Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction Fall 2018
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/6/2018
The first player in NHL history to don his needed spectacles during game play, Russ Blinco received his seasoning with both McGill University and the Windsor Bulldogs before stepping-up to the Bigs. An impressive 23 points scored in just 31 games during his inaugural season with the Montreal Maroons would be more than enough to claim the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s freshest face in 1934. Five total seasons would be spent in Hockey City with the Maroons, which would include four points in seven playoffs games to help the soon-to-be-defunct club capture their final Stanley Cup championship in 1935. Blinco was also one of few players fortunate enough to take part in the historic Howie Morenz Memorial Game in 1937, retiring after a final swan-song season in The Windy City with the Black Hawks in 1938-39.
With the few genuine Maroons sweaters remaining in the hobby helping to elevate our example to exceptionally rare status, the history and provenance of this wool treasure is almost as interesting and important as it’s survival. Originally acquired by a prominent Montreal collector in the 1980s after a request was made to Doug Harvey through a mutual friend, Harvey was able to help facilitate the deal, as he knew Blinco’s widow. Originating from circa 1935-38, a small label from Albion Knitting Company in Peterborough remains tightly sewn to the inner collar, with the vintage sweater measuring-out to roughly a size 38. Featuring the franchise’s iconic large “M” administered in thick white felt and affixed to the chest in a double-border sewing pattern, “14” appears over verso in matching white felt, with zig-zag pattern attachment. White collar and cuff accents have also been utilized, with striping bands over both the sleeves and waist.
Visually appealing with wonderfully simplistic utilitarian aesthetics, the wool’s maroon colouration remains rich and vibrant, with most of the cuffs and collar retaining their original slightly off-white tone. Both the sleeve and waist striping bands exhibit considerable bleeding and saturation, with the team crest and reverse numbers both showing bleeding along the inner-sewn border, giving an almost inline effect. A few unobtrusive holes from thorough game use are also visible, including most notably beneath the team crest and near the left elbow, with team repairs over each lower sleeve, near the team crest and beneath the front left shoulder. One of the sports most fabled and lamented franchises, the Montreal Maroons – along with the Victoria, Wanderers and Winged Wheelers – augment the legacy of hockey’s most paramount locale, and constitute the rich and historic fabric of the world’s fastest and most beautiful game. An LOA from Classic Auctions will accompany, and please take note that this item may be subject to a silent reserve.
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