eee aes: NV seamstress Canucks on ice Dina VanGelder has repaired player uniforms since team’s second season FINDING AN apartment for a friend of a friend 20 years ago, Dina VanGelder had no idea that the outcome of her search would be a 19-season-long business relationship with the Vancouver Canucks. It turned out that the unknown person she found the suite for was the new trainer for the Canucks. The team was at that time enter- ing its second season in the Na- tional Hockey League. “Six weeks after I found the apartment [I got a call telling me there were two tickets for that night’s game waiting at the back door of the rink for me,”’ recalls VanGelder. “After the game | met the trainer, and when I was leaving he asked me if I could drop off some shirts at a dry cleaners to see if they could repair them.” VanGelder, a _ professional dressmaker since the age of 14, took one look at the ripped and torn jerseys and offered her ser- vices. Almost two decades later, every patch, number and name-bar on every Canuck player's uniform has been sewn on by the 24-year North Shore resident. She also repairs the Vancouver Canadians baseball team’s uniforms, and has occasionally fixed torn jerseys for the B.C. Lions. VanGelder’s workshop, located in her spacious North Vanccuver home, is dotted with cards and calendars from the many ap- preciative hackey players — the Boston Bruins’ Car: Neely in par- ticular — and trainers who count on her skilled hands to make them took their best on the ice. The day I dropped into her busy workshop, the home jerseys of Trevor Linden, Sergio Mom- meso, Robert Kron, and Gino Odjick were all receiving her un- divided attention. “My regular customers under- stand that if f get a call for a rush job from one of the sport clubs, everything else gets put on hold,” said VanGelder. “GUARANTEED SERVICE” LYNN VALLEY CENTRE 1199 LYNN VALLEY AD. 980-9211 By A.P. McCredie Sports Reporter About eight years ago, seven jerseys were discovered missing at the Pacific Coliseum four hours before a Canucks’ home game. “Since each player has only one home jersey, the trainers and 1 really had to scramble to get seven replacement shirts ready,’ VanGelder remembers. Using the previous season’s shirts, VanGelder and a_ trainer furiously sewed new patches, names and numbers on the old jerseys. She sped to the Coliseum with the finished shirts in her car, arriving 15 minutes. before the playing of the national anthem. On another occasion, VanGelder’s phone rang at 2 a.m. A desperate trainer was on the other end telling her that there had just been a trade. The Canucks were leaving six hours fater for a road trip and needed a shirt made up for the new player. Again, VanGelder delivered the shirt just minutes before the team’s bus left for the airport, “She’s quite a lady,”’ is how current Canuck trainer Patty O’Neil described VanGelder. ‘‘She is available 24 hours a day, and has proved that often.”’ Coming through in the clutch is not all VanGeider has given in her telationship with the NHL team. When Canucks’ general manag- er and coach Pat Quinn makes a change in the team’s roster, VanGelder is one of the first in the organization to know. The trust placed in her by the Canucks is a true testimony to the respect she has earned with the team’s management. And whose shirt in the Canucks storied history has VanGelder 4, 1992 — North Shore News - 13 ores rae NEWS photo Terry Peters DINA VANGELDER puts the finishing touches on repair work to Vancouver Canucks’ captain Trevor Lindens’ jersey at her North Vancouver home. VanGelder, owner of Dina's Dressmaking, has been the Canuck's seamstress for the past 19 seasons. VanGelder, ‘‘Though Odjick’s, Mommeso’s and Kron’s are start- ing to come in more frequently lately.” most often seen in her workshop.? The least? “Stan Smyl’s shirts were always coming in really beaten up,’’ said See Wear page 15 ET TN IR +. AIR BOUND «.. Men's Basketball Reg. $129.99