Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction June 2015
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/17/2015
Rarely seen Montreal Canadiens 1970-71 Stanley Cup championship gold ring is an awesome opportunity. After missing the playoffs the previous season for the first time since 1948, the Habs bounced back in 1970-71 to qualify for the postseason with a 42-23-13 mark. Despite a 97-point campaign, the Canadiens finished third in the East Division, 24 points behind Boston. A stunning Montreal comeback against Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito's Big, Bad Bruins in Game 2 at Boston Garden paved the way for a remarkable seven-game upset by the Habs, who needed six games to get by Minnesota in the semis to reach the final. Down 2-0 at Chicago Stadium to Bobby Hull's Black Hawks in Game 7, Henri Richard scored twice, including the Cup winner, as the Habs claimed their fifth title in seven seasons. Conn Smythe honors went to rookie goalie Ken Dryden, who entered the playoffs with six games under his belt and went on to claim the Calder Trophy in 1971-72. Surprisingly, there weren't that many players or staff who ordered these championship rings, likely because they had to pay for them out of their own pockets. This scarce Stanley Cup gem is most likely from Florent Potvin, a part-time Canadiens scout back in the day. "World Hockey Champions" encircles a big red stone set in the tableau in raised gold around the bezel. The NHL shield appears on the left shank with "1970-71" stamped on a banner above it, while the right shank displays the CH logo with "Potvin" stamped on a banner above it. Size 10 1/2 bauble, which weighs about 19 grams, was obviously worn with pride as per the smoothing to the banners on the shanks and marks and scratches on the back of the band, which is slightly flattened. A small surface crack on the inner band is also to be noted. One of the Canadiens' most remarkable Stanley Cup wins, combined with a real scarcity of these championship rings, makes this a very desirable find.
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