This jersey is a piece of Oilers history—and one of my favorite pickups for the collection. Worn by Ladislav Šmíd during his rookie season with Edmonton in 2006-07, it’s a reminder of a time when the young defenseman was just starting to show us the gritty, shutdown style that would make him a mainstay on the roster for years.

The jersey itself? Classic Oilers. It’s a Set 3 from that season, meaning it saw plenty of action on the ice. White with the traditional Oilers colors, it predates the NHL’s big shift to the Reebok Edge jerseys in 2007-08—so yes, it’s from the before times, when uniforms looked a little less like they’d been designed by a committee at a tech company.

For Šmíd, this season was the start of an eight-year run with the team, and while the Oilers were in a rebuilding phase (read: the “not quite the glory days” era), he played his heart out, earning the respect of fans and teammates. This jersey is certified by MeiGray, so there’s no question it was on his back during the season—likely absorbing plenty of crosschecks, hits, and sweat along the way.

I picked this one up directly from MeiGray’s site, and while it’s not exactly steeped in dramatic playoff lore, it’s a fantastic reminder of the kind of blue-collar work ethic players like Šmíd brought to the team.