All of Liberia cried when the Rangers missed the playoffs after losing a shootout on the final day of the season.

Those delightful dismal scientists over at the always intriguing Marginal Revolution pointed me in the direction of an intriguing article entitled “Hockey Night in Liberia: NHL Jerseys Everywhere in War-Torn Nation.” It’s an article by Bonnie Allen in the National Post about the puzzling preponderance of ice hockey uniform shirts in the impoverished African nation.

The brightly colored hockey jerseys make their way to Africa via used-clothing donations from North America. They never reach Liberian citizens free as intended, but they are still a hot item. The tough material allows for long use and is a better long-tern buy for Liberians than cheaper T-shirts which can quickly become tattered. An excerpt:

“In the remote city of Ganta, located about 240 kilometres north of Liberia’s coastline, near the Guinea border, there is a daily parade of Canada’s favorite pastime as peddlers rove the potholed streets.

A ‘Chelios’ sells plastic flip-flops out of a rusty wheelbarrow while wearing his red Blackhawks jersey. A ‘Gretzky’ hawks Chinese knock-off cellphones under the sweltering sun.

Seven years out of war, many former combatants hustle money by giving taxi rides on beat-up motorcycles with broken mufflers. On their chests: a Penguin, Maple Leaf, Red Wing or Lightning Bolt.”