This beautifully framed piece features an original piece of watercolor artwork glass-framed in an attractive two inch wide black resin frame with a double mat. The outer dimensions of the framed piece are approximately 17” wide x 24.5” high, although the exact size will vary according to the size of the original piece of art.

At the core of the framed piece is the actual piece of original artwork as painted by the artist on textured 100% rag, water-marked watercolor paper. In many cases the original artwork has handwritten notes in pencil from the artist (be sure to “See the actual artwork without the frame” elsewhere in this website). Simply put, this is beautiful, one-of-a-kind artwork.

The outer mat is a rich textured black acid-free mat with a decorative inset white v-groove, while the inner mat is a complimentary colored acid-free mat reflecting one of the team’s primary colors. The website image of this framed piece shows the mat color that we suggest (Medium Blue), but since each piece is custom framed, we are happy to use whatever color mat you wish (depending on availability) – our standard mat colors are:

Light Blue / Dark Blue / Brown / Maroon (close to brown) / White / Silver / Gold / Yellow (bright yellow) / Green (dark green) / Orange / Purple / Red (bright red, somewhat close to PMS 186)

Beneath the artwork is a silver plate with black text describing the original artwork. The text for this piece will read:

This original, one-of-a-kind watercolor painting of the 1981-82 Quebec Nordiques (now Colorado Avalanche) jersey is the original artwork that was used in the creation of this Colorado Avalanche uniform evolution print and tens of thousands of other Colorado Avalanche products that have been sold across North America. This original piece of art was painted by artist Tino Paolini for Maple Leaf Productions Ltd.

Beneath the silver plate is a 3” x 9” reproduction of a well known, best-selling print that celebrates the history of the team. The print beautifully illustrates the chronological evolution of the team’s uniform and shows you how the original art was used in the creation of this print. If you look closely, you will see that the print features the actual artwork being offered for sale. The 3” x 9” print looks like this:

The piece is framed with an extremely high quality framing glass. We have used this glass style for many years with excellent results. We package every piece very carefully in a double layer of bubble wrap and a rigid double-wall cardboard package to avoid breakage at any point during the shipping process, but if damage does occur, we will gladly repair, replace or refund. Please note that all of our products come with a 90 day 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Each framed piece also comes with a two page letter signed by Scott Sillcox describing the history behind the art. If there was an extra-special story about your piece of art, that story will be included in the letter. When you receive your framed piece, you should find the letter lightly attached to the front of the framed piece.

If you have any questions, at any time, about the actual artwork or about any of the artist’s handwritten notes on the artwork, I would love to tell you about them. Simply email me, Scott Sillcox, at scott@heritagesportsart.com and I will tell you everything I can about your original piece of art. The artists and I spent well over ten years of our lives creating these pieces of original artwork, and in many cases there are stories I can tell you about your actual piece of artwork that might add an extra element of interest in your one-of-a-kind purchase.

Please note that all reproduction rights for this original work are retained in perpetuity by the National Hockey League unless specifically stated otherwise in writing by the NHL. For further information, please contact Heritage Sports Art at questions@heritagesportsart.com .

 

History

1981-82When the WHA started in 1972 it challenged the NHL in cities across North America, providing hockey fans with an alternative to the established National League and giving players a chance to earn bigger salaries.  Toward the end of the 1970's the the new league began to have severe financial problems; the fan base began to erode as teams relocated hoping for better revenues in different markets. By 1979 the leagues shaky financial foundation eventually collapsed and the WHA was reduced to six teams: the Winnipeg Jets, New England Whalers, Edmonton Oilers, Cincinnati Stingers, Birmingham Bulls and the Quebec Nordiques. In1977 the NHL began discussing expansion by adopting some of the teams from the financially challenged World league and by the 1978-79 season NHL President John Ziegler announced that four WHA teams would join the NHL for the 1979-80 season as expansion franchises. The Edmonton Oilers, the Hartford (formerly New England) Whalers, The Winnipeg Jets and the Quebec Nordiques were all now full fledged members of the NHL; the Cincinnati Stingers and the Birmingham Bulls franchises were dissolved.The first year in the NHL would be a rough one for the Nordiques. They were allowed to keep three players from their roster as the rest were entered in a dispersal draft. This effectively made the Nords an expansion team.  They finished in last place in the Adams Division with a record of 25-44-11 (61 points).The following year the Nordiques were fortified by the addition of Rookie Peter Stastny, who courageously defected from Czechoslovakia. Stastny would have an immediate impact upon joining the Nordiques as he captured the Calder Trophy while posting 109 points. The Nords made the playoffs in their second year in the NHL with a record of 30-32-18. However, in a best-of-five first round series with Philadelphia they were eliminated 3 games to 2.In 1981-82 season the Nordiques finished in fourth place in the Adams division behind Montreal, Boston and Buffalo with a record of 33-31-16.  By this time Peter Stastny was joined on the team by his brothers Anton and Marion, who also courageously defected from Czechoslovakia, and all three would finish in the top 5 in scoring on the team. Peter led the club with 139 points, Marion had 89 and Anton finished with 72.In the playoffs they met their provincial rival the Montreal Canadiens in the first round. In hard fought five-game series the Nords stunned the Habs, at the historic Montreal Forum, in Game 5 with a dramatic overtime goal by Dale Hunter to win the series 3 games to 2.  In the Adams Division final the Nordiques faced another Original 6 opponent, the Boston Bruins.  Riding the momentum from the Montreal series the Nords would prove to be a formidable test for the Bruins. After dropping the two opening games on the road they fought back to win four of the next five games (two in overtime) to win the series seven games 4-3. However, the Nords would run out of gas in the Wales Conference finals as they were swept in 4 straight by the New York Islanders who were on their way to their 3rd straight Stanley Cup.The Nordiques maintained the look they had when they played in the WHA. Their sky blue road jerseys resemble the flag of la belle province, which further established their right to be considered French Canadas team. The road jersey featured in the 1981-82 position on this poster features the familiar Nordiques logo and white fleurs-de-lis on the shoulders and around the waist of the jersey.