Balfour to look a bit more like Belfour

Dan O'Rourke's autographed Louisiana IceGators jersey used to hang on the wall of Chris' Po-Boys in Lafayette, La., until it was shipped this past week to Florida. It now hangs in the locker of Lance Cormier with two other IceGators jerseys while it awaits a possible trip this evening to Toronto.

"I might wear it," Cormier said. "If it wasn't autographed I definitely would."

The Rays will fly to Canada after this afternoon's game resembling more of an all-star hockey team than the baseball team with the best record in the major leagues, and that has more to do with the dress code for this road trip than the current state of the team's offense.

"Wear your favorite hockey jersey on flights," was the message on the clubhouse grease board that greeted the Rays when they arrived Monday at Tropicana Field.

Manager Joe Maddon likes to have dress themes for road trips. There was the Johnny Cash Ring of Fire last season, an Ed Hardy trip in 2008.

It's a team-bonding thing.

This is the first dress theme of 2010, and because the Rays are headed to Canada and with the Stanley Cup finals in full swing, well, it was an easy choice.

"It's the national pastime of Canada," Maddon said.

The players love it, even more than last year's cowboy theme for their trip to Denver to play the Rockies.

Players spent the first part of last week searching the internet for hockey jerseys.

Names like Jacques Plante, Gary Unger, Phil and Tony Esposito, Ray Bourque, Cam Neely, Bobby Orr and even Al Arbour were thrown about the Rays' clubhouse and dugout.

Randy Choate searched for a Patrick Roy Montreal Canadians jersey.

Grant Balfour said his jersey would be a surprise.

Earl Balfour, a forward for the Maple Leafs and Blackhawks in the 1950s?

Nope.

A throwback Blackhawks Eddie Belfour jersey.

Close enough.

Evan Longoria, Jeff Niemann and B.J. Upton were going with Lightning jerseys.

Maddon, raised in eastern Pennsylvania, was asked if he was rooting for the Flyers in the Cup finals. His answer: Noooooooo.

A fan of all things St. Louis while growing up in Hazelton, Pa., even the Blues, Maddon has a hard time pulling for the team that plays its home games in the arena across the street from where the Rays' quest for the 2008 World Series title ended on that cold, late-October night in Philly.

So, go Hawks.

Enter pitching coach Jim Hickey, who has a nephew who works in the Blackhawks' ticket office. A sign was posted Wednesday on the clubhouse grease board that anyone needing a jersey could have a Blackhawks jersey, courtesy of the Hawks.

Once the Lightning found out the Hawks were sending 33 jerseys to Tampa Bay, they offered a few of their own.

Cormier has little need for a Blackhawks or Lightning jersey. He called his uncle, who owns Chris' Po-Boys in his hometown of Lafayette, and had him ship O'Rourke's beat-up, game-worn white jersey, which became the early leader for coolest jersey in the Rays' clubhouse.

The IceGators were a member of the ECHL when O'Rourke laced up his skates in the Cajun Dome. Now, O'Rourke is an NHL official and the IceGators are a member of the Southern Professional Hockey League.

This road trip continues in Arlington, Texas, which everyone knows is the home of the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame.

"I got several bowling shirts, you know," Maddon said.

So will the dress theme change when the team prepares to fly out of Toronto on Wednesday night? Will the Rays pay homage to Earl Anthony, Dick Weber, Buzz Fazio?

Maddon gave a look that basically said, "Not a chance."

Next time. Maybe.