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Alaska Aces Wearing One of the Most Beautiful Jerseys You’ll Ever See

In celebration of ECHL Hockey Heritage Weekend, the Alaska Aces designed a jersey that will melt even the Malaspina Glacier.

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First, I should (re)introduce myself. Long time readers will remember me as a managing editor from about 2011-2012. I left for a variety of reasons, none of which had to do with SBNation, the writers here, or community, and all of which had to do with needing a lighter plate. Now that I have a job that lets me write a lot more, Kevin and Ruhee have welcomed me back into the fold and I'm pretty sure Scott has made snarky comments about me.

For those who know nothing about me, I've been covering Calgary since 2009, have written at Bloguin (the discontinued 4th Line Blog), Flamesnation.ca, and here. I'm a sailor in the USCG, currently stationed in Juneau, AK. Also I'm a jerk who hates everything you love. That penultimate point (living in Juneau, AK) brings me to the jersey.

There’s not much occasion to talk about Calgary’s ECHL affiliate, unless it involves the goaltending prospect rotation (Olivier Roy has been there since he was acquired, however), so when the Alaska Aces Heritage jersey popped up on Reddit, it was hard not to be thrilled.

So what makes this jersey great, rather than a novelty like most ECHL jerseys? To start with, the base is one of the best Calgary jerseys in history. You have the strong red, the yellow and white stripes, and the yellow collar. The shoulder patches have both the Flaming C on one shoulder and the Abbotsford Heat insignia on the other, which is a nice and more direct touch.

But what really sets the jersey off is the bear head. It's not simply the Aces polar bear logo— instead it's that logo combined with the flames from Calgary's Flaming C. Take a moment to look and be awed by the subtlety. I can't say I've ever seen an ECHL jersey done this well, but as both a Calgary fan and an Alaska resident who loves the state, this is the stuff dreams are made of.

by Arik Knapp