Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction Fall 2020
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/20/2020
Headlining George Springate’s awesome personal collection is this awesome Alouettes jersey, donned by the placekicker in the 1970 Grey Cup game, with George contributing a 21-yard second quarter field goal and two converts as the Als beat the Calgary Stampeders 23-10 in front of 32,669 fans at Toronto’s CNE Stadium, giving Montreal its first title since 1949. The formidable green durene jersey features George's number “36” in white-on-red tackle twill, while two Grey Cup champion patches on the left sleeve/shoulder and the nameplate were later added, the Als wearing the uniforms again in 1971. One of the nicest examples one could hope for, given it was worn by a placekicker, the scarcity displays marvelously and is professionally framed to 30” by 31”.
We cannot spot any runs or tears in the jersey and should point out that two similar uniforms that we have handled in the past, those of Sonny Wade and Peter Dalla Riva, had had the Grey Cup patches and nameplates removed by the team. We surmise that Springate may have called it quits after the 1971 season, retaining his jersey, before being lured back for a brief time in 1972 when he donned #35, making for an even more tempting opportunity here. Interestingly, as a politician with a strong stance on language and with the backdrop of the 1970 October Crisis, George found himself fourth on the FLQ’s (Front de liberation du Quebec) hit list. He thus had his own bodyguard who sat with him on the Alouettes’ bench during practices and games. An interesting dude for sure, with a Letter of Authenticity from the family to accompany this sensational keepsake.
Also included is a neat 11” by 14” action photo on thin cardboard, capturing George following through on one of his kicks, with Larry Fairholm as the holder.
The George Springate Collection
Classic Auctions is pleased to offer the personal collection of George Springate. A native Montrealer, George had an amazingly diverse and storied life. Long-time Montreal Alouettes fans know him as the placekicker for the 1970 Grey-Cup-winning Als, while also serving as a Quebec MNA; others for his police, education and political careers.
A unique Canadian, George made impressive contributions to his community, province and country throughout his life, for which he received the Order of Canada among many other honours. A superb fundraiser, he raised millions of dollars for Canadian youth, as well as other charities. Of particular interest to sports enthusiasts/collectors is his more than 50 years of organizing charity events, most particularly the dozens of celebrity skate-a-thons and Oldtimers hockey games that produced scarce and sought-after souvenirs, many featured in this auction.
While a Montreal police officer, George acquired two law degrees and played football at McGill University, was a radio and television personality, and a law professor for 33 years, co-founding the Police Technology Department at John Abbott College. Later in life, he served as a Canadian citizenship judge for 14 years, the last five as Canada’s Senior Judge. Following his death in November 2019, a House of Commons tribute stated, in part: "George was larger than life. He was a friend to all. He touched our lives by his friendship and his philanthropic work, which benefitted so many wonderful causes and organizations." Indeed, what a life!
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