Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction June 2016
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/15/2016
Despite never knowing what the future holds, it’s safe to say that the Montreal Canadiens hockey franchise will never be graced by the presence of another individual in the class of Maurice Richard. Whether it was his Quebecois passion, raw talent or burning desire, The Rocket is and always will be the standard by which all others are measured. The 1949-50 season perfectly exemplifies Richard’s stature. He was a First Team All-Star, he was the NHL goal leader with 43, and he finished 4th in scoring with 65 points. His 43 goals was the 3rd best career total for goals scored during the regular season, and his 43rd goal, which was scored in the last regular season game at the Boston Garden, was also the 250th of his amazing career. Magical.
With only a handful of legitimate Maurice Richard gamers to have ever hit the auction block, we are absolutely elated to be able to offer arguably the best of that limited supply, with Richard’s 1949-50 Montreal Canadiens red home wool jersey, and amazingly, it’s been photo-matched! The collar is currently void of any labeling, with the important wool styled with the iconic CH logo in felt across the chest, and “9” on verso in dual-colour felt with zig-zag pattern attachment. Accented with the familiar blue and white sleeve, chest and lower striping bands, the garment also utilizes six-eyelet configuration on tie-neck construction. A 1949-50 action photo of the Canadiens vs the Black Hawks shows Richard with the correct team crest style and placement, with three additional photos from the 1949-50 season showing the Canadiens wearing the smaller back numbers, matching our example.
As a testament to Richards no-holds-barred style play, the sweater exhibits heavy and thorough use, with over 25 team repairs present along with pilling and unrepaired holes. More then half a dozen small repairs grace the upper and lower front, with larger examples on each sleeve. There is also some minor staining around the collar, while the sacred team crest and iconic “9” on verso remain bright and clean. The jersey is photo-matched to the exact placement and particularities of the team crest, including the uneven white band on top and circular-like indentation on the lower middle portion of the red felt on the team crest. The photo used for the matches also shows the same exact placement of the red sewing thread going through the white band on the left side shoulder.
It’s important that we note that this jersey was originally gifted by Richard to a close friend over a quarter of a century ago, and has never before been offered for public sale. Please take note that this item may be subject to a silent reserve. Comes with a Classic Auctions LOA.
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