ice hockey

Hockey Jersey Auction Could Set A Record

One of Canada's prized pieces of sports memorabilia could sell for over $340,000 Canadian today through Classic Auctions. Bidders have just a few more hours to bid on the jersey worn by Paul Henderson when he scored what is referred to as "the goal"-- Team Canada's deciding goal of the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union. The Toronto Star reports that the well-worn white and red No. 19 shirt received a bid of $309,224 from The Jim Pattison Group, a B.C.-based company who would take the sports artifact on a Canada-wide tour before donating it to the sports hall of fame in Calgary. Other Canadian brands including Molson and Canadian Tire tendered bids earlier in the auction. The current owner plans to doate some of the proceeds to charity. The hockey jersey has set a record for the highest price ever to be paid for a hockey item via auction beating out a Bobby Orr rookie jersey that sold for $191,200. It is believed that some Wayne Gretzky have sold privately for for around $250,000. For his part Henderson has said he'd like to see this one go to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.

UPDATE: The Toronto Sun reports that the shirt went for a total of $1,275,707 including auction fees to Mitchell Goldhar, owner of real estate development company SmartCentres.

Tags: hockey, hockey jersey, hockey jerseys, ice hockey, paul henderson, sports memorabilia, team canada

Beverly Hills Cigar Club to Hockey Haters: Light(en) Up!

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars, Events

Much ado has been made of the cigars ignited by the Canadian Women's Hockey Team in celebration of the gold medal they had earned. Of course, they are not the first to light cigars following a victory, and despite much of the criticism being levied these days, they are unlikely to be the last. Vin Lee, CEO of the Beverly Hills Cigar Club, wants the team to know that they have his support.

In addition to decrying the International Olympic Committee's suggestion that an investigation may be necessary, he said in a statement:

Every other sport – from the Stanley Cup, the World Cup of Soccer, NASCAR to the Super Bowl -- supports celebrating victories with a bottle of champagne and a great cigar," points out Lee. "The moment is emotional; in the case of the Olympics, it often is the reward of years of hard work and sacrifice. The Canadian Women's Hockey Team should not be chastised for wanting to mark their victory on the ice. They are national heroes.

It would be nice for the IOC to lighten up on this issue ... having already missed the opportunity to light up in support of the Canadian women's team.

And, congratulations on a victory that was certainly earned!

Tags: beverly hills, BeverlyHills, canada, canadian womens hockey team, CanadianWomensHockeyTeam, cigar, cigars, hockey, ice hockey, IceHockey, OlympicGames, olympics