When it comes to my favorite collectibles, memorabilia trumps cards by a lot. Just a much bigger sense of history and presence in the game.
My favorite piece is this jersey worn by Eddie Shore in February 1934 in the first NHL All-Star game. One of the all-time great defensemen, and the lead guy in “old-time hockey” by the Hanson Brothers, Eddie caused this game to be played when he injured Ace Bailey with his stick, causing damage that ended Bailey’s career, and the need for this game to raise funds for Bailey. While Baseball’s first allstar game preceded this by 8 months, the players wore no special uniforms. shore wore this one representing the NHL stars against the ACE jerseys of Toronto’s team (a grail i havent found yet!), so one could consider this the first major sport all-star jersey (though there were the barnstorming baseball tours earlier if any jerseys exist from those with an allstar logo). It led to the introduction of helmets to the game, and the first primitive one was worn by Eddie himself and that is show below from my collection as well.
One of the most significant pieces of hockey history, what makes this jersey notable as well, aside from the great condition and beauty, is the Jewish star worn as a star patch (probably easier to shape and sew on)….it was only 1934. THAT wont happen again in an all-star game.
The jersey was sold by Shore’s estate after he passed away. I was blown away by this item then and now. It started a collection of significant hockey jerseys that are my favorite collectibles (it’s an obsessive category for many, moreso than any other sport).
|