[irbefan4life]

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Born on August 27, 1974 in Etobicoke, Ontario, this goalie was an extreme standout talent of the Laval Titan of the QMJHL, posting great numbers in each of his seasons with them and getting them into the fight for the Memorial Cup in both 1993 and 1994. This goalie's name? Emmanuel Fernandez, or more commonly: "Manny". Fernandez was drafted 52nd by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1992 NHL Draft. Having never played for Quebec as he finished his junior career, his rights were traded to the Dallas Stars in 1994. In 1994-95, Fernandez transitioned to the pro game and appeared in 46 games for the Kalamazoo Wings of the IHL. However, he got his opportunity on April 1, 1995 when he was given the start in goal against the Detroit Red Wings. Though he stopped 24 of 27 shots, the Stars fell 3-2 on that day. The following season, he again spent the majority of the year in the IHL, getting five additional opportunities with the Stars, recording no wins, and relatively poor numbers. He got no additional chances in 1996-97 and got into two more games in 1997-98, recording his first career win in the process against the Phoenix Coyotes. He also appeared in one playoff game for a minute and a half in relief of Ed Belfour. In 1998-99 he established himself as an unreal talent in the IHL and he earned himself the full-time back-up role in Dallas by 1999-00. That season, he appeared in 24 games and recorded 11 wins to go along with a fine 0.920% save average, as well as a sparkling 2.13GAA. After so many years belonging to the franchise, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild for the 2000-01 season. There, he established himself as a legitimate league starter, appearing in 260 games with the club over six seasons, and going as far as the conference finals in the 2003 NHL playoffs. After the 2006-07 season and the great play of both Nicklas Backstrom and the rising Josh Harding, he was deemed expendable by the Wild and he was traded to the Boston Bruins. In his first season, he appeared in only four games with the team, mostly due to injuries, partly due to weak numbers compared to his usual standard. The following season, he was the full-time back-up to Tim Thomas once more and he appeared in 28 games, recording 16 wins, a 2.59GAA, and a 0.910% save average. This solid play combined with Tim Thomas' earned them the William M. Jennings Trophy. After the season concluded, he remained unsigned as a free agent and silently retired from the league shortly thereafter.

In his NHL career, Manny Fernandez appeared in 325 games, recording a 143-123-24-11 record with 15 shutouts, six assists, a 2.50GAA, and a 0.912% save average. In 11 playoff games, he recorded a 3-4 record with a 2.00GAA and a 0.927% save average.

The piece you are looking at right now is a 2008-09 Boston Bruins Road Set 2 sweater worn by Manny Fernandez in his final NHL season. Wearing this, he played in five games, backed up in 11 additional games, and he also played in his final NHL game while wearing this! Wear is quite nice for the modern standard, featuring puck marks galore!

Acquired from: Mike Hogan of Ice Violence, with Meigray paperwork

Dates of Game Use:
Feb. 14, 2009 v Predators (29-31, 3-2SOL)
Feb. 22, 2009 v Lightning (14-18, 4-3L)
Mar. 8, 2009 v Rangers (26-30, 4-3L)
Mar. 28, 2009 v Maple Leafs (33-38, 7-5W)
Apr. 11, 2009 v Sabres (28-34, 6-1L)

Photomatched: YES

[bguzowski16]

LOL Very creative title!!!