Historical Hockey Memorabilia Winter 2012
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/22/2012
Wondrous woolen sweater, worn during the late Fifties by one of the greatest goaltenders ever to play the game, Jacques Plante. Plante, who starred for many years in the uniform of the Montreal Canadiens, was a quirky and innovative netminder who often drove fans berserk with his unique and risky playing style. Plante was a pioneer of the style of play for goaltenders. He was the first to skate in behind the net to stop the puck for his defensemen and he perfected a stand-up style of goaltending that emphasized positional play and staying square to the shooter. On November 1st, 1959, a blast from the Rangers Andy Bathgate opened a gash necessitating seven stitches that prompted Jacques to insist on wearing the mask he had been practicing with, if he were to return to action. The rest is history. A winner of the NHL's Vezina trophy on seven separate occasions, Jacques Plante was the last goalie to win the Hart Trophy (1962) before Dominik Hasek (1997), and he ranks among the leaders in games played and shutouts. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1978.
Plante's hobby-fresh
game-worn red wool Montreal Canadians uniform is a true treasure! A
shorter-style two-tone felt number "1" appears on the back and is affixed to the jersey with the addition of a zig-zag stitch through the center of the numeral. Based on research from photos, the shorter type of number on the back dated the sweater to 1956-57 or 1957-58, as in 1958-59 they started wearing numbers on sleeves. The diminutive "L.J. Parent & Fils Ltee - Montreal" tagging remains in the back of the collar and is correct for the era, as seen on other game worn wools from the period. Team repairs are noticeable with one on the lower right sleeve, two more on the left sleeve in the blue stripe and another on the upper back at the left of the player number. Typical pilling can be found inside and out and the uniform appears to be well-washed and worn. The front crest shows wear as sections of the red have worn through and a strip of the white of the "H" is now hanging loose. Dye bleeding is present at the cuffs but the collar and accent stripes are still cream and unaffected. The two-row eyelets at the neck have a length of original string running through the lowest set of eyelets.
Plante, it must be noted, won the Vezina Trophy for the league's top goaltender in both 1957 and 1958, solidifying this as a uniform worn by him during a Vezina-winning season. In addition, it goes without saying that the jersey is from a Stanley Cup Championship campaign! Undoubtedly, this is the most significant Montreal Canadians wool we have ever had the honor to offer into the hobby and we believe it to be the only Jacques Plante gamer to be brought to sale to date. Please feel free to call to discuss this fabulous find. Will come with a detailed letter of authenticity.[red] Addendum; We are placing the following addendum in order to answer the many requests we have received for further information regarding the overall condition and size of this jersey. This hobby-fresh wool uniform was originally gifted, back in the day, by Jacques Plante to a well-known sports writer of Montreal. We believe Jacques Plante, whose playing weight was about 175 pounds and who didn’t wear much protective equipment underneath his jersey, would have worn approximately a size 42 to 44 jersey. The wool uniform measures 20 inches across the chest and is 26 inches long on the back, which measures out to approximately a size 40, we believe the jersey might have lost an inch or two in light shrinking most probably from being washed when the sports writer originally received it in the late-1950s. [/red]
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