Classic Lanny

My friends at Classic Auctions are at it again. 100s of hockey history items up for bids in their Winter 2013 offering.

The centrepiece of this amazing auction is the Lanny McDonald collection. But no, his moustache is not included!

There are several beautiful jerseys, most game worn. The classic Calgary jersey from 1989, the year Lanny captained the Flames to the Stanley Cup, promises to generate huge interest. Also offered is this Calgary jersey from 1982. It is believed to be Lanny's first ever game-worn Calgary jersey.

Unfortunately there are no game worn jerseys from the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Colorado Rockies. But Lanny's 1979 NHL Challenge Cup jersey is a beauty.

There are several signed sticks available, including offerings from the Flames, Leafs, NHL All Star teams and international hockey.

The highlight of the collection is McDonald's 13" 1989 Stanley Cup replica trophy. Stanley Cup winners get these beautiful keepsakes and every now and again you see one come up for auction. This has got to be one of the coolest hockey memorabilia items any Calgary Flames fan can own. In addition to McDonald all the Flames from 1989 are inscribed on this trophy, including Doug Gilmour, Joe Nieuwendyk, Al MacInnis, Hakan Loob, Tim Hunter, Theo Fleury Mike Vernon and so many others. Simply amazing!

Check out the new Classic Auctions Winter 2013 offering today!

The King Of The Rings

In the 1980s they renamed the Albertan capital city of Edmonton as "The City Of Champions."

Why? From 1978 through 1982 the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos won five consecutive Grey Cup championships. And then from 1984 through 1990 the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers won a total of five Stanley Cup championships.

To say it was a great time and place to be a sports fan is huge understatement! But could you imagine being a part of both the Warren Moon/Hugh Campbell's green and gold empire and Wayne Gretzky/Mark Messier's blue and orange dynasty?

That is exactly what the late Dr. Gordon Cameron did. From 1979 through 1993 he was team doctor for both teams and throughout both dynastys. Somehow he still found time to serve as an orthopaedic surgeon at the University of Alberta.

Through ten CFL/NHL championships the man everyone called "Doc" was given a championship ring. His link between the two made him a celebrity in his own right. He has so many championship rings that has been dubbed The King of the Rings. He was part of no fewer than fifteen (!) championships when you include his time with Team Canada (Canada Cup tournaments), the Edmonton Drillers soccer team, and Triple-A baseball's Edmonton Trappers.

Each of the Edmonton Oilers and Edmonton Eskimos championship rings are now up for sale individually in Classic Auctions Fall 2012 offering.

What an amazing chance to own a piece of history. Imagine the conversations started when you show off that 1984 Stanley Cup championship ring, bringing back all the memories of Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey and the Oilers rise to the top of the NHL. Or maybe you somehow land one of the Eskimos rings, recollecting the days of Warren Moon's brilliance before the NFL came calling.

Below are the direct links to each of the rings. Be sure the check out the stunning imagery in these offerings, and note how each ring differs. It is a fascinating journey through history.

Edmonton Oilers
1984
1985
1987
1988
1990

Edmonton Eskimos
1979
1980
1981
1982
1987

Other notable championship rings in the current Classic Auctions set include 1972 Summit Series rings from Wayne Cashman, Marcel Dionne, and Dennis Hull. Cashman also has both his Stanley Cup championship rings up for grabs.

There are even a couple of Stanley Cup championship rings for the ladies. Wayne Cashman is making available this rare ladies 1972 Stanley Cup championship ring. This 2006 Carolina Hurricanes championship ring belonged to a lady in the front office.

On the more affordable side try this 1987 Medicine Hat Tigers Memorial Cup championship ring or, going back even further, this 1960 St. Catherines TeePees Memorial Cup ring.

Want to take a peek at the evolution of championship rings over the years? Then you must check out Montreal Canadiens player Bob Fillion's 1946 Stanley Cup championship ring. The Habs were given these rings by the city of Montreal.

The most notable championship rings of the entire Fall 2012 Classic Auctions offering might not even be from the world of hockey. That's because one of the hottest items up for bids is a set 1992 and 1993 Toronto Blue Jays World Series championship rings.

Classic Auctions is best known for its vast collections of hockey offerings. But there are well over 100 non-hockey items available in the Fall 2012 offering. Top items include: Tamara Press' 1960 Olympic gold medal (shot put) and a game worn Gary Carter Montreal Expos jersey.

Gordie Howe Game Worn Jersey

The hottest item at the current Classic Auctions offering is this 1950s game worn Gordie Howe sweater.

Six bids have the sweater priced at nearly $15,000, which (correct me if I'm wrong) is the highest priced item as the time I hit the publish button.

And who wouldn't want to have this sweater. Howe is a four-time Stanley Cup champion with the Red Wings. He won six Hart Trophies as the league's most valuable player and six Art Ross Trophies as the leading scorer. He retired as the NHL's all time leader in virtually every category.

Gordie Howe was fond of saying hockey is a man's game. In the game of hockey, Gordie Howe is the man.

Here's a few more Gordie Howe offerings from the current auction:

• 1974 WHA Houston Aeros championship ring
• 1960s game used stick
• Autographed photo and letter collection

Josef Cerny: International Classics

Since I have a special fascination with international hockey history, I always take extra close note of Classic Auction's international collection.

The current auction features five from the private collection of Josef Cerny. Most notable is his 1964 Olympic bronze medal. He has a few other championship medals available too, along with this beautiful game worn Czechoslovakian national team jersey from the early 1970s.

Josef Cerny was one of the top players in Czechoslovakia in the 1960s and 1970s. He played 21 seasons in the Czech league, playing 686 games, scoring 403 goals (keep in mind statistical records are sketchy at best). Seven straight years (1960 - 1966) he led his team to the national championship. He also was a regular on the national team from 1959 through 1972. He played so long he was dubbed the Czech Gordie Howe.

Cerny was born in a small Bohemian town called Rozmital. He was the only boy among the families nine children. All those sisters would drive any boy to stay out on the frozen ponds longer every passing winter. It worked well for Josef as he perfected his craft on the pond behind their house.

By the time he became a teenager it was clear he was destined for hockey stardom. By 18 he was playing in the top Czech league and by 19 he debuted with the Czechoslovakian national team that later he would became captain of.

Number 15 stood out immediately, thanks to his remarkable skating ability. The left winger formed a dangerous duo with Frantisek Vanek (Rudolf Scheuer or Ludek Bukac often played on right wing). He may not have looked like much at first, standing at just 5'8" and 170lbs and with his "crooked legs," but as soon as the puck dropped he was something to see.

After retiring as a player Cerny coach in Austria and Czechoslovakia while also taking up teaching.

Other international items up for bids in the Spring 2012 Classic Auctions offering include:

• a game worn 1959 World Champion Belleville McFarlands sweater
• 1972 Summit Series game used sticks belonging to Phil Esposito and Jean Ratelle.
• game worn Sean Burke 1987 Team Canada national team jersey
• Sergei Starikov's 1980 Olympic silver medal
• 1981 Canada Cup display featuring Wayne Gretzky goal puck. 

Be sure to follow Classic Auctions on their website and on Twitter - @Classic_Auction

Kirk McLean: Classic Stand Up Goalie

You will get no arguments from me that Roberto Luongo is the best goalie in franchise history. But  my favorite Canucks goalie may always remain Captain Kirk, Kirk McLean.

McLean was a wonderful stand-up goalie, amongst the last of a dying and now all but extinct breed. He was so calm and collected I remember referring to him as the Willowdale Cucumber.

Who can forget the series against Calgary, especially the famous save. He turned aside Dallas and Toronto, before appearing on the grandest stage in all of hockey: the Stanley Cup finals at Madison Square Gardens.

What an incredible game one he had, turning aside chance after chance, stunning the MSG faithful as the Canucks stole game one in overtime.


ClassicAutions.net is back with an all new auction for spring 2012. And one of the most interesting offerings is that of Kirk McLean.


Twenty seven items are up for bids, headlined by his game worn 1994 Stanley Cup finals jersey. A couple (1, 2) All Star jerseys are available, as is a game worn Florida Panthers goalie mask and a game worn New York Rangers goalie mask. Unfortunately McLean's iconic Vancouver mask is not available. If it were, I know what I would be buying should I win the $50 million lottery next Friday.


A collection of trophies, more game worn equipment and even some items from McLean's youth are also available.


Be sure to follow Classic Auctions on their website and on Twitter - @Classic_Auction

Classic 10s: Top Ten Items From Newest Classic Auctions Offering

If I win the lottery this week, here's the top ten things I'd buy from the current Classic Auctions offering:

1. Rocket Richard rookie card - one of the finest graded Rocket rookies available
2. Gordie Howe game worn sweater - shows lots of wear and team repairs
3. 1984-85 Wayne Gretzky game used stick - gotta love the old white and red Titan woodie
4. 1930s New York Americans game worn sweater - incredibly rare
5. Bill Barilko's 1948 Stanley Cup ring - Interesting to comparison to today's gaudy rings
6. Wayne Bonney's game worn WHA ref sweater - just because it's so colourful
7. Jonathon Toews game worn 2010 Olympics sweater - how cool is that?
8. Cy Wentworth's Chicago Blackhawks leather jacket - just because I could
9. Game Worn Jaromir Jagr sweater from 1990-91 - his rookie season
10. Kirk McLean's 1983 Air Canada Cup game worn sweater - if only because the team from my home town of Terrace, BC won the national midget championship that year.

Be sure to follow Classic Auctions on their website and on Twitter - @Classic_Auction

New York Rangers: Classic Look

Henrik Lundqvist may be the King of New York. The goalie with the dashing good looks may pass for a GQ model if he ever took off that goalie mask.

If he ever decided to pursue that modelling career, I have the perfect outfit for him:

This classic cardigan sweater was worn by New York Rangers players throughout the 1928 Championship season. That season is of course best remembered as the year Lester Patrick stepped from behind the bench and into the goal crease during a Stanley Cup game.

Leo Bourgault, from Sturgeon Falls, Ontario, played five seasons with New York and played in over 300 NHL games in his career and is modelling the sweater in the photo above.

The sweater, issued to each player and staff member of the team, sports a great chenille team crest and wonderful red and cream wool pockets on a blue body. The coarse wool cardigan measures about 20" across the chest, indicating a size 40. It has been well-preserved and exhibits a few light snags on the left shoulder and some light staining. Two of the six buttons are missing but the remaining four are solid and hold everything together nicely.

Included is a photograph picturing Leo wearing this exact cardigan! From the estate of Leo Bourgault, this smashing sweater will come with a letter of authenticity from the family.

Be sure to follow Classic Auctions on their website and on Twitter - @Classic_Auction

Peter Pocklington's Stanley Cup Rings For Sale

Imagine owning a Stanley Cup ring from the Edmonton Oiler's dynasty. Well not only can you make such a purchase, but you can own then-team owner's Peter Pocklington's Stanley Cup ring! Or rings. All 5 of Peter Pocklington's championship rings are available in Classic Auction's latest sale.

Pocklington, the much maligned former owner of the Oilers who continues to find himself in fresh financial peril, spared no dime to have these championship rings made back in the day. Perhaps they are not as flashy (or gaudy) as today's behemoth finger accessories, but they offer so much more. The rings immediately conjure up images of a young Edmonton Oilers team coming of age and of Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey and friends raising the Stanley Cup over their heads for the very first time.

Let's take a closer look at the rings' through the dynasty years. 1984 is pictured above, and 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990 follow in order:

All images are from the ClassicAuctions.net website.

The rings will not come cheap. Each ring's starting bid price is $5,000 and all will undoubtedly garner much interest.

The collection of rings does not come directly from Pocklington but rather from collectors. Pocklington originally sold off the rings via Classic Auctions in 2008. Here's the winning prices back then:

• 1984 Edmonton Stanley Cup ring ($59,628) 
• 1985 Edmonton Stanley Cup ring ($61,174) 
• 1987 Edmonton Stanley Cup ring ($30,597) 
• 1988 Edmonton Stanley Cup ring ($49,279) 
• 1990 Edmonton Stanley Cup ring ($72,151)

Be sure to follow Classic Auctions on their website and on Twitter - @Classic_Auction

Collectors Always Happy To Visit Old Montreal

We've already looked at Ken Morrow's Miracle On Ice memorabilia collection that is up for auction, including his 1980 Olympics game worn jersey.

There are over 1000 items for sale in the newest Classic Auctions offering. This week we will continue to look some of the featured auctions.

The Original Six teams always are the focus of collectors. Montreal leads the way with over 100 items up for sale. Here's some quick highlights:

• Jacques Lemaire is selling off nearly 40 items, including 15 Stanley Cup and other trophy replicas.
• Sylvio Mantha's 1924 Stanley Cup championship watch
• Gump Worsley's 1966 Stanley Cup championship ring
• Bob Gainey game worn jersey - featuring 20 team repairs!
• An actual goal net from the Montreal Forum.

There's even 5 interesting items from the long defunct Montreal Maroons team. The 1929-30 "Maroons In Cartoons" looks interesting to me. *hint hint*

Olympic Rings

Aside from Ken Morrow's game worn Miracle on Ice jersey, the hottest item in the current Classic Auctions offering is Jacques Lemaire's 2010 Olympics 10K gold ring.

From the Classic Auctions website: from Jacques Lemaire's personal collection is his stunning 2010 Olympic Team Canada gold medal champions gold and diamond ring, the first one ever offered for sale at auction! This breathtaking creation - we counted 154 diamonds in all! - was presented by Hockey Canada to every member of Canada's men's Olympic team, including the coaching staff, to commemorate the country's gold medal win in Vancouver

All Star Auction

The photo above is of the 1952 NHL All Star Game program. It is one of a couple dozen All Star items up for auction currently at Classic Auctions.

In addition to the interesting collection of programs available, there also some interesting All Star jerseys up for grabs, including Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

Get Into Dave Semenko's Pants

Here's a Classic Auctions offering for anyone who has ever wanted to get into Dave Semenko's pants:

From the Classic Auctions write up: "Dave's heavy pair of Tackla Pro 3000 pants from the mid-Eighties come complete with suspenders and all padding intact. Well-worn with loads of marks and scuffing throughout. Size 52. Extra padding has been added to the front on each side and a few small rips must be noted."

Ken Morrow: Miracle Memorabilia

Classic Auctions is back with an all new Winter 2012 offering. The featured collection is what is believed to be the first significant Miracle On Ice auction ever offered.

Ken Morrow was a defenseman with Team USA that upset the might Soviets in the 1980 Olympics, winning the most unexpected hockey championships ever. It ranks as hockey's greatest moment in the United States, and arguably anywhere.

Morrow went on to be a four time Stanley Cup champion and a NHL stalwart. But the bearded wonder will forever be linked with the Miracle on Ice.

Now we can bid on 11 of Morrow's Olympic items. Headlining the auction is Morrow's game worn Olympic jersey. Yep, the actual jersey Morrow wore against the Soviets on February 22, 1980. Watching the price on this one will be fascinating, as it is certainly one of the most significant game worn jerseys ever auctioned off.

Now the jersey is already out of most of our price range, but there Morrow has other interesting items available, including:

• Morrow's gold medal ceremony worn Team USA jacket.
• Morrow's game worn skates and gloves.
• 1980 Olympic hockey ticket collection and other memorabilia.
• Morrow's 1980 Olympics participant lapel.

Morrow has a lot of non-Olympic items also up for bids, including collegiate memorabilia and several NHL and Islanders related items. A game worn 1983 Islanders jersey headlines that collection.

Be sure to check out the latest Classic Auctions offering now!

More International Hockey Up For Bidding

On Friday we mentioned Ken Morrow's Miracle on Ice 1980 Olympics collection. Classic Auctions also has a significant number of other interesting international hockey memorabilia available.

Items include:

• Valeri Kharlamov collection including a 1970s CSKA game worn jersey, a Jofa game used stick, and his 1972 Olympics gold medal.
• A beautiful 1954 Viktor Shuvalov CCCP jersey from World Championships.
• Memorabilia collections of Anatoli Firsov and Arkady Chernyshev
• Anatoli Tarasov collection includes his 1972 Summit Series notebook, his personal hockey photo collection, his coaching wool sweater and even his Red Army Colonel's uniform!
• Several Dennis Hull items from the 1972 Summit Series.
• Craig Hartsburg's BLUE 1978 WJC Team Canada jersey.
• Hayley Wickenheiser's game worn 2006 Olympic jersey.
• Jerseys, equipment and sticks from Kim St. Pierre

There is also a large collection of game worn jerseys from the 2012 WJC champion Russian team, including Nail Yakupov and Yevgeni Kuznetsov.

There are also no fewer than 72 (!) game worn jerseys from the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.

Gordie Howe Day

Check out this Gordie Howe Day program from his initial retirement in 1972. The cover is signed by five others: John Bucyk, John Bower, Doug Barkley; Bill Gadsby and Johnny Wilson.

That is one of several Gordie Howe related items for sale this month at Classic Auctions. But what about getting the chance to spend several days with Mr. Hockey at the First Annual Howe Fantasy Camp in Florida in 2012!

In addition to Gordie Howe, sons Mark and Marty will be present. Also tentatively scheduled to attend are Johnny Bower, Bernie Nicholls, Paul Coffey, Marcel Dionne, Bill Gadsby, Bill Barber, Brian Propp, Joe Watson, Darren McCarty, Joey Kocur and the Hanson Brothers!

winning bidder will take part in three hockey games with NHL pros/legend coaches. They will also receive a pro equipment package, including a personalized jersey, pants shell, hockey socks and hockey bag, with the pro touch of an equipment manager and training staff at their service. The lucky winning bidder will enjoy first-class treatment, including five-star luxury hotel accommodations for four nights at the magnificent Atlantic Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale.

Off-ice activities include championship golf, deep-sea fishing, a sunset cruise and what should prove to be an unforgettable closing awards banquet. Luxury transportation to and from the airport, arena, golf/fishing and meals is included as part of the experience.

Vladimir Dzurilla Auction

He was a refrigerator repairman by trade. But Vladimir Dzurilla gained much greater fame as the great Slovakian goaltender who earned admiration and praise for his play in the 1976 Canada Cup.

Classic Auctions is offering up nine fascinating items from Dzurilla's personal collection, including Olympic medals and game worn gems such as a sweater and a mask. Be sure to check out the auction, as well as the video below.

Pierre Larouche Collection Up For Bids

Pierre Larouche was the 8th overall selection by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft following one of the most impressive junior seasons. Playing with the Sorel Black Hawks, Larouche scored 94 goals and 157 assists for 251 points in 67 games!

Larouche stepped right into the Pittsburgh lineup the following season and excelled. He scored 31 goals and 68 points and led the Penguins to the second round of the playoffs. The following season Larouche took the league by storm, scoring 53 goals and 111 points. Seemingly Larouche was on top of the hockey world.

However Larouche would take a step backwards the next season, scoring only 29 goals and 63 points and for the first time there was rumours he was available on the trade market. As skilled a skater and shooter as he was, Larouche also needed to have a map to find his own defensive zone. So when Larouche got off to a bad start the following season, the Pens traded Larouche to Montreal 20 games into the season. Larouche was moved for Pete Mahovlich and Peter Lee.

Larouche would battle injuries and the pressures of being a Francophone playing in Montreal for the first two seasons in Montreal. But by 1979-80 he was healthy and burst out with a 50 goal campaign for the Habs, adding 41 assists. However a poor playoff again had his critics rumbling.

His critics (and in Montreal, everyone is a critic) weren't impressed by another injury riddle season to follow up the 50 goal campaign and by 1981-82 he was traded to Hartford in a deal involving lots of draft pick switching (Montreal ended up with Petr Svoboda). Larouche enjoyed playing without the pressure of the media in Hartford, finishing the season with 25 goals in 45 games.

However, (you guessed it!) Larouche would again battle injuries in 1982-83 and was not resigned by the Whalers. Larouche went to Broadway where he signed with the New York Rangers. In New York, he fell two goals short of becoming the only player in NHL history to score 50 goals with 3 different teams. Larouche scored 48 times, 19 of which were power play goals.

"Lucky" Pierre Larouche scored 395 goals, 427 assists for 822 points in 812 career games.

Classic Auctions has several interesting items from Larouche's career up for grabs.

Bobby Orr's 1976 Canada Cup Jersey

The showcase item in the Fall 2011 Classic Auctions offering has to be Bobby Orr's game worn jersey from the 1976 Canada Cup:

From Classic Auctions: In 1976, a faltering Orr was selected to represent his nation for the first time at the 1976 Canada Cup tournament. Bobby's knee, ravaged by operations every summer, was virtually without cartilage. He had played only ten games with the Bruins the previous season before requiring more surgery and rehabilitation, but he refused to allow injury to prevent him from playing in the inaugural Canada Cup, the first best-on-best featuring Canada and Europe.

The best-of-three finals pitted the Canadians against Czechoslovakia, and Canada began with an impressive 6-0 win in which Bobby scored twice including one that came on his trade-mark rush down the right wing to pot one over the glove of netminder Vladimir Dzurilla. After Canada's historic victory in the second and final outing, finishing on Sittler's memorable goal, Bobby Orr, who led Canada with nine points, was named the tournament MVP. Wondrous white knit with the heavily-screened rubberized red name, numbers and Team Canada demi-leaf design was worn by Bobby Orr throughout the international tourney.

Who can forget the emotional celebratory scene following Canada's victory when both teams met at center ice to shake hands and exchange jerseys. Pete Mahovlich found the Czech player with the jersey number matching his own and soon after, every other participant on the ice followed suit. Bobby swapped shirts with Czech star Oldrich Machac and this jersey remained in Machac's collection from that day to this.

Bidding ends on November 1st.

Other International items of interest:

• Valery Kharlamov collection
• Vladimir Dzurilla collection
• Game worn Vaclav Nedomansky Czechoslovakia jersey
• Jackie McLeod's game worn 1961 Team Canada jersey

Rare Rocket Statue Generating Huge Interest

The photo below is of a very rare statue of Maurice "Rocket" Richard that is already generating a significant bidding war at Classic Auctions.

This truly scarce Maurice "Rocket" Richard collectible is an extremely limited edition masterpiece that was inspired by the 10-foot-tall monument erected in front of the Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal in 1997. This pure bronze sculpture of The Rocket in full flight weighs approximately 28 pounds and stands 13 1/4" inches tall. Only nine of these sculptures were produced and this one is number 6 in the set. The 13 3/4"-diameter base features an impression of the Rocket's hand in the middle. Richard's facsimile autograph is engraved on the base along with the "VI/IX" limited edition notation, the signatures of artists Annick Bourgeau and Jules LaSalle, and "Atelier de Bronze" stamp along with a couple of sculpture notation marks. A worthy tribute to the greatest Montreal Canadiens legend of them all. This item may be subject to a silent reserve.

The bidding closes on November 1st, 2011.

Other Rocket Richard items in the auction:

• Autographed, game-used Maurice Richard stick from 1953
• Framed 25x28 photo autographed by Richard, Lafleur and Beliveau
• Last worn Canadiens jersey by Maurice Richard

Howie Morenz's Last Pair of Skates

Classic Auctions is back with a new offering, including this amazing item: Howie Morenz's last pair of skates.

From Classic Auctions:

On January 29, 1937 the Montreal Canadiens took on the visiting Chicago Blackhawks at the Forum in Montreal. During the first period of play, the towering Earl Siebert bore down on Habs star Howie Morenz as they chased the puck along the boards. The tip of Morenz's skate blade caught a crack in the boards and he fell awkwardly to the ice, his leg twisting beneath him. They say the snap of the bone was so loud it could be heard from any seat in the arena. Morenz was rushed to hospital where doctors explained that he would never again be able to play the game that was his passion. Within a few weeks, the great Howie Morenz was dead. Complications arising from the broken leg was listed as the cause of death but it is said that, fearing he would never again take to the ice, Morenz died of a broken heart. These are the last pair of skates worn by Howie Morenz and the actual pair of blades that brought his brilliant career to a shattering conclusion.

The last time these skates were auctioned off they fetched $25,000! Bidding closes on November 1st.

More Montreal Canadiens items up for bids:

• Guy Lafleur's HHOF induction ring
• Clarence Campbell's seat from the Montreal Forum
• 1985-86 Championship Trophy