When Peter Forsberg decided he wanted to play again with the Avalanche, I was reminded of a strange sight in sports. It always startles me when I see a player in a uniform that I don’t associate with him. It was odd when Peter Forsberg was playing with the Philadelphia Flyers, but it was really strange to see him in the mustard colored sweater of the Nashville Predators.
It got me thinking about players finishing their careers with different teams than they started with, and how surreal it looks seeing them in a different jersey. I don’t believe we will see too many players like Joe Sakic playing 20 seasons with one team anymore. Technically, that one team did begin as the Quebec Nordiques. Avalanche fans almost saw Joe wearing a New York Rangers sweater when the Blueshirts tried to sign him as a free agent in 1997.
When I look back over the years there have been some strange uniform transitions in sports. My all-time strangest in football would have to be Johnny Unitas finishing his career wearing a San Diego Chargers number 19. Close behind would be Joe Namath on the sidelines for the Los Angeles Rams and O. J. Simpson carrying the football for the San Fransisco 49ers.
I think anyone would admit that it just didn’t seem right to see Michael Jordan shooting baskets for the Washington Wizards. Maybe even stranger was Jordan wearing number 45 for the Birmingham Barons baseball team.
On the subject of baseball, did you know that Babe Ruth finished his career wearing the uniform of the Boston Braves? I know he started with the Red Sox, but he is just so connected to the Yankees it is the mental picture I have of him.
I don’t believe there is much debate as to the strangest sweater switch in hockey history. While you could make a case for Wayne Gretzky in a St. Louis Blues sweater or Gordie Howe in a Whaler sweater, I believe there is only one that is the most jarring. I am old enough to remember Bobby Orr skating for the Blackhawks. Orr’s number 4 belonged only on the back of a Boston Bruins sweater.
I was thrilled when the Avalanche traded for Patrick Roy, Theo Fleury and Ray Bourque. I have to guess that fans of the Canadiens, Flames and Bruins saw it differently and couldn’t believe what they were seeing when those players donned an Avalanche jersey.
The Avalanche-Red Wings rivalry continues to this day. The teams don’t like each other, so there are no trades between the two franchises. Every so often there is a free agent signing though. It hasn’t happened too often, but it still seems so wrong when it does happen. By my count, four players played first with Colorado and then played for Detroit. Those players are Anders Myrvold, Uwe Krupp, Brad May and Ruslan Salei. I have discovered three players who have done the opposite. They are Jim Cummins, Todd Gill and Kyle Quincey.
One of the toughest things I have ever done as a father was breaking the news to my son that his favorite player left the Avalanche for another team. Kian cried when I told him that Ian Laperriere was going to be a Philadelphia Flyer. It broke his heart.
Kian now has an Ian Laperriere Philadelphia Flyers jersey that he wears when he plays street hockey. That looks very strange to me.
