This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 1/23/2020.
The Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche were involved in the fiercest rivalry in professional sports from the mid 1990s through the early 2000s. Both teams were atop of the league, combining for five Stanley Cup championships in a seven-year span from 1996-2002, which only added additional fuel when they met in the playoffs. The incident that ratcheted the rivalry took place in the first period of Game Six of the 1996 Western Conference Finals. Avalanche forward Claude Lemieux checked Detroit’s Kris Draper from behind in front of the Red Wings bench. Draper hit the boards face-first and suffered a broken cheekbone, a fractured jaw and nose, and several broken teeth. Lemieux was handed a major penalty and a game misconduct. Draper was left bloodied and this led to subsequent confrontations between Lemieux and the Red Wings during the following seasons and remains one of the great rivalries in the sport. Offered is Draper’s jersey from the infamous incident. Attached to the rear neck is the CCM manufacturers tag with the size “52” flag tag adjacent to the left. Above is a “AUTHENTIC COLLECTION” tag. Stamped on the inside rear middle tail is “70th Anniversary” and “AUTHENTIC 1995-96 DETROIT RED WINGS GAME SWEATER”. Adjacent is the “96 PLAYOFFS” stamp with a depiction of the Stanley Cup. The tail has been custom tapered. The fight strap is in tact and shows salting. Across the chest is the large Red Wings team logo crest. On both sleeves and on the back is the player number “33” and across the back is the player name “DRAPER”. All numbering and lettering is done in white tackle twill. The jersey is unwashed and the evidence of what happened to Draper including dried blood stains throughout the front, many board marks on the tails and sleeves tells the story of that night. On the rear right tail is a “CCM” logo and “NHL” logo embroidered. A rare piece of hockey history from one of the sports greatest rivalries. This jersey is properly tagged, was presented to us as game-used and in our opinion shows outstanding use. Accompanied by a Photo-Match.com LOA confirming the match.