Historical Hockey and Sports Memorabilia Auction February 2025
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/18/2025
The second oldest member in the entirety of the International Ice Hockey Federation, the Czech Ice Hockey Association was established on November 15, 1908 and is the governing body of all the country's National Teams. One of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world and a member of the so-called "Big Six", the unofficial group of the six strongest men's ice hockey nations, along with Canada, the United States, Czechia, Russia, and Sweden, the Czech's have claimed ten (10) Olympic medals throughout their history, including gold in 1998, as well as thirteen (13) World Championship gold medals as well. Offered here, we present this pair of Czechoslovakian National Team pro-stock gloves that date from the era of the early-to-mid-1970s. White, blue and red coloured gauntlets made by VHV Opus of Prague, the 3 0764 model mitts each have "VHV Opus Praha" logos in gold foil over the inside portion of each cuff while "CSSR" is spelt out in silver over the wrists. Also displaying the model number and "Made in Czechoslovakia" on the backside of each hand, the cuffs both feature a quartet of eyelets as well as their original leather lacing. Remaining in overall fantastic condition and appearing to have never been worn in competition, light marks and rubbing of the leather is seen throughout while the leather palms sport just a couple of light stains/marks/scratches over each that are worth noting for accuracy. Hailing directly from the personal collection of Kimmo Leinonen, the gloves will come accompanied by a Classic Auctions LOA.
Born in Tampere, Finland, in 1949, and beginning his rise in the hockey ranks as a junior hockey coach while also involved in the hockey stick industry in Canada and Germany, Finnish hockey executive and writer Kimmo Leinonen had a connection to the NHL as he was employed as a scout for the New York Rangers from 1978-79 to 1982-83. As a founding member of the Finnish Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979 - where he served as chairman from 2011 to 2018, Leinonen also helped to establish the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1996 and was the director of public relations and marketing for the organization from 1995 to 2007. His later career included an appointment as general secretary of the 2012 and 2013 Ice Hockey World Championships co-hosted in both Finland and Sweden. The hockey guru has written multiple books on the history of hockey in Finland, and for his great contributions to the sport, was inducted into the builder category of the Finnish Hall of Fame in 2011. He was further acknowledged as the only person from Finland to win the Paul Loicq Award in recognition for his efforts in international ice hockey in 2023. We are pleased to offer items from his personal collection that he acquired during his years as the IIHF director of public relations and marketing from 1995 to 1997, with others originating from later in his career as well as international hockey memorabilia he collected and items he was gifted.
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