Croco

Couldn't find what I was looking for there...though there were a couple nice finds on there, including a Saku Koivu TPS jersey from the '04-'05 lockout season. Do they take in new stuff on a regular basis, or is that all they've got? If they do get new stuff, then I'm gonna have to check back on a regular basis to see if they do have something I'm looking for.

I would LOVE to have a Lidstrom or Zetterberg Team Sweden jersey...and yes, I agree that they've got one of the better jerseys on the national team circuit. I have always been a fan of simple, yet recognizable designs...I'd also love to have a Team Finland Teemu Selanne jersey now that I've found out that he'll no longer be competing in international play, if he plays anymore at all. I'm definitely no Ducks fan, but they don't win the Cup if he doesn't score the OT winner in Game 5 of the conference finals in Detroit. That goal, in my opinion, will define Selanne's legacy if he does decide to hang up his skates for good.

I miss HNIC...when I was living in Detroit, I was close enough that my cable provider had the CBC affiliate in Windsor and that's where I was practically every Saturday night during the season. And I think that the Canucks can be added with the Wild as one of those teams that bore you to death with their defensive-minded style while at the same time providing moments of excitement...namely with Markus Naslund and the Twins. The Red Wings can be rather exciting when all of their elements are working...Zetterberg and Datsyuk carving up defenses, Hasek making saves that no one should be able to, Lidstrom and Methuselah...I mean, Chelios(dang, I get those two mixed up all the time now. )shutting down the blue line and so on. And I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the Rangers yet with all the firepower they've got up front and Henrik Lundqvist manning the goal. If I could, I'd be keeping an eye on the Blueshirts when my teams aren't playing...they look like an interesting bunch.

To be honest, I don't think it really has that much to do with Crosby as you make it out to be. The Ducks/Kings games in London just coincidentally featured the team that would defend the Stanley Cup, so I think it has a lot more to do with featuring the NHL brand in new global markets than showcasing one specific player. It's similar to the NFL having two teams playing at Wembley Stadium or the NBA opening the season in Tokyo...the NHL is capitalizing on the proven talent of its European superstars and in such, showcasing the NHL brand in new, uncharted (at least to them) European markets. Then again...if they were featuring the players moreso than the brand, then they would've either had the Pens play the Capitals or paired the Red Wings up with someone in Stockholm(likely the Canucks, but that's just me talking).

I am looking for somewhere that I can find high-quality jerseys from Finland's SM-liiga, either a website or a shop that's within a couple hours of my home in Wisconsin. If a shop, then preferably within Wisconsin, though I'd be willing to drive to Chicago, St. Louis or Minneapolis/St. Paul if anyone can find something there. While any team would do, there are two specific examples I'm looking for...the first, as made obvious by the title, is an Oulun Kärpät jersey, preferably the black home jersey. And to be even more specific, I'd be floored if I can find an example of the jersey that goalie Niklas Backstrom wore when he was with the team before coming to the NHL. The other would be a Valtteri Filppula jersey from when he played for Jokerit; color doesn't matter in this instance, though like with his current NHL team, I prefer the white away jersey. I know I'm asking for a lot here, but I could really use a hand here. All the sources I've tried looking at are all in Finnish and while I have an online contact from Finland, I doubt he's very much into the game. (That and he's from Kuopio if that tells you that are in the know anything.) And of course, I don't know a single word of Finnish, so I'm kinda tied up here. Any and all help on this matter would be greatly appreciated.