Historical Hockey and Sports Memorabilia Auction Spring 2022
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/31/2022
In 1972 founders of a company named Hockey Diversified Inc. envisioned that each puck shot into the net to produce an official goal scored in an NHL hockey game would develop a degree of intrinsic collector value for hockey fans everywhere. The founders took this idea to the NHL and procured the rights to all such NHL pucks during regular season and playoff games for a period of five years. Pucks shot into the net for a goal were collected by the referees, given to the time keepers to label and then shipped to Hockey Diversified to further label with scoring details. The pucks were then marketed to the public by Hockey Diversified Inc. Unfortunately, this idea was ahead of its time and pucks sold poorly. The program lasted only two seasons, 1972-1973 and 1973-74. Hockey Diversified Inc. dissolved shortly thereafter. Classic Auctions is honored to have been chosen by an original founder of Hockey Diversified to sell, at upcoming auctions, residual, unsold pucks from that “NHL Registered Goal Puck” collection.
Each puck originally distributed by Hockey Diversified could be obtained by mail with the buyer’s choice of team and possibly player. A label was affixed to each puck listing the scorer, team and date, along with a code that divulged which team-goal said puck accounted for. This particular puck was used by Rick Martin to score the Buffalo Sabres 242nd goal of the season vs the St Louis Blues, at Memorial Auditorium, on the final day of the regular-season, April 7, 1974. Assisted by Norm Gratton and French Connection linemate Gilbert Perreault, it was Martin’s 52nd goal of the season and 133rd of his career, with a total of 384 career goals scored. The third goal of a hat trick, scored late at 19:13 of the third, this goal was the final marker of the season for the Sabres, while Martin’s second goal served as the game winner. Buffalo would beat-up on the Blues at home this evening, 5-2. The rubberized Sabres logo and Goal Puck Program label both remain fairly clean, with just light wear to the puck.
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