Historical Hockey and Sports Memorabilia Auction February 2025
Playing his junior hockey as a member of the Oshawa Generals in the Ontario Hockey League and winning an OHL Championship with the Generals during his final season of 1996-97, Marc Savard would be drafted 91st overall by the New York Rangers at the 1995 NHL Entry Draft and go on to an NHL career that would see him suit up for the likes of New York, Calgary, Atlanta and Boston to the tune of 807 games played in the National Hockey League overall. Winning a Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2011, offered here is this Rangers jersey worn by Savard during the 1998-99 season, including on the night of April 18th, 1999 vs the Pittsburgh Penguins in what was the final game of Wayne Gretzky's fabled career. A mesh construction offering made by Starter that features a classic tie-neck style collar, "Starter/NHL Center Ice Authentic" and size "56-R" labels are affixed to the inner collar while Starter wordmark and NHL shield logos are embroidered into the reverse hem. Decorated over the front of the jersey with "Rangers" going diagonally down the chest in individually sewn on red-over-white drop-shadow tackle twill letters, the sleeves and verso have been accented with Savard's number "33" in matching style numerals while "Savard" is spelt out in matching style letters that have been placed in a gentle arch directly to the material over the upper reverse. Retaining its fight strap on the interior and having had a Rangers/MeiGray tag sewn inside the reverse hem that reads "1998-99 Set 2", an additional Rangers team tag reading "Game Jersey - Set 2 - 19998-1999 Season" is affixed alongside it. Having had the ends of both sleeves cut hastily to shorten them to Savard's liking, the jersey shows good game-wear via board burns over the front, reverse and both sleeves, the jersey also shows stick marks over the front, reverse and both sleeves as well as small unrepaired holes and coloured board paint transfers over both sleeves as well. With some light pilling found on the interior and accompanied by a Rangers LOA decreeing that the jersey was worn by Savard during Gretzky's final game, the jersey is made even more special by the fact that it was Savard, wearing this jersey, who was beside Gretzky in the team photo taken on-ice directly after Gretzky's career concluded. Don't miss out on this one!
Instrumental to the hobby as one of the founders of the MeiGray Group in 1997, a hobby entity paramount in the authentication of game-worn jerseys and equipment, pioneer collector Barry Meisel enjoyed almost two decades as a successful sports journalist. Beginning with his days interning for the Binghamton Evening Press while a senior in college, Meisel explains how his passion for collecting was fueled, stating “My plan was to get a game-worn jersey for every team I covered once I became a pro hockey writer. I got a Barons, then a Broome Dusters, Binghamton Whalers, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers. It was the late '80s. My first career was born. From the Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin to the Morristown, NJ, Daily Record, to the New York Daily News”.
In his dozen years with the New York Daily News, Meisel covered the New York Islanders, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils and New York Giants. He also spent the early-1990s serving as the News’ investigative sports reporter, with additional time as a columnist for The Hockey News (1982-90) and The New York Giants Newsweekly (1990-96), with a few book authored including 'Losing the Edge: The Rise and Fall of the Stanley Cup Champion New York Rangers’. Despite building a vast and encompassing grouping of items, Meisel notes, "I have my favorites. The Scotty Press that still sits in my home office. My 1983-84 Detroit Red Wings Ken Holland, the minor-league goalie in Binghamton who became a lifelong friend, and who had a cup of NHL coffee before becoming a Hall of Fame General Manager. And my 1994 Stanley Cup Finals New York Rangers white Craig MacTavish, who was wearing this jersey in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden on June 14, 1994. MacT knocked the final faceoff into the corner with 1.6 seconds left on a 54-year Jinx, the night the Rangers allowed the Monster of MSG to one day Die in Peace. This jersey is on display at the Garden, to remind every Blue Seater from old Section 433 that the wait was worth it”.
Classic Auctions in honoured to have been chosen to sell the Barry Meisel personal collection, with dozens of high-quality jerseys offered including an endless supply of important New York Rangers specimens from Rod Gilbert, Peter Sundstrom, James Patrick, Mark Tinordi, Kris King and other Blueshirts as well as WHA jerseys from the Indianapolis Racers, Quebec Nordiques and Ottawa Nationals. Additional gems that will have bidders salivating includes Peter McDuff’s 1973-74 AHL Providence Reds game-worn home and away jerseys, bobble head dolls, important programs and other assorted memorabilia.
As always, we hope these long-loved treasures find new appreciative collectors, with Meisel stating it best, “It's time for Classic Collectibles and my good friend Marc Juteau to help me find my gamers new homes. Time for others to enjoy the greatest hobby alive."
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