The Great One can add another record to his extensive resume, as one of his game worn jerseys recently broke the record for most expensive US based hockey jersey sale.
An autographed New York Rangers jersey, worn by Wayne Gretzky in his final NHL game on April 18th, 1999 sold at auction for a record setting $715,120. The figure breaks the previous high water mark of $657,250 which was shelled out for Mike Eruzione’s 1980 Olympic jersey from the “Miracle on Ice” team.
The blue number 99 Rangers jersey actually holds double significance in hockey lore. Not only is it the final NHL jersey Gretzky wore in his illustrious career, but it’s also the jersey he wore when he recorded the final point of his career as well. Point number 2,857 came via assist on a Brian Leetch power play goal at the 19:30 mark of the 2nd period.
With no other player in the history of the sport having reached the 2,000pt barrier, and the closest active player a distant 1,300+ points behind, it’s possible that it will remain a record that will never be broken.
Up until recently, the jersey had been displayed in Madison Square Garden’s “Defining Moments” museum. The auction, brokered by Grey Flannel Auctions, was the first time the jersey has ever been offered for sale publicly.
While the jersey is the most expensive US based hockey jersey ever sold, it sits a distant 3rd on the all time autographed hockey jersey list. Paul Henderson’s iconic 1972 national team jersey from the Summit Series sold for $1.275M at auction in 2010, while Gretzky’s final Edmonton Oilers jersey went for an astounding $1.452M. The Oilers jersey was worn by Gretzky during the 1988 Stanley Cup Final.
The 62 year old is only the 3rd North American athlete to have his jersey retired league wide, joining Jackie Robinson and Bill Russell.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Hakandahlstrom. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.