Historical Hockey and Sports Memorabilia Auction September 2024
The darling of Broadway and a definite fan favourite throughout his tenure in The Big Apple, netminder Ed Giacomin was selected to play in six NHL All-Star Games, with five consecutive appearances from 1967-71. The NHL leader in wins as a goalie for three straight seasons from 1966-67 to 1968-69, sharing the Vezina Trophy with teammate Gilles Villemure in 1970-71, Giacomin put the Rangers on his back and led the Blueshirts to an appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1972. A classic stand-up goaltender and a skilled stick handler known for leaving the crease to play the puck, Giacomin would be claimed on waivers by the Detroit Red Wings on October 29, 1975 and return to the ice at Madison Square Garden a few nights later on November 2nd, receiving a long standing ovation and cheers from New York fans throughout the game, a moment voted one (1) of the fifty (50) greatest moments in MSG history. Enjoying three (3) respectable seasons in Detroit before a youth movement took over, he retired on January 17, 1978, with a career record of 289-208-97 and a 2.82 GAA. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987 and having had his number retired by the Rangers in March of 1989, offered here is this set of photo-matched pads worn by Giacomin as a member of the Red Wings during the 1975-76 season.
Coming with excellent provenance, our consignor tells the tale of how he has owned the pads since late-1978 or early-1979. With his father well connected to Michigan State University and trying to help then Red Wings GM Ted Lindsay's stepson get into veterinary school at MSU, as a return favour originally, Lefty Wilson was going to make our consignor, himself a goalie, a custom mask as a thank you. Going a different route instead, several months later our consignor's father brought home this set of pads originally worn a couple of years earlier by Giacomin as a member of the Red Wings. Our consignor states the pads had had many repairs done to them by the time he acquired them and that he went on to use them for two (2) or three (3) years, including with the junior varsity team at Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Hills, MI, where he was teammates with Giacomin's son and would occasionally receive instruction from the NHL legend, who skated with the team during practices on a few occasions.
Classic tan leather offerings handmade by Kenesky, the premier equipment manufacturer for high-level and professional goalies in that era, the pads measure roughly 31" in length from top-to-bottom when laid flat. Retaining most of a worn Kenesky label on the upper backside of the right pad, all the leather straps and metal buckles are present and accounted for except for the toe strap on the right pad. Remaining in a respectable condition considering their age and a testament to their construction quality, the leather remains fairly supple while showing dryness and cracking in some areas throughout both leg coverings, heaviest around the edges of both pads and the upper part of the left pad. Also displaying some fading to the sides and soiling to the white felt reverses, a cuts/holes are present at the top edge of both pads while a hole is also found on the reverse of the right pad, exposing some of the horse hair on the interior. Signed by Giacomin on the outside of the right pad with a black marker ink signature that displays without issue and includes an "HOF 87" inscription in matching ink, the pads show evidence of their days in the National Hockey League throughout, including numerous sewn on leather patch repairs over both, particularly around the inside and outside toe areas of both and on the upper part of the left pad while a sewn repair graces the upper portion of the right pad as well.
Accompanied by an letter signed by Giacomin stating that the pads were originally his and used by him in the NHL, the fabulous vintage pillows have been photo-matched to a pair of images from a Red Wings game during the 1975-76 season against the Bruins showing a match to the patch in the upper part of the left pad as well as some of the fold lines in the canvas section on the outside of the left pad, particularly the three (3) directly behind the left knee and the only above that is sort of "S" shaped and runs from back to front. Additionally, the second image also shows the two (2) lines of buckle stitching at the top of left pad and the bit of reinforcement sitting at the back edge of the pad directly to the left of Giacomin's knee.
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