Historical Hockey and Sports Memorabilia Auction Spring 2022
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/31/2022
In 1972 founders of a company named Hockey Diversified Inc. envisioned that each puck shot into the net to produce an official goal scored in an NHL hockey game would develop a degree of intrinsic collector value for hockey fans everywhere. The founders took this idea to the NHL and procured the rights to all such NHL pucks during regular season and playoff games for a period of five years. Pucks shot into the net for a goal were collected by the referees, given to the time keepers to label and then shipped to Hockey Diversified to further label with scoring details. The pucks were then marketed to the public by Hockey Diversified Inc. Unfortunately, this idea was ahead of its time and pucks sold poorly. The program lasted only two seasons, 1972-73 and 1973-74. Hockey Diversified Inc. dissolved shortly thereafter. Classic Auctions is honored to have been chosen by an original founder of Hockey Diversified to sell, at upcoming auctions, residual, unsold pucks from the “NHL Registered Goal Puck” collection.
Each puck originally distributed by Hockey Diversified could be obtained by mail with the buyer's choice of team and possibly player. A label was affixed to each puck listing the scorer, team and date, along with a code that disclosed which team-goal said puck accounted for. This particular puck was used by HOF superstar Phil Esposito to score the Boston Bruins 33rd playoff goal of the season, in Game 4 of the 1974 Stanley Cup semifinals, vs the Chicago Black Hawks, at Chicago Stadium, on April 25, 1974. Assisted by Ken Hodge and Gilles Gilbert, it was Espo's 4th goal of the playoffs and 41st of his career, with a total of 61 career playoff goals scored. The first marker of the second period to put the Bruins up by two, scored at 10:29 on the power play, the goal would serve as the game winner, with the Hawks adding a late second period goal, with the score ending 5-2. The Bruins would take the series in six games. The rubberized Black Hawks logo and Goal Puck Program label both remain clean, with light wear to the puck.
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