Historical Hockey and Sports Memorabilia Auction September 2024
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/24/2024
Still affectionately known in the hockey circles as simply "Mr. Hockey", Born March 31st, 1928 in Floral, Saskatchewan, Gordie Howe would get his first taste of professional hockey at age 15 in 1943 when he was invited by the New York Rangers to their training camp held at "The Amphitheatre" in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He played well enough there that the Rangers wanted Howe to sign a "C" form which would have given that club his National Hockey League rights and to play that year at Notre Dame, a Catholic school in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, that was known for producing good hockey players. Turning down the offer the Blueshirts made him, Howe would return home and be noticed by the Detroit Red Wings in 1944, who extended the kid, who would become known as "Mr. Hockey", an invitation to their camp in Windsor, Ontario. Signed by Detroit to the same previously mentioned "C" form and enjoying a 1944-45 season with the Galt Red Wings and a 1945-46 campaign with the Omaha Knights of the USHL, Howe would finally crack the Motor City lineup on October 16th, 1946. In true Howe fashion, the 18-year-old right winger scored his first of 1071 professional goals (including both regular season and playoffs in the NHL and WHA) that night against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Detroit's Olympia. Switching to his famed number "9" after his rookie season and becoming a mainstay in Detroit's lineup for 25-years, Howe would lead the Red Wings to four (4) Stanley Cup Championships, win six (6) Hart and six (6) Art Ross Trophies and be named an NHL All-Star a total of twenty-one (21) times.
Retiring from the National Hockey League at the conclusion of the 1970-71 season but making a comeback in the World Hockey Association beginning in 1973-74 to play with his son's Mark and Marty as a member of the Houston Aeros, the Howe's, led of course by their father, would lead the Aeros to the AVCO Cup in back-to-back years of 1974 and 1975. Finishing out his WHA tenure with two (2) seasons with the New England Whalers, Howe would find himself back in the NHL for the 1979-80 season with the merger between the NHL and WHA, where he would play one final season, suiting up in 80 games and registering 15 goals and 26 assists for 41 points at the age of 52-years-old. Proudly offered here, we present this Detroit Red Wings jersey worn by Howe during the 1964-65 season in which he put up seventy-six (76) points in seventy (70) games played.
Coming with numerous photo-matches from the 1964-65 season, all showing distinct characteristics in the iconic Red Wings team crest that appears over the front of the jersey, which differs from examples from 1963-64 and 1965-66 that we have both handled/examined and seen, the first is to a Red Wings team issued photo that includes both a head shot of Howe in the jersey as well as a posed action image of "Mr. Hockey" alongside it that appears to show him in the same sweater based on the top and bottom "teeth" like attributes that are found at the left side edge of tire wall. Additionally, other images, including one (1) from the 1964-65 season that shows Howe seated alongside Bill Gadsby and Ted Lindsay, who is seen wearing the number "15", a numeral he only wore that season, matches up with the same previously mentioned particulars of the team crest also. Next, Getty Image #51842178 (October 15th, 1964 vs Toronto) pictures Howe with Lindsay and former teammate Sid Abel, with the jersey Howe is wearing in the image once again matching the one being offered here to the characteristics of the team crest. Finally, Howe can be seen wearing the offered jersey in a large blown-up poster board image of him as well as his two (2) sons Mark and Marty that was taken prior to Detroit's contest on January 9th, 1965 against the Chicago Black Hawks. Dated on the back of the image in red coloured pencil, the jersey is once again matched to the particulars that are observed throughout the famed winged wheel team crest that graces the front of the jersey. Finally, Getty Image #515513802 (September 25, 1965 - unknown opponent) is matched to the same particulars of the front crest and shows that the sought after shirt was recycled into the next year's pre-season campaign.
A scarlet red durene construction offering made by General Athletic, the company's label that was once sewn inside the reverse hem has long been lost to time while remains of a label from Olympic Sporting Goods, Detroit's equipment provider of the era, are still found affixed to the inner collar alongside a size "48" fly tag. Decorated over the front with a familiar Red Wings winged-wheel team crest that features embroidered details throughout, the sleeves and verso of the jersey have had Howe's famous number "9" sewn to them in single layer white tackle twill numerals which remain in their original positions and have never been tampered with. Exhibiting excellent game-wear throughout its entirety and void of a fight strap on the interior, stick marks are observed over the front, left side of the collar, both sleeves and the reverse while red board paint transfer marks are present over the front hem. Also showing additional battle scars via a number of board burns/scrapes over both sleeves as well the body on both sides plus a few small unrepaired holes that are scattered throughout both as well, a total of five (5) team repairs are found over the right sleeve while another is found over the lower front and yet another two (2) are viewed on the reverse. With additional fabric runs and holes seen throughout the body, sleeves and under the right arm, it should also be mentioned that both the interior and exterior of the jersey show pilling and that there are a few popped stitches around the hem, cuffs and elbow reinforcements.
Still regarded as possibly the greatest player to ever grace the National Hockey League throughout the entirety of its history, the jersey, one of the finest Howe examples from his days as the leader of what was the Original Six era and beyond Detroit Red Wings, comes accompanied by a MEARS Letter of Opinion (who have given the jersey an A10 grade overall), as well as a Heritage Auctions COA, an LOA from Milt Byron of Byron's Hockeyland, a Spivack & Kraut LOA and finally, an LOA from Brad Moore of Fairmore Sports. Of note, all the included LOA's and COA's list the jersey as being either a late-1960s or 1967-69 example but we know based on the conclusive photo-matches that the jersey was donned during the 1964-65 campaign.
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