Years at CC:
| 2002-06
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Colorado College Tigers (NCAA / WCHA) |
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One of the best parts of the game worn jersey hobby, whether it is hockey or any other sport, is the thrill of the chase. Not only tracking down that illusive jersey from a seldom seen team / player but also once in a while taking a gamble on a long shot and hope it pans out. A jersey that maybe with enough time and effort, you can prove it out to be a legit item. Such (we hope) is the story of the jersey displayed here on this page.
The jersey in question was stated to be a Colorado College alternate of #22 Marty Sertich, believed to be from his Hobey Baker award winning season of 2004-05. The jersey presently also displays an alternate captain’s “A” as well as a 2005 Frozen Four patch which was played in Columbus, OH that season. |
 Photo Credit: Casey Gibson |
 Photo Credit: Casey Gibson |
Ownership History – The jersey was obtained from a private collector in Minnesota in the Fall of 2010. Only a short time before, this party had purchased it, along with other items, from an auction which was dispersing the contents of a sports bar / restaurant from the Minneapolis / St Paul, MN area. While the seller did not claim it to be a game worn Marty Sertich jersey in the auction they stated that the jersey displayed game use. So I took a leap of faith and acquired the jersey, hoping that with some time and effort would turn it into a valuable investment and a unique piece of college hockey history.
The first step was to contact Colorado College to question the team about the history of the jersey or to confirm how it may have entered the hobby. Several statements were made by the team through Dave Moross (Colorado College director of athletic media relations) including this one: “Scot Owens did give Marty’s jersey back then to a Panino’s restaurant near Dinkytown in Minneapolis, that went out of business, so there's a high probability that what you're being offered is indeed authentic” This is noteworthy, because I did not disclose to Colorado College what background I knew about the jersey and this confirmed what the seller told me. |
| Time of Use -- The jersey shows no signs of a name or number removal / change. Sertich played for Colorado College 2002-06, wearing #22 each season. Sertich’s jerseys first displayed “MA. SERTICH” on the nameplate when Mike Sertich joined the team for the 2004-05 season. Based on this it is assumed the jersey can not be from Marty’s freshman (2002-03) or sophomore (2003-04) seasons as there would have been no reason for the “MA.” on the nameplate. Below is an image from my archive of a Mike Sertich Colorado College jersey that I formerly owned showing Mike's nameplate. Marty Sertich was team captain for the 2005-06 season so it is assumed that the jersey can not be from Marty’s senior season. |
Mike Sertich 2004-05 |
 Photo Credit: Casey Gibson |
Jersey Wear – There is a fair amount of what appears to be legitimate game use / wear on this jersey. There is substantial pilling in the lower third of the jersey body front as well as a few marks scattered throughout the jersey body and sleeves. Most notable are the marks on the left sleeve and to the left of the back numbers. There is also pilling and a few snags on each cuff. As can be seen in the photo at the left, Sertich liked to tape down his jersey sleeve cuffs to his elbow pads.
General Jersey Style – As a reference to the general style of the jersey, and for the sake of a head-to-head comparison, below is another jersey from this set previously in my collection. This #16 Patrosso jersey was given to WCHA referee Don Adam as part of a charity fundraiser. As a part of this event, I purchased through Ebay. The jersey was signed prior to donation by Coach Owens. |
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The Frozen Four Patch - This jersey was never worn with a Frozen Four patch. Colorado lost to Denver 6-2 (April 7, 2005) in the semi-finals and wore their black jerseys. The Frozen Four patch appears to have been applied to the jersey at the same time as the alternate captain’s “A” based on the stitching when viewed from the inside of the jersey. It should also be noted how the spacing of the stitching changes along the top edge as the sewing progresses around the patch. This seems to be a very novice job of sewing as if the person applying the patch decided to change the stitch length as they started out. Now this might seem reasonable if this was the very first patch being applied, but what are the odds that this jersey out of the entire team seat was the first? Also it is unlikely that someone who did this type of work regularly wouldn’t know the typical machine settings that would be most effective to apply the patch before they started. Known games this style was worn: vs Univ Minn – Duluth (1-21-05 and/or 1-22-05) WCHA Final Five semifinal vs Univ Minn (3-18-05) Midwest regional championship vs Michigan (3-26-05, final use) |
Photo Credit: Unknown
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 Jersey right sleeve
NOTE: Both sleeves were folded onto the front of the jersey so the jersey's right sleeve is on the left side in this image. Jersey left sleeve |
Photo Credit: Casey GibsonSleeve Number Placement - The location of arm numbers relative to the shoulder pinstripes appears to be correct on both sides. On the jersey's right sleeve, some gold can be seen at the right edge of each #2. On the jersey's left sleeve, the right edge of the numbers almost completely covers the gold stripe with just the slightest trace of gold showing at the right edge of each #2. Photo Credit: Casey Gibson |
 Photo Credit: Casey Gibson | Placement of the Nameplate - The name "MA. SERTICH" name is on a nameplate which matches the jersey material. The spacing of the nameplate relative to the body / sleeve seam is consistant with photos. Also note that the top left corner of the namplate is closer to the white stripe that other portions of the nameplate material. |
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The Alternate Captain’s “A” – This has been one of the main concerns about authenticity since this jersey first surfaced. In every photo which should be this jersey being used on the ice, the “A” is clearly lower on the jersey, referencing the space between the top of the “A” and the white stripe in the shoulder section.
Another item of note regarding the “A” is that it is a style of font in which the “A” includes “feet” at the bottom of each leg. This style of font correctly matches all known photos showing the “A”. It should also be noted that Sertich was the only player to wear an “A” using this font during the 2004-05 season. The team’s other alternate captain (Brett Sterling) wore an “A” of a sans serif font style (no feet at the base of the “A”). This can be confirmed by page 29 of the 2005-06 WCHA yearbook. Even the “A” worn on Sertich’s black and white jerseys that season were sans serif style of font. |
Photo Credits: Casey Gibson
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Click here for four additional scans from the 2005-06 WCHA Yearbook of this jersey. (Adobe PDF - 16.3MB) | ||
| Summary - So what does all this mean relative to the authenticity of this jersey? With the exception of the obvious change in location of the "A" and addition of the 2005 Frozen Four patch, every other visible aspect of this jersey would seem to confirm that it is a game worn jersey of Marty Sertich from his Hobey Baker award winning season of 2004-05. One possible explination for the problems with the "A" and the FF patch could be that the "A" was removed with plans to recycle the jersey with a "C" the following season and the "A" was later replaced when it was released from Colorado College. In my opinion it is easier to explain the two things that are wrong with the jersey than the many things that are correct. Maybe at one time, this jersey did have the "A" in the correct position and today the distressed fabric of the former sewing can no longer be seen? If this is not a legit game worn Marty Sertich jersey, then it is in my opinion the most detailed "fake" I have ever seen in the hobby. | ||
Page last modified 01/25/11
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