Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction February 2018
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/27/2018
Enthusiasts of high grade material will surely be enthused by the quality offered here, with the vast majority of the cards exhibiting numerous sensational pack-fresh characteristics. Snowy white borders, smooth/clean fronts and backs, smooth edges and sharp corners strike the beholder and conjure up images of loop-holding professional graders attempting to spot the odd miniscule flaw! We would say the average is easily NM-MT, with NM-MT, NM-MT+ and MINT cards far outnumbering the few NM and NM+ examples. The cards with player images set against black pucks with white, white, backgrounds really pop. Keys at NM-MT or NM-MT+ include 7-Horton, 31-Howe, 39-Beliveau and 49-Plante, along with a beauty run of Maple Leafs (#s 13 to 18) with the aforementioned puck backgrounds. The #30 Gordie Howe card is NM-MT (OC). Two corner touches and a tiny surface indentation send 1-Billy Harris to EX-MT, while other condition exceptions include the Tally Card and Zip Contest card. The former is unmarked, with a quarter-inch horizontal wrinkle - we hesitate to call it a crease - near the right edge, just up from the slightly touched lower right corner and the latter affected by a notch in the upper edge and a "line-y" indentation on the reverse, near a slightly dinged lower corner. Perhaps lowering them to as low as VG+ in the eyes of pro graders. Overall though, the astute high bidder should be pleased when these beauties arrive....and then arrive again after being examined and encapsulated!
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The Michael Ontkean “1977 Slap Shot” Movie and Hockey Card Collection
“It’s their rink, it’s their ice, it’s their fu**king town. But tonight we got our fans with us!”
- Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman), Slap Shot 1977
More prophetic words regarding the legacy of the cult classic hockey film have never been spoken. And despite the passing of four decades and a plethora of sub-par hockey and sports films... the fans of Slap Shot have never left.
Yes Reggie, your fans are still with you, and the beloved Charlestown Chiefs.
While both versed-in and blessed-with an endless array of historic and paramount hockey material here at Classic Auctions, some items and collections are special, as are some consignors. We are absolutely thrilled to bring to auction items from the personal collection of legendary actor and Slap Shot star Michael Ontkean! Included we have Michael's screen-worn Slap Shot jersey, gloves worn throughout both filming and his hockey career and numerous vintage hockey card sets collected by the star. We even have hockey gloves that were taken home by John Wayne after filming Idol of the Crowds in 1937 and gifted to Michael in 1975!
Born in Vancouver and coming from an acting family, it’s no surprise that Michael entered the profession as a youth, first appearing on the Canadian show Hudson’s Bay in 1959. Later coming to prominence in the early-1970s TV series The Rookies, Michael was ideal for the role of Ned Braden in Slap Shot, as the especially gifted actor was no slouch on the ice. At the University of New Hampshire, Ontkean played on the Wildcats first line with the same linemates for their entire college year. In their junior year, 1967-68, this trio was the highest scoring line in the nation with 163 points. Ontkean averaged a little better than a-goal-a-game that season (30 goals in 29 games). This goal-a-game pace has only been done a handful of times in the last forty (40) years. Additional acting roles followed in Willie and Phil (1980), The Blood of Others (1984) and Maid to Order (1987), with his role as Sheriff Harry S. Truman in the critically acclaimed 1990 series Twin Peaks especially notable, with fans disappointed that Michael chose not to reprise his role with the 2017 revival of the series.
While the landmark film has never left the public’s consciousness, it’s difficult to contemplate the sheer importance Slap Shot has had on the hockey world at large. Now belonging to the ages, new and enthusiastic generations of young skaters to come will embrace the film, sharing in the rich history of both the game as well as the film’s accurate and comedic depiction of “old-time hockey”.
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