Where have all the Goon-Times Gone?

Cue-up the Van Halen, and put on your favorite old-time hockey fights DVD, it’s time to talk goons! Is it just me, or are present-day NHL enforcers just watered down, knockoff versions of the real deal…??? Think back to the 1990’s when fights and outright bench-clearing brawls were commonplace in the NHL. That environment virtually made mandatory the signing of at least one enforcer (or as I like to call them, goons) on each team. Imagine for a minute the physical punishment that would have been endured by snipers like Yzerman and Fedorov without big Bob Probert around. What kind of real success would Brett Hull have had with St. Louis without Tony Twist watching his back? Would Jeremy Roenick have been able to enjoy the success he had in helping the Blackhawks get to the Stanley Cup Finals without Stu Grimson patrolling the ice? In those scenarios, messing with one of the star players would certainly mean risking your health, and ending up spitting out a mouthful of Chiclets would be the least of your worries. Remember when Tony Twist crushed Rob Ray’s eye socket…??? Ah yes, those were the good old days…

     When I watch the enforcers of today, they just don’t seem (in my opinion) to have that same presence about them that the goons of the 1990’s had. Fights occur far less often in today’s NHL than in the 1990’s, and when they do, with rare exception, there is more dancing and wrestling than the throwing of haymaker bombs. That has to make Marty McSorley and the enforcers of his day embarrassed for this new breed of wannabe enforcers. At least when Chris Nilan and other true enforcers of 1980’s handed over the reins to the next generation, they had to have taken heart in knowing there was a more than capable crew waiting in the wings to carry on the role. I dread the thought of what “enforcers” will be like in another 10 or 15 years… Will they be reduced to using harsh language and face washing against one another…??? I hope not…

     While the role of the enforcer is clearly not what it once was, there are still those of us who will always be huge fans of the old school goons. I practice what I preach. Everything hockey that I associate myself with is connected in some way to old-time goon hockey. I loved the role of the old-time enforcer, and will always do my best to keep those memories alive. My Twitter ID is Goon24, my NHL jersey sales (Goon-Gear Rare and Vintage NHL Hockey Jerseys), for which I am the sole proprietor (specializing in goons to a large extent), is http://webstore.com/~goongear and my hockey jersey blog is http://goon-gear.blogspot.com/ are you seeing the theme here? As long as I am able to draw breath, I will always be a fan of the old-school NHL enforcer culture. Hopefully, some of the old-school will begin to rub off on to the new-school… NOW, DROP THE GLOVES!!!  

The Jersey Jihad Continues! / Devils CHOKE!

     Spring is almost here, and the NHL Playoffs are just around the corner! Soon every bandwagon-jumper on the planet will be rushing to gobble up every available old school authentic they can find (so they can hide the fact that they are bandwagon-jumpers). Others will simply be taken to the cleaners by investing in an Asian Sweatshop-Quality Reebok rag… (See my entry “Reebok Hockey Jerseys SUCK!”). Either way people, please pay attention to what you buy… That brings me to the first order of business in today’s rant… The Jersey Jihad continues!

     The other day while cruising FEEBAY looking for Scammers and Frauds, I ran across this gem (LOL!!!), a counterfeit / FAKE, 1991-92 Detroit Red Wings, Bob Probert jersey. (See pics below). Now, before I even start laying into this HOAX, see if you can figure out for yourself what is wrong with it… (Insert Jeopardy music here)… Ok, time is up! For starters, take note of the back of the jersey. Notice that the name and numbers are of shall we say, an incorrect font… In addition, the name runs straight across instead of in an arch as it is supposed to be. Lastly, the front of the jersey is missing the Alt Captain’s “A.” This just goes to show you that this person is not very good at being a scammer or fraud, and would be better off sticking to his day job… OR, perhaps he had been taken for a ride by another FEEBAYer, and is simply trying to pass on the love and recoup some funds at the same time. Who knows…??? Either way, the moral of the story is, DON’T BE THAT GUY!!! 

     Now, while this next item is relatively unrelated to “jerseys” in particular, I just need to vent on my favorite team for a minute… The New Jersey Devils had an excellent opportunity to close the gap on Buffalo, and Toronto on Tue night, as the Sabres lost in regulation, and the Leafs picked up only one point. Instead, the Devils decided to CHOKE, and lose to the Senators! WAKE UP NEW JERSEY!!! YOU HAVE BEEN IN THE PLAYOFFS FOR THE PAST TWO MONTHS!!! I know, they have been on an unbelievable run lately, but come on, losing to the lowly Sens, the last place team in the league! Especially when you are trying to make a playoff push… I can see losing to a good team, there is no shame in getting beat by a top ranked team, but the LAST PLACE team…??? After all of the hard work the Devils have put in to creep as close to the playoffs as they are now, and to fall short in the end will be more than I can stand. Remember, the Devils were 27 points out of a playoff spot at the All-Star break. Now they are just 8 points out! No team has EVER come back from more than 12 points out to make the playoffs! The Devils have a chance to shatter that record! Come on Devils, you can do it! HERE WE GO DEVILS, HERE WE GO !!!

goon-gear's Rare and Vintage NHL Hockey Jerseys!

Goon-gear’s Rare and Vintage NHL Hockey Jerseys

     In addition to our usual informative hockey sweater tidbits, occasionally we here at goon-gear feel it is ok to shamelessly plug our own offerings. Since leaving Feebay many months ago, traffic for our jersey sales site(s) is entirely up to us. While Feebay, by virtue of its name certainly provided plenty of traffic for us, they also took ALL of our operating profit. When you have to fork over a combined 20% of each sale to Feebay, and Pay Pal (which is also owned by Feebay), business becomes a breakeven proposition at best.

     In our never-ending quest to generate awareness to our leaving Feebay and starting out on our own, not only can we be found here on our blog, but we are now also on Twitter. Goon24 is goon-gear’s Twitter account ID, and our Web store address is http://webstore.com/~goongear

     For those of you who have not yet conducted business with goon-gear, here is a little glimpse into our business. Goon-gear has been buying, selling, collecting, trading, and customizing NHL authentic and replica sweaters (jerseys) since 1991. We sell only old-school jerseys, i.e. rare and vintage NHL jerseys. In short, that means pre Reebok (the 2003-04 season and earlier). We sell new and collector quality pre owned NHL jerseys from CCM, KOHO, Pro Player, Bauer, Starter, Sandow, Sand Knit, etc, NO REEBOK garbage, PERIOD!  

     We are not in business to sell quantity. For goon-gear, it is all about quality. If you are looking for garage sale garbage at trailer park prices, you are in the wrong place. If you are tired of the inflated prices, and fake Asian sweatshop counterfeit hockey jerseys on Feebay, try us. We do NOT sell knock-offs, counterfeits, etc… Part of the reason goon-gear left Feebay was because the Asian sweatshop counterfeit jersey market drove the prices of real jerseys into the ground. Customers were being burned so often that they stopped buying, and honest sellers were paying the price. When you see a 1994 Messier Rangers Stanley Cup jersey being sold for $59 by a sweatshop outlet, a real one that is worth $300+ becomes worthless, UNLESS you know the difference.

     Do not fall for counterfeits, and do not waste your money on Reebok garbage! You get what you pay for! If you really want a jersey that everyone will envy, and one that will last forever (with proper care), then buy an old-school CCM or KOHO jersey! Stop by our web store at http://webstore.com/~goongear and have a look! If you do not see what you are looking for, give us a shout. Goon-gear has MANY more jerseys than what is listed in the store, and if we do not have your jersey, we can probably get it, or customize one just for you! Buy from a trusted source that knows the NHL sweater business, buy from goon-gear! Our web store link is in the upper right hand corner of this blog! We hope to see you soon!