Jean Beliveau Foundation Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/11/2008
Wayne Gretzky’s black knit game worn CCM uniform from his first year with the Los Angeles Kings is a treat! Tagged in the neck by Maska Ultrafil with size “54” marked in fading blue ballpoint with the historic two-tone tackle twill number “99” appearing on each arm and again on the back below the short plate holding letters proclaiming the magical surname “GRETZKY”. A number of characteristics and customizations, evident on this jersey, are tell-tale signs of an early Gretzky Kings gamer. These include custom hemmed-up cuffs and shortened sleeves (non-factory work), two patches of Velcro (one large and one quite a bit smaller) sewn into the right lower hem and an embroidered “99” patch in black on white attached inside the lower hem beside the CCM logo. The font of the “99” is identical to the back numbers. Another hint of authenticity is the lack of a fight strap which has been removed by cutting it off at the black reinforcement rectangle. This jersey, with the single CCM on the tail, would have been worn early in the 1988-89 season, The Great One’s first in Los Angeles, and photo evidence does exist of Wayne in game action wearing jerseys without the double CCM that was his trademark while with the Kings. Also, in '88-89, the team rotated alternate captains and a number of players wore a patch of Velcro on the chest of their game uniform to which a Velcro “A” could be attached when they were chosen to assume the leadership role in a game. This uniform has the Velcro patch up on the left breast and, amazingly, still sports the original alternate’s “A” in two-tone tackle twill. Game wear is lighter, but very evident, and includes at least a dozen stick marks and slashes visible on the white stripes, with more scuffing evident on close inspection scattered over the darker areas of the front and arms. A single smaller area of blood staining appears on the left sleeve striping and a tiny unrepaired hole can be found lower on the same arm. This jersey comes with provenance to go along with the numerous points of authenticity. The shirt was gifted from Wayne directly to former NHL’er John Cullen after he was diagnosed with cancer later in his career. This is your chance to obtain a perfect gamer from the game’s greatest player of all time. The jersey will come with an LOA from respected Gretzky memorabilia expert Brad Foote.
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