Pass the "Dubie" Bro! I'm "Wade"ing in Thoughts After the Meigray Expo Maaaan!

[IrbeFan4Life]

The Meigray Expo is where all things game used memorabilia exist. I travelled all the way from Edmonton to New Jersey just to attend for my first time ever! The special guests this year were Stephane Matteau and Neal Smith and there were lots of fun things to see there. I also entered the grab bag draft and got pick #43 of 50 which ended up getting me a Matt Hendricks Edmonton Oilers game worn jersey with it. I also got three new goalie pieces once we got into the Meigray Warehouse at the close of the expo.







Here is the first of three new pieces!

Born on January 30, 1979 in Kerrobert, Saskatchewan, Wade Dubielewicz was a very promising talent while playing with the University of Denver, recording excellent numbers in each of his four years there. After his collegiate career concluded, Dubielewicz was signed by the New York Islanders as a 24 year old free agent. It didn't take long for his dream to come true. That season, on March 25, 2004, Dubielewicz replaced Garth Snow between the pipes against the Flyers and he stopped all 14 shots that he faced in the team's 4-2 win. On April 4, 2004 he was placed in net for the rematch, and he stopped 33 of 36 shots in a 3-3 tie. The majority of the season was spent in the AHL, however, where he proved to be quite competent as he won both the rookie of the year and lowest goals against average awards. During the lock-out season he honed his game further and in 2005-06, he had earned himself 7 additional appearances in the NHL to go along with started minutes in the AHL. In 2006-07, despite being an AHL starter, he became a hero for the Islanders. On the outside looking in for a playoff spot, Dubielewicz recorded four consecutive victories to secure the final playoff spot. However, once in the playoffs, Rick DiPietro was healthy and took over from game two and on. The Isles were eliminated in the first round. The next season, Dubielewicz was the undisputed back-up on the squad, however, when it was clear that the plan was to keep him in this role with no chance to advance to a starter, Dubielewicz left to the KHL in 2007-08. When the Islanders wanted to re-sign him in 2008-09, Dubielewicz had to enter re-entry waivers and he was then signed by the Blue Jackets where he played three games. The following season, the Wild signed Dubielewicz and he split the time between the Wild and the Aeros of the AHL. After one final season with the Cologne Sharks of the DEL, Dubielewicz retired from play.

In his NHL career, Dubielewicz appeared in 43 games and recorded an 18-16-1-1 record with a 2.65GAA, and a 0.914% save average. In one playoff game, he recorded an 0-1 record with a 4.06GAA and a 0.886% save average.

What you are looking at right now is a home jersey worn by Wade Dubielewicz in the 2007-08 season, including his 20th career NHL game. The most notable thing on this jersey is the excessive material piling on both sides of the chest as well as the sleeves. The velcro of goalie gloves and blockers plus the material of jerseys in this era were not best friends.

Acquired from: Meigray Group with LOA

Dates of Game Use:
2007-08 pre-season
October 27, 2007 v Carolina (10-12, 8-3)

Photomatched: Yes

[doniceage]

Sounds like a cool trip and if it a first time event it definitely one you can decide if you want to attend again while marking it off the bucket list. Thanks for sharing.

DON

[creasecollector]

Sounded like a fantastic expo! Congrats on the dubby jersey as well. He had some clutch goalie moments in his short career! I remember his poke check to send the Isles to the playoffs sadly...