This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 6/12/2023.
When the NHL agreed to halt its season to allow the world’s best hockey players to compete in the Olympics for the first time in Nagano, the greatest player of all time, Wayne Gretzky agreed to play for Team Canada. Gretzky recorded 4 points in 6 games however the Canadians fell short against the Czech Republic. With the semifinal game on the line and Canada trying to advance to the first gold-medal match involving NHL players, the game went into a shootout and the coaching staff decided to not use Gretzky in one of the most controversial moments in Canadian hockey history. “The Great One” used this Hespeler fiberglass stick with Team Canada colors during those Olympics. The stick features Gretzky’s Gripper tape on the handle. Burned into the butt are three Olympic rings with “WG” below to look like the original five Olympic rings. The player name “GRETZKY” is vertically down the shaft. Gretzky signed the blade in blue marker with the added inscription “1998 Nagano” and in our opinion rates an 8. There is no handwritten number on the handle which is something that we have seen on other documented gamers. The tape on the blade has been removed to add the signature. This stick shows game-use and is accompanied by a Full JSA LOA.