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 2003-04 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

2003-04Now in their 9th year in Denver the Colorado Avalanche were still considered one of the elite teams in the NHL. The 2003-04 season would be a start of a new era for the club because of the retirement of their all start goalie Patrick Roy.  After a 19-yeara career that included 4 Stanley Cup Championships, 3 Conn Symthe awards, 3 Vezina Trophy awards, 5 William M. Jennings Trophy awards (for the leagues best goals against average) and 551 career victories, Roy called it a career and David Aebischer, his backup for 3 years took over the number-one goalie job.  Aebischer played well in his first year as a starter, posting a 2.09 GAA.During the off season GM Pierre Lacroix made a big splash in the free agent market by signing two major offensive stars Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne.  The move gave the Avalanche offensive depth a team has not seen since the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980's as the team still had very skilled players like: Peter Forsberg, Joe Sakic, Milan he'djuk and Alex Tanguay on the roster. Unfortunately the additions of Kariya and Selanne fell short if expectations as neither star managed to score 20 goals.The Avalanche were seeking their 10th straight division title as they battled the Vancouver Canucks down the stretch. But the team struggled winning only 2 of their last 10 games and their 9-year reign as Northwest Division champs came to an end as they edged out of the division crown by one point by the Canucks. Their 40-22-13-7 record seeded the Avalanche fourth in the Western Conference and gave them a first round match up with the Dallas Stars in the playoffs.  The Avs got off to a fast start winning the opening 2 games. They dropped the 3rd game but ultimately went on to win the series in 5 games. In the second round, however, David Aebischer struggled allowing 9 goals in the first 2 games as the Avs lost both games on the road to the San Jose Sharks. Upon arriving home Aebischer played better allowing just 1 goal, but the Avs were held scoreless and fell behind 3 games to none. In Game 4, facing a sweep, Aebischer was sharp again stopping all 27 shots as the Avs won in overtime 1-0 on a goal by Joe Sakic. Sakic would again score the overtime winner in Game 5 as the Avs began to climb back in the series. However with a chance to force Game 7 with a win at home the Avalanche ran out of gas and lost Game 6 by a score of 3-1.This jersey is what is referred to as a 3rd jersey. A 3rd jersey is a concept that became commonplace in baseball and hockey in the 1990's, and in the 2000s in the NFL. Most 3rd jerseys are worn occasionally at home giving a team a third option as to what uniform to wear. And of course, the addition of a third jersey adds to the options fans can buy, thereby increasing apparel revenues and ultimately benefiting the team. For the 2003-04 season the NHL reversed its colour code as the home team would were their dark jerseys at home and their white jerseys on the road. This gave most team more opportunities to wear their third jersey in front of their fans.  This Avalanche jersey is quite simple in its look; it's burgundy with blue, black and white trim, with COLORADO spelled out diagonally across the front in white letters. And just to add some style it has a lace-up collar.