Historical Hockey and Sports Memorabilia Auction Spring 2023
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/2/2023
In 1972 founders of a company named Hockey Diversified Inc. envisioned that each puck shot into the net to produce an official goal scored in an NHL hockey game would develop a degree of intrinsic collector value for hockey fans everywhere. The founders took this idea to the NHL and procured the rights to all such NHL pucks during regular season and playoff games for a period of five years. Pucks shot into the net for a goal were collected by the referees, given to the time keepers to label and then shipped to Hockey Diversified to further label with scoring details. The pucks were then marketed to the public by Hockey Diversified Inc. Unfortunately, this idea was ahead of its time and pucks sold poorly. The program lasted only two seasons, 1972-1973 and 1973-74. Hockey Diversified Inc. dissolved shortly thereafter. Classic Auctions is honored to have been chosen by an original founder of Hockey Diversified to sell, at upcoming auctions, residual, unsold pucks from that “NHL Registered Goal Puck” collection.
Each puck originally distributed by Hockey Diversified could be obtained by mail with the buyer’s choice of team and possibly player. A label was affixed to each puck listing the scorer, team and date, along with a code that divulged which team-goal said puck accounted for. At the onset of the NHL Puck Program, goal pucks were offered to collectors mounted on aluminum plaques. These were costly to produce and sold poorly. Fewer than 150 were produced for sale to collectors, and very few remain. Offered here is one such plaque. This particular puck was used by rookie Billy Harris to score the New York Islanders 53rd goal of the season vs the St Louis Blues at Nassau Coliseum, on December 12, 1972. Assisted by Germain Gagnon and Tom Miller, it was Harris' 8th of the season and of his career, with a total of 231 career goals. Plotted at 8:11 of the first to start the scoring, the game would be deadlocked going into the third, with each club scoring one more for a 4-4 tie. Harris would assist on a second period goal for a two-point night. The puck is currently detached from the plaque, with wear to the Islanders logo and the reverse logo affixed to the plaque. The aluminum plaque itself shows light wear.
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