1993 Wayne Gretzky Stanley Cup Playoffs Game Used Stick--Photo Matched!...

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Sold on Aug 21, 2021 for:

$12,000.00 Bid Source: Internet bidder

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Letter of provenance states that stick was used in Western Conference Finals Game Seven clincher!

1993 Wayne Gretzky Stanley Cup Playoffs Game Used Stick--Photo Matched! The Great One lived up to his moniker when it mattered most, scoring a hat trick (including the game-winner) and adding an assist in a five-to-four Game Seven victory over the Maple Leafs in Toronto to earn a Finals meeting with the mighty Montreal Canadiens for his Los Angeles Kings. This "Easton Aluminum HXP 5100" stick is purported to be the one which Gretzky used in that historic victory, a game which Gretzky himself characterized as the greatest game he ever played. That contention is made in a letter of provenance transcribed below:

"I, Nick Loizou, was the manager of the Hot Stove Lounge at Maple Leaf Gardens at the time of the 1993 Stanley Cup playoffs. Walter Gretzky called me the day before the seventh and final game of the Western Conference Final to ask me if I could help him procure a few tickets for the deciding game between his son Wayne's Los Angeles Kings and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Though I cannot recall whether or not I was able to help Walter Gretzky with that particular request, Brent Gretzky, Wayne's brother and Walter's son, came to see me after Game 7. Brent said, "Here you go," and presented me with this stick, telling me that for all the help that I had provided them Wayne wished to offer me his stick from that night's game."

To be clear, the included photo match (Getty Image #857123522) has been determined to be Western Conference Finals Game 2 (due to the advertising on the boards behind him), but Kings equipment manager Peter Millar reported that Gretzky often used sticks for multiple games, particularly when he felt a certain one was lucky. So while we remain confident in the Game 7 provenance, and it appears fully consistent with the video of that game's highlights at our online listing, there is no imagery from that clinching contest that is clear enough to provide for a definitive match.

The stick exhibits marvelous game wear--far stronger than most Gretzky gamers--with multiple dark marks on the hosel and plenty of wear to the blade tape. "Gretzky" is stamped at upper hosel and top of shaft, just below Gretzky's famous "Jack the Gripper" sleeve. Black sharpie signature just above blade is 9/10. Letter of provenance from original owner. Photo match to Getty Image #857123522. LOA from Heritage Auctions. Full LOA from James Spence Authentication. Full LOA from Beckett Authentication Services. Full LOA from PSA/DNA.