The NHL recently captured the magic combination of aesthetic and fandom with the Reverse Retro jersey series, where wacky designs from eras past were threaded into a league-wide wave of new looks.

With style options rivaling the jersey selection screen of a video game, inspired fans are connecting to new communities through collecting hockey jerseys.

A jersey collector, a jersey reseller, and a member of the burgeoning hockey community celebrating the look of the game, Gabe Tacuri (known on social media by his username @GTAC13JERSEYS) is finding his stride within an increasingly online market.

A 23-year-old Long Island native, Tacuri has been an Islanders fan since he was four years old. Today, he boasts a robust collection of hockey jerseys that recently approached 80 sweaters.

While he has since trimmed down that total to focus on the blue and orange Islanders jerseys he grew up with, he didn’t grow up collecting. It wasn't until a chance clearance encounter at a sporting goods store that his jersey collection truly began.

“I didn’t really focus on jerseys, didn’t have any new ones or wasn't into the community until I'd say five years ago. I saw a Matt Moulson Islanders jersey on sale at my local Modell’s, and then I purchased it for like $20 or something. And that was my first one.”

Finding the jersey of a player whom Tacuri had grown up watching score for his hometown team ignited a sense of pride.

Connection to a favorite team or favorite player is essentially the arena entrance to collecting. Tacuri’s appreciation for Islander goals – whether it was a quick rip from a winger or a booming cannon from the blueline – drove what turned out to be a headfirst dive into an online community.

“I remember scrolling through Twitter, and I came across The Jersey Finder’s page [@TheJerseyFinder], so I followed instantly. Then whenever he posted something that I wanted — I remember there was a Keith Aucoin Islanders jersey — I purchased it, and then it just grew ever since. I’ve gotten into every aspect of jersey collecting: the community, news and rumors, and all of it.”

Through celebration of team history and ownership of goofy designs and colors, the Reverse Retro series allowed hockey fans to relish bygone eras from when they were growing up.

The balance of history and aesthetic isn’t new, though perhaps there are some more experimental parts of that history that don’t resonate with some crowds. Traditionalists are a part of hockey down to the threads.

For example, some purists may prefer only using the term “sweater” to pay homage to the history of the garment, but Tacuri could only shrug at the rigidity.

“I would usually just call it a jersey. I don't mind what people call it. I've seen people call it a whole bunch of things other than sweater.” What the garment is called doesn’t matter – the whole idea of a jersey is a visual representation of a community with a shared goal.

Just like the jerseys worn by the pros, it’s about what it means to the wearer. So what does jersey collecting itself mean to Tacuri?

“What it means to me is basically my childhood growing up. It means all the history and the life that I've devoted to hockey. Getting all the knowledge that I currently do, and watching with my family growing up, I think that's what my overall jersey collecting is about. It's about encapsulating times in my life. And history of the team that I devote my fandom to.”