Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction Fall 2013
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/5/2013
The words "rare" and "significant" are often used when we describe historic items from the NHL's past, but neither seems quite sufficient when the following offered lot is considered. Robert Gordon Orr, considered by many the greatest hockey player who has ever lived, made his long-awaited professional debut in the Boston Bruins first exhibition game of the 1966-67 season; played September 23, 1966 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Home at the time to the junior London Nationals, the London rink was for several seasons the site of the Bruins' training camp, and in 1966 Bobby Orr was among a dozen rookies invited to the camp, which began on September 5th of that year. The September 23rd game against the Leafs was not only Boston's first exhibition tilt, but the first played in the League, and it ended in a 1-1 tie, with Orr setting up Pit Martin for the game tying goal. That we have never previously seen a copy of this fascinating program is not surprising, as attendance would have been limited at the small London rink, and few of those that picked up a program that evening would have had the foresight not to discard it. Aside from its historic significance, its contents offer intrigue on a couple of fronts. Firstly, there is a full page of facsimile autographs for everyone on the Bruins' camp roster; everyone, that is, except Orr. We can only conclude that because he was just an 18 year old rookie, his signature was not yet on record by the time of publication. More significantly, he is listed in the lineup page as wearing #4. While that was of course the number he made famous throughout his career, it has long been believed that Orr started with and wore #27 throughout the exhibition season, until Albert "Junior" Langlois, who had worn #4, was cut. Langlois was not dressed for this game, and Poul Popiel is listed with #27, which suggests that Orr did in fact start with his famous #4, and played his first ever game in a Bruins jersey wearing it, before bowing to seniority and switching to #27 when Langlois played in the following game. All in all, an incredibly important piece of hockey history, in strong EX condition.
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