Item description
Stirring old wool Canadiens jersey comes to us from a man who was a huge Jean Beliveau fan in his youth and who informs us he received it as a gift from his father in the 1950’s when Beliveau was establishing himself as the premier center in the game while helping the Habs establish hockey’s greatest dynasty. Tie-neck style jersey has a “McNiece’s - Kenny Grant - Johnny Bennett” tag sewn in the right hip area of the rear hem and a white-on-blue felt number “4” is stitched to the back in classic old zigzag fashion. The crest features red and white tackle twill sewn on blue felt. Signs of game use are in two small team repairs; one on the front and another on the back, as well as nice pilling above the now cream-colored cuffs. We count some two dozen small holes throughout, admittedly more the work of moths than that of the opposition. Sweater now measures out to size 44 and could have been worn by Beliveau in circa 1956 or 1957, although we have not seen a Habs gamer from that time frame with a tackle twill crest despite claims made by some. Indeed, some type of “different” set may have been produced. To our knowledge, by the time tackle twill appeared, so did numbers on the sleeves. At any rate, oh, what a feel to this treasure and oh, the memories it provokes.
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