Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction March 2011
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/29/2011
This fabulously colorful and truly rare Montreal Canadiens #20 wool sweater from the mid-1930s comes from the family of NHL defenseman Leo Bourgault. A member of the New York Rangers first Stanley Cup championship team in 1928, the diminutive Bourgault was traded by Ottawa to the Canadiens during the 1932-33 season. He played the final 67 games of his NHL career with the Habs and although he wore a variety of numbers with Montreal (including 11, 12 and 99!), he never wore number "20" for the Canadiens. Bourgault was, however, an enthusiastic collector of hockey memorabilia and it is likely that he obtained this magnificent Canadiens wool sweater as a keepsake from a Habs player. Patrick Roy recalls in his authorized biography visiting Bourgault's son, Leo Jr., a personal friend, and marveling at the extensive collection of hockey treasures owned by the Bourgault family, including numerous vintage jerseys. This red-white-and-blue marvel with a white crew neck collar and cuffs dates from the 1935-36 to 1937-38 seasons, according to our research. It features an incredible red-and-white double felt "CH" crest sewn across the blue-and-white bands on the front of the sweater. The number "20" sewn on the back displays the typical stitching of the era, including a diagonal line of stitching through the left side of the "0" between the inner and outer edges of the white felt. "Mc'Niece's" label sewn in the back of the neck is the same tagging as appears on sweaters from the 1939 Babe Siebert memorial game. No size is indicated, though we measure it out to a size 38, more or less. The colors of this 75-year-old wool gem remain vibrant and the sweater is in truly wonderful condition despite its obvious flaws, including a hole on top of the right shoulder and smaller ones on the front of each sleeve near their respective cuffs. The right side of the collar displays dark stains, front and back, and with a few lighter stains appearing on the front tail and the white felt sewn-on numbers on the back. If this Canadiens sweater did see active duty it was likely worn by Paul-Emile "Polly" Drouin, who became the first player to wear #20 for the Habs in 1935-36, or possibly Paul Runge, who wore #20 for four games in 1936-37 before he was traded to the Maroons. This stunning vintage wool Montreal Canadiens sweater comes with a signed letter of authenticity from the family of Leo Bourgault.
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