This road red knit gamer by CCM was issued for use by Dave Manson during the 1989-90 NHL playoffs. The Chicago Blackhawks selected Manson with the 11th overall pick in the 1st round of the 1985 NHL Entry Draft. This hulking defenseman became a staple on the Hawks blueline in 1986-87 and remained there for 5 seasons before a deal sent him to the Edmonton Oilers. Dave would go on to also represent the Jets, Coyotes, Canadiens, Stars and Maple Leafs, while also returning for 2 more seasons in Chicago from 1998-2000. In 1103 NHL regular season games, Manson, who earned the nickname ‘Charlie’, accumulated 2792 PIMS, good for 2nd all-time and trailing only Chris Chelios among defenseman in NHL history! His single season career best totals came during his years with Chicago. In 1988-89 Dave racked up 352 PIMS and followed it up with another 301 PIMS in 1989-90.

This jersey was prepared for Manson’s use during the 1989-90 NHL playoffs. That season’s playoffs provided Hawks fans with quite a thrill as they first dispatched the division rival North Stars in a hard fought 7-game series. Next up was the Norris Division Finals, where their division rivals, the St. Louis Blues, also pushed the Hawks to 7-games. The Campbell Conference Finals pitted the Hawks against the Edmonton Oilers dynasty. After holding a 2 games to 1 lead, the Hawks eventually succumbed to the Oilers greatness.

Hawks legend has it that after losing their playoff opener, in their new set of home sweaters, the superstitious Mike Keenan decided to revert back to their prior set of jerseys before they ever wore their road reds. Therefore, if we follow the legend, this jersey would not have been worn in the 89-90 playoffs. The following pre-season saw the Hawks begin to wear the All-Star patch on their game jerseys, leaving us to wonder when or if Manson ever wore this jersey. Puzzling is the obvious game wear on this sweater, which consists of a good number of stick and slash marks on both of the sleeves and the body as well as inner pilling. The Hawks were known to do strange things and often mixed and matched different sets on the ice, leaving us to speculate that Charlie may have in fact donned this sweater sometime during the era described. Shown above, for your enjoyment, is Manson letting it fly while wearing his red Blackhawks uni. Manson had a productive run in the 1990 playoffs, scoring 2 goals and 6 points while amassing 46 PIMS in 20 games during the 1990 playoffs.