Historical Hockey and Sports Memorabilia Auction November 2024
Playing a year of junior hockey with the St. Cathrines Teepees in the Ontario Hockey Association and breaking into the National Hockey League with the Chicago Black Hawks during the 1963-64 season, Phil Esposito would play three (3) and a half seasons in the Windy City before being traded to the Boston Bruins. Finding his stardom in Beantown and spending a total of 625 games in Boston's black and yellow uniform over the better part of nine (9) seasons during the late-1960s and throughout the 1970s, Esposito and the Bruins would win Stanley Cup championships in both 1970 and 1972 while Phil himself would claim hardware including the Art Ross Trophy (x5 - 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1974) and Hart Memorial Trophy (x2 - 1969 and 1974). Also named to the NHL's 1st All-Star Team on six (6) occasions (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1974), Esposito would finish his esteemed NHL career as a member of the New York Rangers, closing out his time in the league with a total of 717 goals and trailing only Gordie Howe in both career goals and total points at the time of his retirement. Enshrined into the hallowed hall of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1984 and seeing his famed number "7" lifted to the rafters of the Boston Garden on December 3, 1987, offered here is this Boston Bruins jersey worn by Esposito during the 1975-76 season, his last with the club before being traded to the Rangers.
A heavyweight durene knit offering made by Wilson, a brand label displaying washing instructions as well as a size "54" designation penned over the lower right hand corner in black ink is affixed to the inner collar, with the jersey measuring out a bit larger after checking, closer to a size "56" or "58" which was correct for Esposito in those years with the Bruins. Decorated over the front of the black, yellow and white garment with Boston's familiar spoked "B" team crest, which has been done in a layered tackle twill style, matching "Bear Head" alternate logo patches reside over each shoulder. Of note, these jerseys, originally worn during the 1975-76 season and sporting matching Massachusetts Bicentennial patches over both shoulders, were recycled into the next season and had the patches removed and the "Bear Head" patches added in their place. With the Bruins wearing Champion made mesh construction jerseys for most of the regular season (and Stall and Dean in the later portion of the year), the 1975-76 Wilson durene offerings were utilized in pre-season play and for a couple of games during October of the regular season as well. The Wilson jerseys were NOT used after October and the "Bear Head" patches were only added for the regular season as during pre-season play, the Massachusetts Bicentennial patches were still in place over the shoulders. Additionally, during the 1976-77 season, nobody is listed as having worn the number "7". Showing the ghostly outlines of the removed Massachusetts Bicentennial underneath/around the "Bear Head" ones currently in place, the sleeves and verso have been styled with Esposito's number "7" in dual layer yellow-over-white tackle twill numerals. Retaining a double garter style fight strap on the interior that has been sewn through the "7" on reverse, Esposito played twelve games for the Bruins in 1975-76 prior to his November 7th, 1975 trade to the New York Rangers, with his last game with the Bruins being a road contest on November 5th, 1975, meaning he should have been wearing this jersey in his final game with the B's.
Exhibiting good game-wear, the jersey displays with four (4) team repairs (two over the reverse, one of a larger size over the right sleeve and one over the lower front) as well as unrepaired holes near the right cuff, light rubbing/fraying from Phil's gloves near both cuffs, stick marks over the right sleeve, lower front and reverse hem, board burns over the lower front and right sleeve, red coloured board paint transfers over the front hem and both sleeves, visible puckering on the team crest and numbers on both the interior and exterior and finally, some pilling and stretch marks on the interior as well as rusting of the fight strap.
For the photo-matches and references, the first comes from images taken during Boston's October 16th, 1975 game against the Detroit Red Wings in Detroit to the particular placement of the sewing thread on the left elbow at the bottom yellow stripe, the particular placement of the triangle of the fight strap on the bottom of the number "7" on the reverse and to the uneven alignment of the black/white/black stripes on the left side hem. Additionally, the photo also shows the correct placement of the number "7" over the reverse and on the left sleeve. Additionally, four (4) other scans from the same game are matched to the things listed above as well as to the placement of the front crest, to the placement of "7" on the reverse and to the placement of the "7" on the left sleeve.
One of the best players that the National Hockey League has ever had the privilege of being graced by, a sentiment shared by the league when the named Phil as one of the Top 100 Players in its history during its centennial year of 2017, don't miss out on this gem donned by the prolific goal scorer in the closing moments of his Boston Bruins life story chapter. Of note, the jersey does NOT come to us from Esposito's personal collection.
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