Category: Sports wear (Page 2 of 4)

Margaritaville Meets ECHL Hockey To Interesting Results

16 March, 2011 / Kat

My favorite ECHL team, the Gwinnett Gladiators (because of their plethora of college hockey players with Hockey East ties last year), posted their “Tribute to Maragaritaville” jerseys on their Facebook page Tuesday night. They will be wearing them while hosting the Florida Everblades during a 3 game series this weekend. This is also the team’s annual “Pink in the Rink” weekend, where their ice is painted pink for Breast Cancer Awareness.

The Gladiators' Margaritaville Jersey (via the team's Facebook page)

This yellow, teal and brown/burgundy on pink ice is going to be a tad on the color blind side. It’s for a good cause, so we will put this unfortunate color match-up aside. Also, is this the first ever pro hockey jersey to include a parrot?

From the Gwinnett Gladiators website:

“Wasting away again in Margaritaville or do you just wish that you were? Don’t miss this Gladiators special weekend as the team helps raise money and awareness for cancer research and local children’s charities. This year’s theme is Parrot Head inspired as we plan to dip our toes in the sands of good hockey and good fun during the 4th Annual Pink in the Rink Weekend at the Arena at Gwinnett Center.”

Irish Shirts Are Smiling: The Bruins Go Down To Southie

7 March, 2011 / Kat

St. Patrick’s Day is so celebrated in Boston that my church – an historic Orthodox cathedral over a century old – shuts down during the St. Patrick’s Day parade on the Sunday surrounding the Irish holiday. Yes, there is no service on a Sunday because the Irish and wanna-be Irish line South Broadway to get inebriated and celebrate the start of spring and the land of Ireland. And our church, full of Albanians, Greeks and Russians, says, “You know what? Go do that, totally fine, we’re just going to stay home and pray inside.”

It floored me the first time I heard about it. Only in Boston would churches decide not to have Sunday service in deference to…well, a religious celebration that has turned very un-religious.

That tale told, it should not be surprising that the Boston Bruins have a large collection of St. Patrick’s Day related wear. Both the NHL Shop (with 28 items) and Faceoff Fanatics (with 13 items) have been advertising their St. Patrick’s Day Bruins wares in a hope that some of their gear will make it down to South Broadway for the parade – and it’s more than just shirts.

Faceoff Fanatics' Boston Bruins PJ pants for St. Patrick's Day

Faceoff Fanatics are now featuring pajama pants with Irish style and Bruins love. Perfect for that parade morning brunch on your overpriced Southie apartment’s porch – if the weather allows for it.

The Old Time Hockey Colleen St. Patrick's Day Bruins shirt.

Old Time Hockey's Colleen St. Patrick's Day Bruins shirt (shop.nhl.com)

In one of my favorite St. Patrick’s Day offerings so far, NHL Shop offers the Old Time Hockey V-Neck women’s “Colleen” shirt. Trying to marry a traditional Irish design with a more identifiable shamrock and a nice, not corny, script font, this shirt seems more flattering than most women’s offerings of late. (It is also available for other teams.)

Irish Shirts Are Smiling: The Buffalo Bills’ St. Patrick’s Day T-Shirts

18 February, 2011 / Kat

Welcome to the start of year another ongoing series that I’ll attempt to get me to pay attention to my own blog more. I’m calling this one Irish Shirts Are Smiling, and it’ll be a spinoff of last year’s ever-so-popular, “Who Cares If Your Team’s Colors Aren’t Green,” which was a look at three examples of St. Patrick’s Day 2010 hockey t-shirts. This year, I’m starting earlier and I’m going to open it up to all sports, not just hockey. And I swear, I’m going to keep up with this series because St. Patrick’s Day is my mother’s, who is half Irish, favorite holiday. So here’s a blog series for you, Mom, since I can’t come home and have corned beef with you.

Given that this series is devoted to my mom, one of the most devoted Buffalo Bills fans I know, I figured I would begin with a look at the Bills’ St. Patrick’s Day offerings, first advertised Thursday via email.

Buffalo Bills 2011 St. Patrick's Day Shirt

The men's "Celtic Buffalo" shirt for 2011. Available for $25.

Perfect for spending March 17th sipping a Labatt Blue or Genny Cream Ale and enjoying a beef on weck, this hunter green shirt hits you over the head with shamrocks. It’s pretty clear cut – you’re a Bills fan and you’re Irish, or at least want to be. This shirt is just eh. I think it could sell, especially among die-hards, and it’s not horrible looking. But unlike most Bills wear, it’s not tugging at my heart strings, making me want to buy it before the team no longer exists.

Five Questions With…Matt Johnson of TwoEightNine

22 March, 2010 / Kat

twoeightnine's "Franchise Quarterbacks - Buffalo Bills" shirt. (Photo: TwoEIghtNine)

Featured several times on Yahoo Sports’ Puck Daddy (the pantheon of hockey blogs, if you will), twoeightnine Design’s t-shirts have become a hot commodity for hockey fans all over. With shirts featuring those always present allegations of diving towards Sidney Crosby, and an Shepard Fairey-esque salute to the single man who turned around Washington (hockey, that is), the online shirt shop struck a chord with fans that wanted witty and intelligent fan t-shirts.

Of course, once I found out Matt Johnson, the founder of twoeightnine, was running his business out of Western New York, and that he features the following “Franchise Quarterbacks – Buffalo Bills” shirt in his store, I had to feature him on the blog. Besides talking t-shirts, I of course had to ask Matt’s thoughts on the always depressing state of the Buffalo Bills. Continue reading

Why I Can’t Help but Root for Minnesota-Duluth

18 March, 2010 / Kat

Tonight, the WCHA will kick off the Final Five with a play-in game between #11 University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs and #5 University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux (or whatever they may be called these days.) The winner of Thursday night’s game will take on Denver University, the #1 team in the nation, on Friday – a game that frankily will be a hundred times better than either Hockey East matchup this weekend. (Take away my East Coast college hockey card, go ahead.)

University of Minnesota-Duluth features sophomore forward Jack Connolly, the little brother (despite being the same class year) of Boston University sophomore forward Chris Connolly. Chris is a sturdy little forward for the Terriers, currently second in the team in scoring with 10 goals and 21 assists, despite being thrown in seventy-five different line combinations this season. Jack is a powerhouse for the Bulldogs, leading the team in scoring with 18 goals and 31 assists. Jack is 7th in the nation in scoring, and his impact on the Bulldogs has been immense.

The Connolly’s have caused many BU fans to become slight UMD fans (although still many more pledge their WCHA allegiance to North Dakota), and many UMD fans to become slight BU fans (although many WCHA fans find East Coast college hockey grossly inferior). But what sealed the deal on my slight UMD fandom was the following shirt:

The one. The only. UMD Hjelle T-shirt.

The Bulldogs have a sophomore goaltender named Brady Hjelle, who played lights out last year, and found himself in a goalie rotation with junior Kenny Reiter this season. Reiter started last weekend’s quarterfinals against Colorado College, and will most likely start tonight’s game against North Dakota. Hjelle’s play last season – leading them from a seventh seed in the WCHA playoffs to the NCAA Regionals – spurred on this fan shirt, sold on the UMD fan blog Running With the Dogs.

For those of you not familiar with the reference, the shirt is based off the popular 2008 YouTube sensation, “It’s Peanut Butter Jelly Time.”

What can I say – I’m a sucker for a funny and punny fan shirt, and the Peanut Butter Hjelle shirt is one of my faves this year. Between this and Jack Connolly’s dominance, I have to root for UMD tonight over North Dakota.