Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction June 2015
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/17/2015
This signed stick was used by Wayne Gretzky during his last New York Rangers practice ever on April 17, 1999. Our consignor was on hand for the practice, after which Wayne handed him this two-piece stick with a Hespeler CSPro composite shaft and wood blade insert he had used that day. Wayne’s Jack the Gripper blue foam knob and original tape job on the blade remain intact, and Gretzky signed the stick the following day with a bold blue marker autograph and the “NYR 1999” annotation on the front of the upper part of the blade insert with “Gretzky” stamped on the front. “Gretzky” is stamped on the shaft of this signed stick from the Great One’s final Rangers practice, the day before his last NHL game. Comes with a PSA/DNA letter for the autograph.
Our consignor says Gretzky used the stick in his last ever Rangers practice on April 17, 1999, and that Gretzky signed the stick at Madison Square Garden on April 18:
“Wayne and I have been friends since 1985. I lived with the Gretzkys three times in Los Angeles and directly across the park in New York. It's safe to say we are family.
“That said, in early April of 1999 I was living in Nashville, running my own company. Business commitments were going to keep me from being at Wayne’s retirement, but he and Janet systematically made those commitments go away. ‘You're not missing this,’ -- from both.
“ I went to N.Y. on April 16, 1999 for six days. On April 17, I joined Wayne and five others for his last practice skate in Rye, NY. On the way out of the building, he took one of several sticks he was carrying and said, ‘It's your job to remind me to sign this. Don't forget.’ As for the rest of the visit, it was epic and a privilege.”
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