Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction June 2015
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 6/17/2015
A four-time Stanley Cup champion with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the late Jim Thomson also left a legacy as one of the leaders of the first attempt to form an NHL players’ union. Thomson, who won the Cup in 1947-49 and ’51, drew the ire of Leafs president Conn Smythe for organizing the drive that saw almost every member of the team support a bid by Detroit’s Ted Lindsay to form a players’ association in the late 1950s. After 12 seasons with Toronto, Thomson was sold to Chicago, where he played one final season. This magnificent wool treasure with “Tease Knitting Co. Ltd” tagging in the hem is Thomson’s Maple Leafs game-worn sweater, the type of jersey worn by the Leafs in the late-1940s and early-1950s. Thomson started wearing #2 in 1948-49 and wore it until the end of his playing days with the Leafs in 1956-57. The 36-point blue felt Maple Leafs crest on the front displays sewn-on white felt letters and white thread stitching for the veins in the leaf. The blue felt number 2 on the back features old-school zig-zag stitching. The blue colors on the front of the jersey on the team crest, stripes and collar show some fading compared to those on the back. From the information we have received from the consignor it appears that the jersey was originally obtained directly from the Thomson family in the late-1980s.
Various small holes and light stains on this historic Leafs game-worn wool sweater do not diminish its display.
Thomson was a Leafs alternate captain from 1953-54 to 1956-57, and served briefly as team captain during his final season before Ted Kennedy reclaimed the C when he came out of retirement.
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