Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction March 2011
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/29/2011
Astonishing find in this vintage helmet and cage combination worn by exciting star of the 1972 Canada Russia Summit Series, Vladislav Tretiak. Tretiak, a rare international addition to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, is so closely linked with goaltending excellence that it's hard to imagine that before 1972, the Soviet superstar was almost completely unknown to the North American sporting public. Canadian hockey scouts had dismissed him as a weak link in the Soviet defense prior to the Canada-USSR series in 1972, calling him inconsistent, with a weak glove hand that could be exploited almost at will. By the time the Summit Series was over, though, Tretiak was no longer a mystery to NHL fans. We were treated to years of great goaltending including appearances in the famous game against the Montreal Canadiens on New Year's Eve, 1975 and the thrilling matches of the 1981 Canada Cup. The red Jofa model 23551 helmet is matched with a white-painted metal cage with red leather chin protector intact. All interior padding is there and white decals reading "JOFA" and "CCCP" have been applied to the forehead. Black and silver Jofa decals appear at each temple and the small circular "Sokand Match Hjalm" decal can be found near the front left side. A white decal goalie stick up on the front left remains while the glue residue from its match over on the other side shows where it once was. The back of the helmet displays white decals over the raised "VM" identifier and, just lower, we find a red label embossed with "V. Tretiak" in Cyrillic. Tretiak added a bold, black signature along the left side of the helmet and made note of the date, "15.04.73" which corresponds to the date of the final game of the 1973 World Championships, won by the Soviet Union. Great wear overall with scratches on the helmet and paint chips along the wire cage. Without a doubt, this is the finest, most significant goalie helmet we have ever offered.
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