On April 18, 1999, one of the best athletes to ever play the game of hockey took his final bow. That would be Wayne Gretzky, whose professional career came to an end when his New York Rangers played the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the years since then, he has — as many retired athletes tend to do — invested in sport teams and become more involved in politics.
Gretzky remains a legend in the sport where he earned the nickname “The Great One,” so it’s not surprising to learn that memorabilia from his career is in high demand. This week, Sotheby’s is set to auction off his final game-worn jersey at an event held in New York City. On September 30, Gretzky’s Rangers jersey worn in that fateful game against Pittsburgh will be sold at auction, with bidding already at $280,000 as of this writing.
This jersey’s path to being sold almost took a massive detour. As Brahm Wachter, Head of Modern Collectibles for Sotheby’s, explained in a video, verifying the authenticity of the jersey proved challenging.
“It was extremely well-documented,” Wachter explained. “it had been displayed at Madison Square Garden for years.” Unfortunately, the service Wachter worked with to match the jersey with photos from the game couldn’t find anything high-resolution enough to verify it. Eventually, the jersey sold through another auction house.
Wayne Gretzky Explains How He Became an Owner of a Lacrosse Team
He has a long history with the sport
As Sotheby’s listing for this jersey points out, this is one of four jerseys Gretzky wore in his final game. Notably, this is the one he was wearing when he assisted on the Rangers’ lone goal in the game, scored by fellow Hockey Hall of Famer Brian Leetch. (The Rangers lost the game by a score of 2-1.) This would be the final point in Gretzky’s career.
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