1999 CCM NHL All-Star Home Authentic
#82 Martin Straka with 1999 All-Star Game and Czech Republic Flag Patches
Manufacturer: CCM
Size: 54
Purchased From: Facebook "NOT Game Worn Hockey Jersey Collectors" Group
Lettered by: Unknown
The Story: Much of the Penguins history focuses on their championship teams of the "Lemieux era" in 1991 and 1992 and the "Crosby era" that included Stanley Cup wins in 2009, 2016, and 2017. Many of the players from those teams have gone down in Penguins team lore, but Pittsburgh iced a number of strong teams in the years outside of "eras" that included a number of unsung heroes that a lot of Penguin fans seem to forget when reminiscing about the Penguins teams of years past.
Martin Straka is one of those unsung heroes. The Pens' first pick in the 1992 Entry Draft (19th overall), Straka played in Pittsburgh for the first two and a half years of his NHL career before being traded to Ottawa as the Penguins sought to add some toughness to their roster and Straka, a small (only 5' 9") but speedy center didn't fit that mold. After bouncing around the NHL for the next couple of years with stops in New York (with the Islanders) and Florida, he came back to Pittsburgh as a free agent in the summer of 1997 and he hit his stride. What Marty lacked in size he made up for in heart and effort, and he became the Penguins top-line center and alternate captain for the next six and a half years. Centering a line with Jaromir Jagr or Alexei Kovalev on his right side and Robert Lang and even Mario Lemieux on his left wing, he rarely was the best player on his line, and it's easy to be overshadowed by players of that caliber. In 1999, however, Marty received his just due, being named to the NHL World All-Star team - his only All-Star Game appearance.
Straka went on to have his best season with the Pens, at least in terms of scoring, in 2000-01 with 95 points in 82 games. Over his NHL career, he scored 257 goals and 717 points (165 and 442 with Pittsburgh), but he became known for clutch playoff performances. Though he was primarily a playmaker, goals in Game 6 and Game 7 of the 1999 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the New Jersey Devils played a key role in the team's ability to remain financially solvent. His series clincher in the 2001 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Washington Capitals and his Game 6 OT game-winner against Buffalo in the very next series were also huge, but every one of these accomplishments seems to have been overshadowed. The 1999 series against the Devils is more known for Jagr's playing through injuries to lead the team to victory, and everyone remembers the 2001 Game 7 overtime winner by Darius Kasparaitis against the Sabres. But there's no doubt that Straka was an integral cog in the machine for those Penguins teams, and it's always been my belief that his being on such offensively-skilled teams led to his being underrated in the prime of his career.
I remember being really happy when I found out Marty had been selected to his first All-Star game back in 1999, and I've always wanted this jersey. As time went on, I relegated this jersey to the "I'd love to have it, but I'll never have the chance to own it" list. In April of 2020, I saw this one listed on Facebook and I contacted the seller, a really nice guy who was located in Germany. After a quick online chat, we had everything taken care of and I even learned that he had been following my collection on this website from half-way around the world! As I've mentioned on other pages, I have a love/hate relationship with All-Star jerseys. I think some of them are true works of art while I believe others were cobbled together quickly without much forethought at all. I have to say that, outside of the classic late-80's/early-90's white and black editions trimmed in orange, these are my favorites. These jerseys debuted in the 1998 All-Star Game when the NHL adopted a North America versus The World format and were only used for the 1998 and 1999 ASG's, before the NHL decided to get ugly with the uniforms in 2000. The patchwork is fantastic on these jerseys, as the NHL kept with tradition in having game and team logo patches on the shoulders while adding each player's home country's flag to the right breast. Add to that a simple, but colorful starburst design that featured the NHL's change to a silver shield logo as a nod to the Stanley Cup, and this one's an absolute beauty! And, as illustrated by many of the other jerseys in my collection, I've always been a fan of the hard-working unsung heroes of the team, so I'm thrilled to add this one to my collection!
Size: 54
Purchased From: Facebook "NOT Game Worn Hockey Jersey Collectors" Group
Lettered by: Unknown
The Story: Much of the Penguins history focuses on their championship teams of the "Lemieux era" in 1991 and 1992 and the "Crosby era" that included Stanley Cup wins in 2009, 2016, and 2017. Many of the players from those teams have gone down in Penguins team lore, but Pittsburgh iced a number of strong teams in the years outside of "eras" that included a number of unsung heroes that a lot of Penguin fans seem to forget when reminiscing about the Penguins teams of years past.
Martin Straka is one of those unsung heroes. The Pens' first pick in the 1992 Entry Draft (19th overall), Straka played in Pittsburgh for the first two and a half years of his NHL career before being traded to Ottawa as the Penguins sought to add some toughness to their roster and Straka, a small (only 5' 9") but speedy center didn't fit that mold. After bouncing around the NHL for the next couple of years with stops in New York (with the Islanders) and Florida, he came back to Pittsburgh as a free agent in the summer of 1997 and he hit his stride. What Marty lacked in size he made up for in heart and effort, and he became the Penguins top-line center and alternate captain for the next six and a half years. Centering a line with Jaromir Jagr or Alexei Kovalev on his right side and Robert Lang and even Mario Lemieux on his left wing, he rarely was the best player on his line, and it's easy to be overshadowed by players of that caliber. In 1999, however, Marty received his just due, being named to the NHL World All-Star team - his only All-Star Game appearance.
Straka went on to have his best season with the Pens, at least in terms of scoring, in 2000-01 with 95 points in 82 games. Over his NHL career, he scored 257 goals and 717 points (165 and 442 with Pittsburgh), but he became known for clutch playoff performances. Though he was primarily a playmaker, goals in Game 6 and Game 7 of the 1999 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the New Jersey Devils played a key role in the team's ability to remain financially solvent. His series clincher in the 2001 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Washington Capitals and his Game 6 OT game-winner against Buffalo in the very next series were also huge, but every one of these accomplishments seems to have been overshadowed. The 1999 series against the Devils is more known for Jagr's playing through injuries to lead the team to victory, and everyone remembers the 2001 Game 7 overtime winner by Darius Kasparaitis against the Sabres. But there's no doubt that Straka was an integral cog in the machine for those Penguins teams, and it's always been my belief that his being on such offensively-skilled teams led to his being underrated in the prime of his career.
I remember being really happy when I found out Marty had been selected to his first All-Star game back in 1999, and I've always wanted this jersey. As time went on, I relegated this jersey to the "I'd love to have it, but I'll never have the chance to own it" list. In April of 2020, I saw this one listed on Facebook and I contacted the seller, a really nice guy who was located in Germany. After a quick online chat, we had everything taken care of and I even learned that he had been following my collection on this website from half-way around the world! As I've mentioned on other pages, I have a love/hate relationship with All-Star jerseys. I think some of them are true works of art while I believe others were cobbled together quickly without much forethought at all. I have to say that, outside of the classic late-80's/early-90's white and black editions trimmed in orange, these are my favorites. These jerseys debuted in the 1998 All-Star Game when the NHL adopted a North America versus The World format and were only used for the 1998 and 1999 ASG's, before the NHL decided to get ugly with the uniforms in 2000. The patchwork is fantastic on these jerseys, as the NHL kept with tradition in having game and team logo patches on the shoulders while adding each player's home country's flag to the right breast. Add to that a simple, but colorful starburst design that featured the NHL's change to a silver shield logo as a nod to the Stanley Cup, and this one's an absolute beauty! And, as illustrated by many of the other jerseys in my collection, I've always been a fan of the hard-working unsung heroes of the team, so I'm thrilled to add this one to my collection!