‘Jersey guy’ returns home
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/05/2010 (5749 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
If he wanted to, Dallas Hicks could wear a different hockey jersey every day of the year.
And he’d still have some to spare.
Hicks has a passion for hockey, history and collecting hockey jerseys, so the Brandon native was over the moon when he heard the MasterCard Memorial Cup was coming to his hometown.
"I absolutely love the (Canadian Hockey League) and its product," Hicks said. "So this is a real treat for me to enjoy all of the great hockey we have here."
Sporting a replica 1967 Wheat Kings jersey that he and his wife Lynnai spent more than a dozen hours researching and fine-tuning, Hicks stood among the more than two dozen jerseys he toted with him from Regina for the event.
"Some people say it has gone to an obsession and that it’s more than a hobby," Hicks said, laughing. "When you’re willing to redo your closet to accommodate them … I guess they’re right. We have a his-and-his closet."
Part of Hicks’ staggering collection includes signed Wheat Kings jerseys from players like Jordin Tootoo, Eric Fehr and Matt Calvert, a 2006 Canadian Olympic Team jersey and an Edmonton Oilers jersey he got draft-hopeful Windsor Spitfires star Taylor Hall to sign this week as well as a game-worn Ottawa Senators Wade Redden jersey.
Hicks admits he considers each of his jerseys prized possessions, but it’s the replica 1933 Native Sons and ’49 and ’67 Wheat Kings jerseys that he and his wife recreated from scratch that he’s the most proud to wear this weekend.
Hicks’ passion for collecting jerseys started after he bought his first celebratory jersey in honour of the Edmonton Oilers 1990 Stanley Cup win. Soon, he had eight or nine jerseys, and people started to recognize him as "the jersey guy."
His collection grew shortly after the "Without Fear: Hockey’s 50 Greatest Goaltenders" book was given to him and he decided to start fleshing out his collection by adding the various versions of each team jersey.
"I’ve always been a goalie guy, so the next thing I know I have 48 or 49 of the 50 jerseys," he said.
Hicks has made a name for himself as more than just "the jersey guy." Now an avid jersey designer, Hicks was hired by the Regina Pats to design the team’s limited edition jersey for its breast cancer awareness night last October and he’s currently working on a design for the Wheat Kings to consider as its third jersey option.
In total, Hicks says it’s hard to put a price on his entire collection. His "NHL crown jewel" jersey is a game-worn Toronto Maple Leafs Felix Potvin jersey with patches that honour Johnny Bower and Turk Broda on the shoulders. That jersey set him back $1,500.
"I probably shouldn’t go further than that," he said, smiling. "I have a very forgiving wife … I think I’ve got her to drink the Kool-Aid a bit, but I think I’ll have to cull the herd a bit soon."