A
hockey jersey, traditionally called a
sweater (due to it originally being made from
sweaterA sweater, jumper, pullover, sweatshirt, jersey or guernsey is a garment intended to cover the torso and arms. It is often worn over a shirt, blouse, T-shirt, or other top, but may also be worn alone as a top...
material, such as wool), is a piece of
clothingClothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...
worn by
hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
players to cover the upper part of their bodies. "Sweater" is the correct reference in Canada, despite the material. "Jersey" is the word most often used to describe this item in the United States.
Design
Hockey sweaters today are typically made of tough synthetic materials like
polyesterPolyester is a category of polymers which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. Although there are many polyesters, the term "polyester" as a specific material most commonly refers to polyethylene terephthalate...
, to help take away moisture and keep the wearer dry. In accordance with the teams colors and matching the
socksHockey socks are ankle-to-thigh garments worn over protective gear by ice hockey players. They are form-fitting, traditionally made of a cotton or synthetic rib-knit fabric. Experiments have been made with a lightweight fabric "sock," of material similar to that used in hockey jerseys, and most...
, they are usually emblazoned with the
teamA team comprises a group of people or animals linked in a common purpose. Teams are especially appropriate for conducting tasks that are high in complexity and have many interdependent subtasks.A group in itself does not necessarily constitute a team...
's
logoA logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
on the front, the player's
last name"Last Name" is the title of a song composed by country singer Carrie Underwood, Hillary Lindsey and Luke Laird. It is the third single from Underwood's second studio album, Carnival Ride. It was released in the United States on April 7, 2008, by which point the song had already charted...
on the upper back (with the first initial in cases of
teammatesA team sport includes any sport which involves players working together towards a shared objective. A team sport is an activity in which a group of individuals, on the same team, work together to accomplish an ultimate goal which is usually to win. This can be done in a number of ways such as...
with the same family name, such as
HenrikHenrik Sedin is a Swedish professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League . His identical twin brother Daniel also plays for the Canucks. Having played together throughout their careers, the pair are known for their effectiveness playing off one...
and
Daniel SedinDaniel Sedin is a Swedish professional ice hockey winger with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League , and serves as an alternate captain for the Canucks during home games. His identical twin brother Henrik also plays for the Canucks, and is the team captain...
, teammates with the
Vancouver CanucksThe Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
), and a designated number below, from
1 to
9999 is the natural number following 98 and preceding 100.-Mathematics:99 is the ninth repdigit, a palindromic number and a Kaprekar number...
(in the
NHLThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
,
9898 is the natural number following 97 and preceding 99.-In astronomy:* Messier 98, a magnitude 11.0 spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices....
is the highest number allowed, subsequent to the league retirement of number 99 to honor
Wayne GretzkyWayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...
).
A team captain wears an uppercase "C" above and to the right of the team logo on their sweater (although a few NHL teams have the uppercase letter above and to the left of the team logo). Two other players, designated alternate captains, wear an uppercase "A" on theirs. Jerseys worn in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an leagues and tournaments are adorned with ads, a concept borrowed from
footballAssociation football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
jerseys. NHL teams sell replica sweaters of their famous players at their stadia, as well as through sports memorabilia stores.
Fashion item
The cultural impact of the hockey sweater in
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
is encapsulated by the short story
The Hockey Sweater"The Hockey Sweater" is a short story published in 1979 by Canadian author Roch Carrier....
by
Roch CarrierRoch Carrier, OC is a Canadian novelist and author of "contes" . He is among the best known Quebec writers in English Canada....
. In it, a young hockey
fanA Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
asks his mother to order a
Montreal CanadiensThe Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
sweater from an Eatons
department storeA department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
catalogueMail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
, but instead accidentally receives a sweater for the team's arch-rival, the
Toronto Maple LeafsThe Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, much to his embarrassment and the derision from his friends. The story was later made into a short animated film of the same name, which was produced by the
National Film Board of CanadaThe National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
; a quote from it appears on the
Canadian five-dollar billThe Canadian five-dollar bill is currently the lowest denomination banknote issued by the Bank of Canada.The current five-Canadian dollar bill is dominantly blue in colour. The front features a portrait of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the coat of arms, and a picture of the West Block of the Parliament...
www.nfljerseyssite.name See animated film "The Hockey Sweater"at the National Film Board of Canada's website.
External links