Hitmen jersey honours pro wrestling legend on his special night
It’s quite possibly the best jersey of all-time.
Or — since it’s in honour of Bret (The Hitman) Hart — the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be.
On Friday, the Calgary Hitmen unveiled a specially designed Hart-themed jersey to salute the city’s legendary wrestler and to help in the fight against prostate cancer.
“My relationship with the Hitmen has always been special, right from the first day that they decided to call them the Hitmen,” said Hart, otherwise known during his wrestling days as “The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be.”
“And if you follow the team like I have, you know it’s always a good team — even in the lean years. It’s been an amazing journey for me to think about 25 years of such great hockey.
“Once Stampede Wrestling folded back in the ’80s, I felt like kids were missing something they could go to in Calgary,” Hart said. “And junior hockey has filled that gap. It gives people a really good opportunity to support junior hockey and see these players before they become pros.”
The unique jersey will make its one and only appearance on Saturday, Nov. 2 at the Saddledome (7 p.m.), when the Hitmen host the Saskatoon Blades on Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart Night, with proceeds supporting the Calgary Prostate Cancer Centre.
The limited-edition jersey honours the team’s namesake with a black-and-pink design featuring a white Hitmen mask wearing Bret Hart’s trademark pink sunglasses. Inspired by his ring attire, the mask is flanked by black wings and topped with the Hitmen name in bold pink letters. It’s trimmed with pink flames along the bottom, and as a tribute to his iconic leather jacket, has three pink stripes below a pink star on each sleeve. In honour of the Hitmen’s 25th season in the Western Hockey League, the jersey also has shoulder patches with Calgary’s 25th anniversary logo in pink.
“I think it’s great. It’s awesome,” Hart said. “It captures, in a fun way, my wrestling character, with the shades and all that.”
Hart jerseys and other merchandise, including hoodies, hats, T-shirts and toques, are on sale now at www.flamesport.com and at all Fanattic stores. A portion of all merchandise proceeds will go to the Calgary Prostate Cancer Centre.
Meanwhile, Hart will be signing autographs on Saturday from 11 a.m. to noon at the CGY Team Store in Southcentre Mall.
Fans can bid on the Hart-inspired uniforms at Elevateauctions.com. All jerseys will be game-worn and autographed by Hart and the individual Hitmen players with the net proceeds donated to the Calgary Prostate Cancer Centre. Auction details will be released Nov. 2.
The Nov. 2 game will feature a pre-game concourse photo opportunity with Hart. All proceeds from the $20 fee, which includes a tax receipt, go to the Calgary Prostate Cancer Centre. A special $15 ticket with $5 going directly to the Calgary Prostate Cancer Centre is available at prostatecancercentre.ca.