Historical Hockey and Sports Memorabilia Auction April 2024
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/30/2024
Playing with the Chicago Black Hawks from 1957 til 1972, Bobby Hull's career resume would see him win a pair of Hart Memorial Trophy's as the National Hockey League's MVP and a trio of Art Ross Trophy's as the NHL's scoring champion as well as a Stanley Cup championship in 1961. Appearing in a dozen (12) NHL All-Star Games during his career and the only player to ever win consecutive NHL All-Star Game MVP awards (1970 and 1971), Hull would score over 600 NHL goals and over 1100 points during his time in the league, as well as be known as an innovator due to his doing of introducing the curved stick to the game. Long unhappy with his poor salary despite being one of hockey's preeminent superstars, Hull responded to overtures from the upstart World Hockey Association's Winnipeg Jets in 1972 by jesting that he would jump to them for a million dollars, a sum then considered absurd. Replying that "going to the WHA was not one bit about money," as Hull once recalled in an interview with Sports Illustrated, still, when the WHA made an offer of a quarter million dollars a year, plus a one-million-dollar signing bonus, Hull thought the offer was bogus. "I thought it was a joke," said Hull. "I pretended to go along with it, just to scare Chicago. Then my agent, Harvey Weinberg, said, “Bobby, these guys are serious.” When the smoke cleared, the final contract for Bobby with the World Hockey Association's Winnipeg Jets totaled $1.75 million over 10 years plus a $1 million signing bonus. Playing a total of seven (7) seasons in the league with the Jets before they merged into the NHL for the 1979-80 season when the WHA ceased operations, Hull would put up a total of 303 goals and 638 points in 411 games played while helping Winnipeg to three (3) AVCO Cup championships.
Hailing from the 1973-74 season, offered here is this photo-matched Winnipeg Jets jersey worn by "The Golden Jet" during the year. A heavy double-knit style offering made by Harv-Al Sportswear out of Winnipeg, Manitoba, a brand label displaying a "Harv-Al Knit" designation is affixed to the inner collar along with a small size "L" fly tag. Decorated over the front of the jersey with a Jets team crest in layered layered light-weight air-knit like material with twill and chain-stitched accents present throughout as well, the sleeves and verso of the jersey have been styled with Hull's familiar number "9" in dual layer red-over-white double knit numerals while "Hull" is spelt out in screen printed single layer white letters across the affixed light-weight air-knit like material nameplate at the top of the reverse. Of note, numerous washings have turned the white areas of the sleeves and numbers a light blue hue due to colour bleed. Sporting reinforced elbows and a sewn in garter style fight strap on the interior, the jersey shows excellent game-wear including stick marks over the front, reverse and both sleeves, board burns over the lower reverse and both sleeves, pilling over the outside of the lower reverse and both sleeves that is heaviest near the cuffs, a red coloured board paint transfer mark over the lower reverse, a blue coloured board paint transfer mark in the top left stripe of the left sleeve above the elbow, unrepaired cuts over the left elbow, in the team crest and over the lower front, and finally team repairs throughout that includes four (4) over the left sleeve, one (1) over the left shoulder, four (4) over the right sleeve and one (1) over the lower front.
Also showing light pilling on the interior, the jersey has been photo-matched with Getty Image #81354393 (November 30th, 1973 vs Houston) to the big black mark at the bottom of the "9" on the left sleeve, the loose white thread at the top right side of the "9" and the blue coloured team repair in the bottom white stripe of the left sleeve while Getty Image #81448221 (November 30th, 1973 vs Houston) has been matched to the same black mark through the "9" of the left sleeve, the same loose white coloured thread at the top of the right side of the "9" on the left sleeve and to the stick mark in the bottom white stripe on the front directly underneath the crest. Additionally, the jersey is accompanied by three (3) additional photos of Hull wearing the jersey that show these matches as well as a photo of Hull and Gordie Howe taken during the season that shows the loose white thread on the upper right edge of the "9" on the right sleeve. A beauty piece, an LOA will accompany.
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