The Elmer Lach Auction - October 2006
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/24/2006
Classic Auctions is extremely proud to offer, for the first time ever, a rare Montreal Maroons game worn sweater. Not only is this the first Maroons jersey we have ever offered for auction, it is the first Maroons, to our knowledge, that has ever come up on an auction block anywhere. The few times a Maroons has previously exchanged hands has always been in a private sale. There are only three or four Maroons jerseys known to reside in collectors' hands today and this Maroons sweater could very well be in the finest condition of any example we have ever seen, including the Hall of Fame. The few Maroons jerseys we've seen have some bleeding of the maroon color from the jersey onto the white M crest and/or the white numbers on the jersey back while this sweater has no color bleeding whatsoever. In addition, there are no moth holes in the sweater, only some small unrepaired holes, making this by far the best Maroons jersey for display known to exist. There are six small holes on the back including two in the upper white stripe and just below another, near the right seam, while five tiny holes can be spotted on the front, with three more tiny affairs on the left sleeve, where two team repairs appear. Many of these holes can only been seen upon close inspection and do not detract whatsoever from the displaying of the jersey. A one-inch stitch job appears on the upper left sleeve near the shoulder seam and the other (half-inch) repair is in the upper white stripe a little further down the same sleeve. A felt "M" is double-stitched to the jersey front while wavy stitching holds the felt "14" in place on the sweater back. A red-on-white folded tag sewn in the neck reads "Albion Knitting Co. Ltd. Peterboro, Ont." The Maroons are the last defunct NHL franchise to win the Stanley Cup, doing so in 1934-35. One look at the sweater and anyone would be amazed that this Hall of Fame worthy relic is 70 years old. The Maroons enjoyed almost immediate success after joining the NHL, winning the Stanley Cup in their second season of 1925-26. They captured their second Stanley Cup in 1934-35, but with dwindling attendance following the aftermath of The Great Depression and the threat of war approaching, the Maroons played their final NHL game on March 17, 1938. In their 14 NHL seasons, the Maroons made the playoffs 11 times, but even playoff success couldn't provide security to a franchise that played in the same city as the fabled Canadiens. No less than eight players who wore the simple yet classic Maroons sweater went on to earn induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The sweater offered here was worn by Russ Blinco, a steady performer for five seasons for the Maroons from 1933-34 until the franchise's final game in '37-38. Despite playing in only 31 of 48 regular season games in his rookie season, Blinco scored 14 goals and 23 points, becoming the second ever recipient of the Calder Trophy. In his sophomore year, after scoring a career high 27 points, Blinco contributed two goals and two assists in seven playoff games, including the winner in game two of Montreal's three-game sweep of Toronto in the finals, helping the Maroons to their last Stanley Cup title. After the Maroons' owners requested permission to suspend operations for one year in August, 1938 (a request that became permanent a year later), Blinco, along with two other players, were sold to the Chicago Black Hawks for $30,000. Blinco played one year in Chicago before retiring. Other career highlights include the night Russ scored four goals in a game vs. the N.Y. Americans in '34-35 and his participation in the 1937 Howie Morenz Memorial Game. Blinco's sweater from the Morenz game has also survived all these years and remains in a collector's hands today. Upon his retirement, Blinco spent many years working with the Hershey Bears organization. As for the provenence of the sweater, its history goes like this: A prominent Montreal collector acquired it in the 1980's thanks to legendary defenceman Doug Harvey who knew Russ Blinco's widow. Following a request to Harvey from a mutual friend of the collector and of Harvey, the latter inquired about and obtained the sweater from Mrs. Blinco. It resided in the Montreal collector's collection for more than a decade and our consignor acquired it from that gentleman in 1998. This captivating Maroons sweater provides serious vintage game worn jersey collectors with a rare opportunity to acquire a true museum piece of a historically significant team and the last defunct team to capture the Stanley Cup. Another Maroons sweater in such outstanding condition some 70 years after it was worn may never come up for auction again, meaning that this may truly be a chance of a lifetime. Please note that this treasure is subject to a silent reserve. A LOA will be included.
By clicking this button, you will IMMEDIATELY bid the amount selected.
By clicking this button, you will submit this amount as your MAXIMUM (absentee) bid. The auction software will place bids on your behalf up to this amount only as it is bid against competitively by other bidder(s).