Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction Fall 2020
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/20/2020
Signing on the dotted line of what then-proved to be the richest contract in sports history, Derek Sanderson signed with the Philadelphia Blazers in the summer of 1972, fresh off his Stanley Cup championship that spring with Boston – the second he and his Bruins teammates enjoyed in just three seasons. The 1971-72 campaign in Beantown included the Bruins only losing 13 regular-season contests while scoring an impressive 330 goals, with Phil Esposito’s 130 points anchoring the club and Gerry Cheevers’ slim 2.50 GAA confounding opponents. Sanderson would lend his penalty-killing prowess to an otherwise merciless offense, leading the club in short-handed markers with seven – almost twice as many as superstar Bobby Orr, while scoring 58 points in 78 regular-season games. The black and gold would finish atop the NHL at the conclusion of the season, and would effortlessly dispatch of both Toronto and St Louis while losing just a single match, setting up an epic finale with Manhattan’s finest for Boston’s twelfth Stanley Cup finals appearance in franchise history. Sanderson would be responsible for a much-needed short-handed marker in Game 1 – extremely valuable as the Bruins earned a single-goal victory in the inaugural contest 6-5, with Boston too much to handle for the Rangers over the 6 game series, victorious after shutting out the Blueshirts in the final match, 3-0.
While serving as the Boston Bruins renowned face-off specialist and New England’s most prominent bachelor, Sanderson wore this historic and soon-to-be-coveted Boston Bruins jersey during the Stanley Cup championship season of 1971-72, and adding to the paramount desirability, the offered sweater hails from Mr Sanderson’s personal collection and has been photo-matched! Sporting Wilson labeling sewn to the inner collar, the vintage durene jersey measures-out to roughly a modern size 52. Styled with the forever classic spoked “B” Bruins team crest in layered tackle twill, Sanderson’s “16” appears over the sleeves and verso in gold-over-white twill, with no nameplate over the upper reverse. The number “6” on verso was slightly repositioned at some point, likely due to shrinkage, with the original fight strap removed. Retaining its bold colouration throughout, the jersey exhibits moderate game-use with minor wear to the material over the front and sleeves, with “stretch” marks over each sleeve due to the heavy interior pilling. A few team repairs are also present, with examples over the reverse band and left elbow.
Regarding the important photo-matches, Getty Image #115265576 (dated Dec 31, 1971-circa 1972 vs Rangers) has been matched to the black thread sewing line going through the yellow portion of the collar (a unique particularity), the photo also shows correct length of the black thread sewing lines on the right shoulder and the angled positioning of the "1" on the left sleeve, while Getty Image #115265877 shows perfect placement of the numbers on the left sleeve (for both of these photo-matches, it should be noted that the Bruins played the Rangers in New York in 1971-72 on Oct. 13th, Jan 2nd and Feb 2nd, plus 3 games of the Finals in May). Furthermore, Getty Image #115263122 (dated Dec 22, 1971 vs Buffalo) has been matched to the black thread sewing line going through the yellow portion of the collar (a unique particularity), the photo also shows correct length of the black thread sewing lines on the right shoulder and the correct placement of the "6" on the right sleeve. Additional matches include Getty Image #115264531 (dated Dec 31, 1971-circa 1972), which seems to be from Madison Square Garden and shows correct placement of the "1" on the left sleeve and the "6" on the right sleeve, Getty Image #115265877 (dated Dec 31, 1971-circa 1972), which shows the perfect placement of the numbers on the left sleeve, and Getty Image #115266107 (dated Feb 2, 1972), which shows correct placement of the "16" on the left sleeve, with the image of the team repair over the reverse hem also visible.
An absolute treasure for Bruins and Original Six collectors and worthy of inclusion within any world class grouping of championship-season uniforms, this Beantown keepsake donned by one of Boston’s finest will not only truly thrill the lucky winning bidder, it will be the envy of any and every prominent vintage jersey collector extant. A signed LOA from Derek Sanderson will accompany this esteemed prize.
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