Another Peek At Bolts Jersey

Remember last week when I mentioned that some unreleased replica third jerseys were being hocked on ebay? Well some of you were just cavalier enough to hand over your money for them.

One reader bought the new Tampa Bay Lightning third jersey and sent in some pictures and I have to tell you I am mighty impressed.

I love that they kept the armpit stripes. That's been a staple of Lightning sweaters since 1991 when Phil Esposito introduced the very first one. And if you haven't heard me tell the story of why those stripes are there, it's a good one.

Espo, who founded the Bolts way back when, wanted a unique element to his team's new jerseys — something that made them special. These underarm stripes are only ever seen on two occasions: either when a Lightning player scores a goal or when he's taking the Stanley Cup on a lap around the ice.

Every time I see those stripes, I get instinctively happy. I've been conditioned.