This road blue mesh and knit jersey was manufactured by Rawlings circa the mid 1970’s. Bryan was the New York Islanders 2nd round selection in the 1974 NHL amateur draft. Trottier’s career accomplishments are numerous and include 524 goals, 901 assists and 1425 regular season points. His playoff scoring totals are no less impressive with 71 goals, 113 assists and 184 points, which also rank him among the all-time elite.

To his credit are 6 Stanley Cup rings, the Calder Trophy as the 1976 rookie of the year, (4) 1st or 2nd Team NHL All Star selections along with appearances in 8 NHL All Star games. He was the 1979 NHL plus/minus award winner, the Bud man of the year winner, the King Clancy Memorial Trophy recipient (which is awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution to his community), the 1979 Art Ross Trophy winner for leading the NHL in scoring, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP in 1980 and the 1979 Hart Trophy winner as league MVP. Bryan represented Team NHL in the 1979 Challenge Cup, Team Canada in the 1981 Canada Cup and Team USA in the 1984 Canada Cup. Bryan is considered one of the game’s all-time greats and was so recognized in the now revered ‘The Hockey News’ book which ranked the 50 greatest players in NHL history. Bryan was honored as the 30th greatest player in NHL history in that publication.

Sewn to the collar of this intriguing jersey is the Rawlings manufacturer's tag. Trottier burst onto the scene in 1975-76 with the Islanders where he would capture rookie of the year honors. This example is intriguing as it perfectly matches the time period of Trottier’s emergence into the NHL. Though we’ve never seen evidence of the Islanders wearing a Rawlings mesh jersey, this mesh and knit style is what the Islanders would begin wearing in 1976-77 during Trottier's 2nd season. The Islanders did wear Rawlings made dureens as Trotts began his NHL career in 1975-76. In 1976-77 the team switched to a mesh and knit combo, such as this, made by the Goodman & Sons company. Did Rawlings make a set of these and send them to the Islanders in an attempt to keep the clubs jersey contract?

Should evidence surface of the Islanders having tried these Rawlings mesh and knit jerseys, perhaps during the pre-season of Brian's rookie or 2nd year, the lucky winning bidder of this item will have made a very, very smart speculation.