Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo! Sports has a new entry that tries to tackle the appropriatness of “putting a player’s name on a jersey he never wore.  Greg asks readers to rank the move as “Pass” or “Fail” and share their thoughts about whether or not this is a faux pas that angers the Hockey Gods.  His second question, however, is the one that spurred me to write this entry (which will be enjoyed by upwards of seven readers):

2. If you said “fail”: Does the decision above rank higher or lower on the Crimes Against the Hockey Gods scale than putting your own name on the back of an NHL jersey?

Apparently, I have upset the hockey gods.  I own personalized 1998-99 through 2006-06 San Jose Sharks home jersey, as well as a 2007-08 Santa Clara University Ice Hockey home sweater, which may count as two crimes upon which the Hockey Gods frown on.  Obviously, I’ve never played for the Sharks but I did graduate from Santa Clara University and I also built and maintain the team’s web site.  Surely, the Hockey Gods may grant me a pass on the latter crime.

When I bought my current personalized Sharks jersey, I was excited to finally have my very own jersey that I could wear to show my love for, as Mark Purdy of the Mercury News calls them, my beloved Los Tiburones. By branding my jersey with my name, I felt like I was a part of the San Jose Sharks fan community.  I, #31 Ramirez, shouted to the world that I love the San Jose Sharks.  My name on that jersey says that I love the San Jose Sharks more than any individual player on that team.  Surely, I would not hesitate to don a #20 Nabokov jersey, but there are many of those running around.  I (think I) am the only #31 Ramirez  San Jose Sharks jersey you’ll see today, tomorrow, and many years from now.

Players come and go and the Thornton, Marleau, Cheechoo, and Michalek jerseys will slowly fade from public view but my jersey will stand the test of time.  Sharks fans will rarely don their #32 Irbe, #39 Friesen, or #14 Whitney jerseys because they’ve been replace with new names.  Some poor misguided souls may even be stuck with a #17 Guolla or a #19 Zmolek jersey but that’s the risk you take by wearing a player’s jersey.  On the other hand, a #19 Thornton jersey may seem like a safe bet but you should ask Bruins fans about that first.

The Hockey Gods aren’t upset and I know it.  They look past any silly unwritten jersey rule and look at the love and dedication one has for the sport.  I live and breathe hockey, which can be difficult if you’ve forgotten to air out your gear after a game, and I have a complete collection of Don Cherry’s Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em videos.  That alone is enough to get me through Hockey’s Pearly Gates when my time’s up and I’ve been sent off the ice before the Zamboni arrives.

The biggest jersey related crime isn’t to have your own name on your own jersey.  Instead, it is to sport a terrible replica with improper logos, colors, and fonts.  My accurate personalized jersey will not matter to the Hockey Gods when people are walking around with ugly, hideous, and inexplicable versions of jerseys that have incorrect lettering.  The worst is a jersey that sadly carries all those qualities.

Later, I will pop in a Don Cherry tape (yes, an original) and watch the best action of an exciting season long gone.  Maybe I’ll even put on my personalized hockey jersey.  Hell, maybe I’ll suit up with all of my hockey equipment.  Either way, the Hockey Gods will be happy for they know me and are are of my love for the sport.  Years from now, they’ll remember all the people I outbid on eBay for various hockey tapes.  They’ll remember the many times I’ve played 11:15PM games on a work night.  They’ll remember when I purchased the NHL Center Ice package even though I could just barely afford it.  They’ll remember the many goalies I sketched in my notebooks during high school.  They’ll remember the street hockey games during which I used a thick sweater as a chest protector and an old baseball mitt as a goalie glove.  Most of all, they’ll definitely remember my period-accurate personalized Sharks jersey.

They will also sure as hell remember who wore it: #31 Ramirez.