Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction February 2016
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/23/2016
Voted the greatest athlete in Boston history through a Boston Globe poll of New Englanders in 1975, Bobby Orr played as a forward until 10 years old, when his coach at the time felt his offensive skills best suited a rushing-defenseman and moved him back. Receiving attention from the Bruins along with Toronto, Montreal and Detroit by age 13, Orr chose to sign with the Beantowners in 1962. With three more-than impressive seasons in Oshawa, Orr made his NHL debut on October 19th 1966, and the rest as they say… is history. Despite only a dozen seasons played, with ten of those in a Boston uniform, Orr was able to garner a plethora of awards and records including eight James Norris Trophies, three Hart Memorial Trophies, a Calder, and a pair of Conn Smythe’s just to name a few. Adding a pair of Stanley Cups to his impressive resume, Orr would be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979 at the unheard-of age of 31.
We are proud to offer Bobby Orr’s game-worn 1972-73 Boston Bruins jersey. With proper Wilson tagging affixed to the collar, the durene garment features the classic spoked-wheel B team logo with dual-colour tackle twill numbers. Despite having the sleeves removed below the numbers at some point, the jersey shows no other alterations, and remains in the original condition when worn by Orr. There is some puckering to the interior behind the team crest and back numbers, along with 4 vintage Bruins team repairs that actually prove that the jersey was worn by Orr and repaired by the team. One appears near the left shoulder, one on the lower front, along with a pair present on the lower back hem. There is also some staining on the garment’s front, but we’re unable to determine if it has occurred through game-use. Originally obtained at the Boston Garden after a playoff series against the Rangers, a number of photos from the 1972-73 season including some with Jacques Plante who only played for Bruins in 1972-73, and Ross Brooks who started with Bruins in 1972-73, show identical placement of the numbers on the left and right sleeves. Also showing is the uneven alignment of the yellow, black and white bands on the lower left and lower right side hems as well as uneven folding to the white band on the lower back. This strong photographic evidence shows that the jersey is from the 1972-73 season, possibly the playoffs because of the original story of the provenance as mentioned above. All of the photographic evidence will be included on a CD. Additionally the jersey measures out to a size 50 which is the correct size for Orr's game-worn jerseys of that era.
A true holy-grail sweater from an important season, Orr would break the 100-point plateau in his 63 games played in 1972-73, his fourth consecutive season to do so. He would also win his sixth consecutive Norris Trophy at seasons end. An LOA from noted Bruins jersey collector Harvey McKenney will accompany, along with a second LOA from Classic Auctions.
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).