Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction - June 2009
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/16/2009
Wow! Historic program from the November 15th, 1927 match between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the visiting New York Rangers, held at the Arena Gardens (Mutual Street Arena) in Toronto. According to those who were there "the Rangers opened at Toronto winning a game played under foggy conditions. Smiling Ching Johnson was the star with two goals". Just months before, Conn Smythe had purchased the St. Pats and renamed the team as they played their first game under the new moniker, the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 15th, 1927. The 48-pager shows its age and has creases and paper missing from the corners of a few pages inside, but the history simply pours out as you flip through. The lineup is intact and attached and lists Ace Bailey and Happy Day along with Carson, Roach and Keeling for Toronto against Bill & Bun Cook with Lorne Chabot, Frank Boucher, and Ching Johnson among the Rangers bench mates. Because we have not seen any evidence of programs from the Leafs' stunted 1926-27 season, we believe that this opening game publication from the 1927-28 year just might be the very first ever Toronto Maple Leafs game program. At the very least, it is the first example from the franchise’s first full season in existence. From the personal collection of Hockey Hall-of-Famer Bun Cook, complete with a letter of authenticity.
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