At the tail end of the 1990-91 season, Jim Paek found himself in the right place at the right time. Despite only playing three regular season games, Paek was tapped to stabilize a battered Pens defensive squad that had lost three players to injury. He performed admirably, even scoring a goal (assisted by Lemieux) in the 8-0 blow out of the North Stars to clinch the Stanley Cup. The following season he made the team as a proper rookie and helped them to win a second straight championship, playing 49 games and collecting eight points as a shut down defenseman.

This jersey was worn during his first full season in the NHL, and features stick marks, board burns, and ten team repairs! There are no large marks that make for an easy photo match, but screen grabs appear to match a repair to the left of the nameplate, as well as the positioning of the 25th patch. A small mark on the front hem seems to match a card as well. The number “2” is written on the wash tag in the upper right corner, as was standard for set 1. These 91-92 jerseys are special in that the 25th Anniversary and Badger Bob patches were added as the season went on, so photos of the jersey may not include all three patches depending on when they were taken.

This is the third Paek jersey that I’ve acquired, as he was my favorite player as a kid. Absolutely thrilled to have this in my collection.