Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction June 2018
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/19/2018
Hailing from only his fourth season with the fabled Montreal Canadiens – one that would witness both a first place finish for the Habs along with a Stanley Cup championship – we have a contract for Maurice Richard for the 1945-46 NHL campaign. A Standard Player’s Contract, a salary of $6900.00 along with an additional $100.00 for “options granted to the club” for a $7000.00 total is listed (just under $97,000 in today’s dollars), with this amount double the compensation The Rocket first received in 1942-43 with les Canadiens. A few interesting clauses listed have been crossed out and initialed by GM Tommy Gorman - presumably at Richard's request - including his ability to play other sports such as baseball along with having the option to make “radio broadcasts without the permission of the club”. Signed by HOFers Richard, Gorman and Builder Donat Raymond, a signature is also present for league president Red Dutton, but this unfortunately is a secretarial example.
At roughly 8 ½” x 16” unfolded, “R-21” has been handwritten along the top of the title section, with a pair of holes punched along the left to accommodate past binder storage. The fountain pen signatures all display well, with each slightly infringing on the signature placed above. The contract itself exhibits expected original fold lines and toning, with a few large creases along the bottom section (when unfolded). There are also numerous small pin/staple holes present. Finishing the 1945-46 season fifth overall in scoring with 49 points in 50 games, the Rocket would also receive a First Team All-Star berth.
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