Colorado Avalanche Stadium Series Jerseys Have Arrived

Altitude Authentics in the Pepsi Center had Colorado Avalanche Stadium Series jerseys stocked before Black Friday.

Prior to last night,  I only had one Colorado Avalanche jersey. If you’ve read any of my other posts, you know it’s not a lack of fandom that’s kept just one Avs sweater in my closet.

The “problem” was that my single jersey was a home white Patrick Roy from right after Le Trade, which brought him to Colorado.  We’re talking this sweater is getting ready to celebrate it’s 20th anniversary the same way the team is.

Through the years, it became a matter of weighing the purchase of a new jersey against,  frankly, the sanctity of the one I already had. I remember considering Milan Hejduk, Paul Stastny and, yes, even Matt Duchene as possible new sweaters.  The last came close, but I just wasn’t feeling it.

There was one player who got me “feeling it” for a new sweater purchase from a couple years ago on.  Again,  if you’ve read many of my posts,  you’ll pre-guess who — Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson.

The new problem was that he was on a quickly expiring contract. Two years left might not seem “quickly expiring” to you, but remember my jersey guy retired from the Avs, had his number retired by the Avs and eventually returned as head coach. Patrick Roy’s history is entwined with the Colorado Avalanche’s.

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I spent a lot of last summer agitating for — and feeling agitated about — an Erik Johnson contract extension. Granted the player said he wanted to stay, and Avalanche front offices stated they wanted him to stay. But the party line was the same for Paul Stastny and Ryan O’Reilly, and we know how those stories turned out.

I made a deal with myself.  As soon as Johnson signed a contract extension,  I’d get his jersey. I was planning on the Blueberries, the predominantly blue alternates.  But those were discontinued at the end of last season. I considered the new alternates, the Rockies,  but EJ’s sweater actually sold out first.

Anyway,  the Stadium Series jerseys came out,  and I knew that was the alliteration I was looking for. Twenty years ago I bought my first Avalanche jersey to commemorate an historic event. Now, I’d do the same thing with the Erik Johnson Stadium Series jersey.

Next: The Avs and Concussions

Stadium Series Jersey Details

Altitude Authentics has the Stadium Series jerseys available both in-store and online.  The cost is  $219 for the available players — customizing with a different player adds a surcharge.

The available players shouldn’t come as a big surprise.  Obviously Erik Johnson is one, as is Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon.  Naturally the captain, Gabriel Landeskog, is available, and so is Jarome Iginla, Alex Tanguay, Semyon Varlamov and Cody McLeod.

The design of the sweater relates both to the host state,  Colorado,  and the event. The traditional Avalanche logo is supplanted by the Colorado C in Avalanche colors. The silver in the stitching hearkens to the state’s silver mining history.  The striping is similar to the old third jerseys.

The numbers are enormous.  Some people don’t like that, especially combined with the graphic nature of the new jersey design.  However,  there’s no being close up at a Stadium Series game,  so those design aspects are going to translate well for the event.

All in all, the Colorado Avalanche Stadium Series jerseys are going to be an apt representation of the excitement of the game.

MORE FROM MILE HIGH STICKING: Evaluating All the Stadium Series Jerseys