On November 17th, 1996, Darius Kasparaitis was traded to the Penguins for Brian Smolinski, who had just come off a career year. Kasparaitis was hardly the point producer that Smolinski was, but his scrappiness and penchant for huge hits redefined the role of “agitator” in the NHL. Though never scoring more than four goals in any of his fourteen NHL seasons, he solidified his place in Penguins lore by scoring a game seven overtime goal against one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history, to send the Penguins to the 2001 Eastern Conference finals. Kasparaitis made his mark playing on (and over) the edge, making him a fan-favorite… so long as he was on your team!

This jersey was worn during the second half of the 2000-01 season, during which Kasparaitis picked up two goals and three assists… and 35 penalty minutes. It shows heavy wear with several blood stains, large holes, a dozen burns and stick marks, the works! It is photo and video matched to several games from that span. It’s hard to imagine a better representation of his time with the Pens!