2016-17 Reebok Alternate Team Issued
#58 Kris Letang
Manufacturer: Reebok
Size: 56
Purchased From: eBay
Lettered by: Pro Knitwear
The Story: Well, the first thing you might notice is that in the collage above, there are no pictures of Kris Letang wearing this jersey. The reason for that is simple: he never wore this jersey on the ice.
The Penguins unveiled their gold jerseys - the first time they've worn a predominantly gold jersey since 1984 - in early-February, 2017. The jersey would be worn for their Stadium Series matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers, to be held February 25 at Heinz Field. "Tanger" had been playing through some pain throughout the 2016-17 season, but after the Pens' February 21 game, an MRI revealed a herniated disc in his neck. He tried to rehab the injury in the hopes he could return in time for the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but after his recovery had plateaued, a second MRI determined that surgery was necessary. The delicate operation would put Letang back on the ice, hopefully, by the 2017-18 preseason, but he would miss the remainder of the 2016-17 season and playoffs.
To my knowledge, exactly four of this style jersey were issued by the Penguins for Letang. Three of them would be worn in the Stadium Series game itself, as players would change jerseys between each period. These jerseys included a Stadium Series patch on the right sleeve and special tagging inside the jersey specific to the Stadium Series. A fourth jersey was prepared for two games in which the Pens would wear these jerseys. It wouldn't include the Stadium Series patch, but would include both standard "game jersey" tagging and a second internal tag commemorating those two games. This is that fourth jersey, and it is a true one-of-a-kind!
A longtime friend and fellow jersey collector tipped me off to an eBay listing for this jersey. When I first saw it, I liked the jersey, but figured it would be way out of my price range, but I kept an eye on the listing anyway. As the days counted down to hours, I couldn't believe the bidding price, so I began looking more deeply into it. The listing photos made me a bit skeptical of this one (you have to be careful on eBay), so I called Joe Tomon of J & J Distributing, the team's game-worn distributor, and asked him to confirm if this was a jersey that did, indeed, pass through his hands. It's good to build relationships in this hobby, and within an hour, Joe was kind enough to confirm that this was a legit jersey from the Penguins, even confirming the serial number on the "game jersey" tag. As the hours counted to minutes, I formulated my bidding strategy and decided to take a shot at it. I ended up winning the auction at a price about one-third that of J & J's original selling price!
I absolutely love this jersey! First, it's one of my all-time favorite styles of Penguins jerseys. The huge keystone-shaped "City of Champions" patch on the left sleeve served as a big smack to the cross-state rival Flyers, and with the Stadium Series games being played at the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the stencil-like lettering resembling that of the Steelers logo was a really nice touch and a nod to the most successful team in Super Bowl history. The detail in that lettering is like nothing I've seen before, as the individual pieces of the black stenciled letters are cut and sewn onto a yellow full letter to achieve the look. An astute Pens fan will notice that Letang's jersey is usually tucked into the back of his pants when on the ice. This is a result of the alteration done to shorten the jersey length, removing the "tails" in both the front and the back, giving the jersey the look of the pre-Edge CCM- and Koho-style jerseys. The only thing I don't like about this jersey is the crest, with the Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle removed from the standard Penguins logo, but I can live with that, especially when considering the player. Kris Letang is one of my favorites. He'll go down as one of the Penguins' all-time best defensemen, and I wouldn't be surprised if he won the Norris Trophy before his career is over. More importantly, he's always been kind to my daughter, signing autographs and posing for pictures with her during Training Camps over the years.
I've said numerous times on this site that my goals for collecting jerseys are to own jerseys that are unique, representing players that I really respect, for a really good price. This one checks all those boxes, so I was ecstatic to add this one to the collection just in time for Christmas, 2018! After changing hands a couple of times, I'm proud to give it a home where it will remain for a good, long time, with special thanks to Jason Barr and Joe Tomon for their help in making this addition a reality!
Size: 56
Purchased From: eBay
Lettered by: Pro Knitwear
The Story: Well, the first thing you might notice is that in the collage above, there are no pictures of Kris Letang wearing this jersey. The reason for that is simple: he never wore this jersey on the ice.
The Penguins unveiled their gold jerseys - the first time they've worn a predominantly gold jersey since 1984 - in early-February, 2017. The jersey would be worn for their Stadium Series matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers, to be held February 25 at Heinz Field. "Tanger" had been playing through some pain throughout the 2016-17 season, but after the Pens' February 21 game, an MRI revealed a herniated disc in his neck. He tried to rehab the injury in the hopes he could return in time for the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but after his recovery had plateaued, a second MRI determined that surgery was necessary. The delicate operation would put Letang back on the ice, hopefully, by the 2017-18 preseason, but he would miss the remainder of the 2016-17 season and playoffs.
To my knowledge, exactly four of this style jersey were issued by the Penguins for Letang. Three of them would be worn in the Stadium Series game itself, as players would change jerseys between each period. These jerseys included a Stadium Series patch on the right sleeve and special tagging inside the jersey specific to the Stadium Series. A fourth jersey was prepared for two games in which the Pens would wear these jerseys. It wouldn't include the Stadium Series patch, but would include both standard "game jersey" tagging and a second internal tag commemorating those two games. This is that fourth jersey, and it is a true one-of-a-kind!
A longtime friend and fellow jersey collector tipped me off to an eBay listing for this jersey. When I first saw it, I liked the jersey, but figured it would be way out of my price range, but I kept an eye on the listing anyway. As the days counted down to hours, I couldn't believe the bidding price, so I began looking more deeply into it. The listing photos made me a bit skeptical of this one (you have to be careful on eBay), so I called Joe Tomon of J & J Distributing, the team's game-worn distributor, and asked him to confirm if this was a jersey that did, indeed, pass through his hands. It's good to build relationships in this hobby, and within an hour, Joe was kind enough to confirm that this was a legit jersey from the Penguins, even confirming the serial number on the "game jersey" tag. As the hours counted to minutes, I formulated my bidding strategy and decided to take a shot at it. I ended up winning the auction at a price about one-third that of J & J's original selling price!
I absolutely love this jersey! First, it's one of my all-time favorite styles of Penguins jerseys. The huge keystone-shaped "City of Champions" patch on the left sleeve served as a big smack to the cross-state rival Flyers, and with the Stadium Series games being played at the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the stencil-like lettering resembling that of the Steelers logo was a really nice touch and a nod to the most successful team in Super Bowl history. The detail in that lettering is like nothing I've seen before, as the individual pieces of the black stenciled letters are cut and sewn onto a yellow full letter to achieve the look. An astute Pens fan will notice that Letang's jersey is usually tucked into the back of his pants when on the ice. This is a result of the alteration done to shorten the jersey length, removing the "tails" in both the front and the back, giving the jersey the look of the pre-Edge CCM- and Koho-style jerseys. The only thing I don't like about this jersey is the crest, with the Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle removed from the standard Penguins logo, but I can live with that, especially when considering the player. Kris Letang is one of my favorites. He'll go down as one of the Penguins' all-time best defensemen, and I wouldn't be surprised if he won the Norris Trophy before his career is over. More importantly, he's always been kind to my daughter, signing autographs and posing for pictures with her during Training Camps over the years.
I've said numerous times on this site that my goals for collecting jerseys are to own jerseys that are unique, representing players that I really respect, for a really good price. This one checks all those boxes, so I was ecstatic to add this one to the collection just in time for Christmas, 2018! After changing hands a couple of times, I'm proud to give it a home where it will remain for a good, long time, with special thanks to Jason Barr and Joe Tomon for their help in making this addition a reality!