Key takeaways:
- The last record was for a Paul Henderson jersey from the 1972 Summit Series.
- Wayne Gretzky’s Oilers jersey from the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals was dealt at auction for a record-breaking $1.45 million US.
An Edmonton Oilers jersey sported by hockey icon Wayne Gretzky sold at an auction Saturday for a record-breaking $1.45 million US.
Gretzky sported the jersey during the Oilers’ 1988 Stanley Cup Final victory over the Boston Bruins, almost three months before No. 99 was sold to the Los Angeles Kings in a move that shocked Edmonton and the hockey world.
“We’ve got champagne stains on it from the celebration in the locker-room,” Michael Russek, director of operations at Grey Flannel Auctions in Scottsdale, Ariz., revealed CBC’s Edmonton AM on Wednesday.
The jersey, with 99 sleeves and a C on the chest, meaning Gretzky’s captaincy, also has restoration marks.
Russek said that Gretzky wore it numerous times during the ’87-’88 season. Today’s NHL players change jerseys more often.
The sale dethrones Paul Henderson’s 1972 Summit Series jersey, which had the last record as the most costly hockey jersey ever sold for $1.2 million.
Read more: Edmonton city council sets police base funding at $407M for 2023
Henderson wore the jersey when he netted the winsome goal against the Soviets. His jersey was sold at auction in Montreal in 2012.
Except for the jersey, the Jofa gloves Gretzky wore for the final time as an Oiler sold for $204,000 US.
Russek said the jersey had been secretly held since the 1990s after being one of 1,000 jerseys let go by the squad.
A customer friend of Russek happened to be the second owner of the garment and was willing to part with it.
“We were thrilled to handle this piece, obviously,” Russek said.
With the NHL playoffs now happening and the Oilers having had a solid post-season stretch before being knocked out by the Colorado Avalanche, Russek said the timing was ideal.
Source – cbc.ca
