With ice hockey being a minority sport in the UK, there are a number of ways the Elite League and the clubs try to make extra money. One is by auctioning off game worn shirts.
The team I follow, Manchester Phoenix, had a specially commissioned Children in Need shirt which was auctioned off, as well as a Christmas shirt. These one off pieces are auctioned off on eBay and in raffles throughout the season.
However, at the end of the season, there is a league-wide auction selling the play-off jerseys – which are produced for the end-of-season players only, and no replicas are made.
So at the end of the past two seasons, I have picked up the game-worn shirt of the player who’s name I had on the back of my replica shirt – so in 2008, it was Scott Basiuk, and this year it was Bruce Mulherin. Below are some pics:
Do you have any game worn shirts?
Main Pic: Manchester Evening News
