1977-78 Vancouver Canucks Stall and Dean
Jerseys
The Stall and Dean mesh 1977-78 home
and road Vancouver Canucks jerseys have always been a topic of discussion. There are many theories on what these are and where they
originated.
One story that we have heard is that the Canucks got these
for the playoffs of 77-78 and since they did not make the playoffs they were
never used and sent back to the store that did the lettering. Then the story
goes that the team store used them for their recreational men’s team.
Hence some wear on some of the jerseys.
Then the store sold them. Recent
research found the only known photo of a real Canucks player wearing this style
jersey and that was Glenn Hanlon. So
there is photo proof that at least one jersey was game worn.
Here is what I know and these are cold hard facts.
Just recently I spoke with a representative of the old Stall and Dean
Company (who recently sold their name rights to Ebbets Field Flannels) and he
explained to me the process of the year tags, what they meant, when teams did
their orders and what the contract consisted of.
He said teams had to get their orders in for the full upcoming season by
late May early June, then by mid July the jerseys were made and in mid to late
August they were shipped out. And
he mentioned that if it had a “7” year tag that it meant it was made in July
of 1977. He said that there were
times that if a team wanted another set later in the year (say January or later)
they would use up the remaining year tag from the earlier set (“7” year
tags, for example), then they would change the year tag to the current year,
meaning “8” for ‘78 for the remaining jerseys that they had to make.
Teams were contracted out for the entire season, meaning when the Canucks
placed their order in May they ordered 2 sets of white and blues for the entire
1977-78 season. He told me (which
concurs with what we know of Boston Bruins jerseys) that Boston was an exception
because they were cheap they only ordered one set.
I then told him the old theory (ordered for the playoffs) and he
explained to me it would not matter; if they ordered in May then they were
shipped out. He also said that once
Stall and Dean were paid, they didn’t care if the team liked the jerseys or
not. Now with that evidence there
was no playoff set ordered from Vancouver.
These jerseys were ordered in May of 1977 and were shipped
out to the store that did the lettering for the Canucks and they got them in mid
August. Then the jerseys were sent
to the Canucks were they added in the Garter belt style fight straps, this was a
team customization. I asked the
Stall and Dean representative one more question, I asked him could the Canucks have ordered
in May and only got one set in August and the other set was held at Stall and
Dean for a specific date specified in the contract and he told me yes, without a
doubt. Most teams in their
contracts for the sake of storing purposes would have us ship out the second set
during the season. So the Canucks could have got another set later in the year.
Now there is eyewitness accounts from collectors saying they saw these
jerseys hanging in the store for sale during the late 70’s.
Could this have been the second set? Now
I also know in talking to a certain collector, years ago he said these jerseys
appeared in the hobby mainly through a collector in Michigan in connection with
Brad Moore, and were bought directly from the Canucks equipment manager, some
with names on the back and some without. The
4 very interesting jerseys I saw were, a home and road Bob Gasshoff and home
Snepts and a road O’Flaherty.
All these
Stall and Deans have been floating around the hobby, some with very light game
use some with none at all. One
collector owns a Stewart with light use, another collector owns a McIlhargey with
light use and that supposedly came directly from a player who stole it from the
Canucks, then there is the white home Sheldon Kannegeiser that has a white
Rawlings tackle twill nameplate, and now a O’Flaherty that shows a number
change from #8 to a #23 with a nameplate change and it shows light game use.
#8 was Rick Blight played the full 80 season and O’Flaherty plays 10
games in Tulsa and 59 games with Vancouver, Stewart plays in only 16 games with
Vancouver and 50 games in Tulsa. Now Kannegeiser gets traded to Vancouver from
Los Angeles for Larry Carriere on November 21, 1977 Carriere wore number #5 same
as Kannegeiser. These jerseys were not used by a Recreation team at least not
this set. With these customization and nameplate and number changes and light
game use and evidence of at least Hanlon wore one, could others have worn these
and not just Hanlon? Positively
YES!!!!!! Right now there is no photographic proof to support this.
I believe the first set
was sent to the store from Stall and Dean, then lettered up and sent to the
Canucks and I believe the Canucks did not use the entire set but used certain jerseys
from this set when they could.
