layer tackle twill letters spelling the players' names. There weren't many of these jerseys made, as they weren't mass-produced, but some unused blanks made it into the public. This is one of those jerseys.
Paul Coffey will always hold a place in this Penguins fan's heart, as he represents a change in the mentality of the team. While Mario Lemieux's arrival in 1984 signified the beginning of a new era for the Pens, their acquisition of Coffey, who, at 26 years old, already won three Stanley Cups, two Norris Trophies, and was the best blueliner in hockey, in a 1987 trade with Edmonton, it showed the hockey world they were serious about becoming winners. The Pens missed the playoffs by just one point that year - their sixth consecutive year finishing out of the postseason - but additional pieces, like goaltender Tom Barrasso, were soon brought in to augment the crop of up-and-coming young talent (John Cullen, Mark Recchi, and Kevin Stevens, to name a few) the Penguins had developed. This culminated in the Penguins winning their first Stanley Cup in 1991. Coffey, nicknamed "The Doctor" by Pens broadcaster Mike Lange because of his ability to slice up defenses like a surgeon, became only the second defenseman in NHL history to reach the 1000-point plateau in a record 770 games. In 1992, he surpassed Denis Potvin to become the NHL's all-time leader in goals, assists, and points by a defenseman. At the trade deadline in 1992, he was moved to Los Angeles in a deal that brought Rick Tocchet, Kjell Samuelsson, and Ken Wregget to Pittsburgh and launched the Pens to their second consecutive Stanley Cup. In 331 games over four and a half years in black and gold, Coffey scored 108 goals and 440 points - numbers that put a forward in the Hockey Hall of Fame. And he led his team by example with a quiet combination of class, experience, speed, and skill that all of his younger teammates, including Lemieux, followed. He was selected a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2004.
There's no question that, without Paul Coffey, the Penguins would not have won their first two Stanley Cups. And while the puzzle of getting to that level required many pieces, Coffey was one of the first and most important. I'm proud to finally add a Paul Coffey jersey to my collection, and I can't wait to see the looks I get and the conversations I have when I wear this jersey to the next Pens game!