Historical Hockey and Sports Memorabilia Auction Fall 2022
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/20/2022
Making his NHL debut for the Montreal Canadiens while still a teenager in 1963, Yvan Cournoyer was originally used sparingly by head coach Toe Blake before securing a regular shift with les Canadiens beginning in 1968. Spending his entire HOF career in Montreal, The Roadrunner would serve as team captain beginning in 1975, with 10 Stanley Cups won, along with the Conn Smythe Trophy, in 1973. Hailing from the Barry Meisel collection, we have signed skates worn by Cournoyer during his rookie era in the mid-1960s - including possibly his first season in 1963-64. Originally sold by Classic many years ago, with the skates in a large display case along with a game-used stick that came directly from the personal collection of Cournoyer, the CCM Prolite models sport a 1961 patent date along with intact laces, with the pair showing heavy use throughout with considerable wear to the leather in areas along with surface rusting to the blades. There is also residue from tape to the tendon guards, with heavy cuts to the toe caps. Cournoyer added a black marker signature to the underside of the left skate. A pair of modern rookie-era prints showing Cournoyer wearing what is supposed to be these exact models will accompany, but due to the dark colour of the skates, nothing can be matched from the image aside from the laces, which appear quite long/extended on both the skates and in the photos (both photos were originally part of the aformentioned display sold by Classic, along with a small name plaque which is also included).
Instrumental to the hobby as one of the founders of the MeiGray Group in 1997, a hobby entity paramount in the authentication of game-worn jerseys and equipment, pioneer collector Barry Meisel enjoyed almost two decades as a successful sports journalist. Beginning with his days interning for the Binghamton Evening Press while a senior in college, Meisel explains how his passion for collecting was fueled, stating “My plan was to get a game-worn jersey for every team I covered once I became a pro hockey writer. I got a Barons, then a Broome Dusters, Binghamton Whalers, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers. It was the late '80s. My first career was born. From the Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin to the Morristown, NJ, Daily Record, to the New York Daily News”.
In his dozen years with the New York Daily News, Meisel covered the New York Islanders, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils and New York Giants. He also spent the early-1990s serving as the News’ investigative sports reporter, with additional time as a columnist for The Hockey News (1982-90) and The New York Giants Newsweekly (1990-96), with a few book authored including 'Losing the Edge: The Rise and Fall of the Stanley Cup Champion New York Rangers’. Despite building a vast and encompassing grouping of items, Meisel notes, "I have my favorites. The Scotty Press that still sits in my home office. My 1983-84 Detroit Red Wings Ken Holland, the minor-league goalie in Binghamton who became a lifelong friend, and who had a cup of NHL coffee before becoming a Hall of Fame General Manager. And my 1994 Stanley Cup Finals New York Rangers white Craig MacTavish, who was wearing this jersey in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden on June 14, 1994. MacT knocked the final faceoff into the corner with 1.6 seconds left on a 54-year Jinx, the night the Rangers allowed the Monster of MSG to one day Die in Peace. This jersey is on display at the Garden, to remind every Blue Seater from old Section 433 that the wait was worth it”.
Classic Auctions in honoured to have been chosen to sell the Barry Meisel personal collection, with dozens of high-quality jerseys offered including an endless supply of important New York Rangers specimens from Marc Staal, Glen Hanlon, Mattieu Schneider (last MSG home game of the millennium) Kelly Hrudey and others, All-Star Game jerseys from Mark Messier, Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan, and inaugural season jerseys for the Quebec Nordiques, Chicago Cougars and Kansas City Scouts. The Meisel collection even boasts a rare single-season New York Golden Blades jersey! Additional gems that will have bidders salivating includes prominent lumber, with game-used sticks from HOF members Jean Ratelle, Billy Smith, Bryan Trottier and Igor Larionov, along with a tremendously rare copy of a 1946-47 New York Rangers media guide that predates the club’s first known Blue Book media guide.
As always, we hope these long-loved treasures find new appreciative collectors, with Meisel stating it best, “It's time for Classic Collectibles and my good friend Marc Juteau to help me find my gamers new homes. Time for others to enjoy the greatest hobby alive."
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