“The Great Ones” Championship Game Stick Sells for $336,000 at Auction, a Fitting Respect for Gretzky's Hockey Legend | Auction News | THE VALUE

In every sport, there are a few names that are admired, gain fame and recognition even if you are not a fan of that sport. F1 has Michael Schumacher, the NFL has Tom Brady, the NBA has Kobe Bryant, and in the world of professional ice hockey, that name is undoubtedly Wayne Gretzky.

Wayne Gretzky has earned a place as one of the greatest ice hockey players of all time, breaking numerous records during a stellar career that spanned two decades, most famously during his time with the Edmonton Oilers, where he won four Stanley Cups with the Canadian team.

At the end of June 2024, Sotheby's in New York sold the hockey stick used by Wayne Gretzky in the 1988 Finals against the Boston Bruins. With no minimum bid, it sold for $336,000.

The memorabilia is iconic because not only is it the stick he used in his championship game, but it's also the stick he used the last time he won the Stanley Cup, and it's the stick he used in his final game with the Edmonton Oilers before heading to California to popularize the sport stateside.

Lot 1⏐Wayne Gretzky 1988 Stanley Cup Final Edmonton Oilers Game Used & Signed Hockey Stick⏐May 26, 1988⏐NHL Finals 1988 Edmonton Oilers vs. Boston Bruins Championship Deciding Game

Titan, Titan TPM 2020
Wood, tape
Late 1980s
Quotes on request (no minimum price)
Successful bid: $280,000 USD
Sale price: $336,000 USD

“The Great One” needs no introduction to hockey fans. Widely considered one of the greatest hockey players of all time, if not the greatest, Wayne Gretzky is a legend in the sport. Born in the small town of Brantford, Ontario in 1961, Gretzky held 61 NHL records at the time of his retirement.

The lottery ticket on offer is from the 1988 Finals game between the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins, reflecting Gretzky's greatness as a hockey player. At the time, Gretzky was team captain for the Oilers, a team he had played for since 1979, and was also a member of the team's Stanley Cup victories in 1984, 1985 and 1987.

This hockey stick is from Game 4 of the 1988 Finals, in which Edmonton defeated Boston to win the best-of-seven series used in the NHL playoffs and finals. The final score of the game, played at the now-defunct Northland Coliseum in Edmonton, was 6-3, with Gretzky scoring a goal in the second period to make it 4-2. Gretzky also recorded two assists during the game.

Wayne “The Great One” Gretzky in Game 4 of the 1988 Finals against Boston

Gretzky hoisted the Stanley Cup after the Oilers defeated the Bruins in four games to win the series.

The game is also infamous for “The Trade”: About two hours after Gretzky, widely considered the architect of Edmonton's hockey dominance in the 1980s, hoisted the Cup, he learned he was being traded to another team.

In hindsight, we now know that Gretzky was traded because Oilers team owner Peter Pocklington needed money to save other struggling businesses and thought trading Gretzky would do the trick. Both the Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings were interested in trading for Gretzky, but he ended up going to the Los Angeles Kings.

The “trade” caused a huge uproar not just among the Oilers but across Canadian hockey culture as a whole, with an effigy of Pocklington being burned in Edmonton and politicians trying to block a trade deal with the Kings.

Hockey being Canada's national sport means the sport is steeped in patriotism and fan extremism, so when Gretzky returned to Edmonton as a Kings player, he had to reaffirm his patriotism to the country. He received a standing ovation upon his return to the city.

Gretzky in Game 4 of the 1988 Finals against the Bruins. Gretzky played center during his playing days.

Gretzky never won another Stanley Cup after his 1988 triumph. After his time with the Kings, he played for the St. Louis Blues before retiring in 1999 with the New York Rangers.

Meanwhile, the Oilers won the Stanley Cup again in 1990, but have not won it since. During the 2023-2024 season, they reached the finals against the Florida Panthers, but suffered a dramatic defeat, losing 2-1 in Game 7 in a near-disastrous defeat. No Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993.

MeiGray Group Authentication Services used a variety of photographic evidence to verify that this was indeed the stick used by Wayne Gretzky in the final game, including small grooves, notches and damage specific to this stick, which was then matched to images from the 1988 game.

Wayne Gretzky, pictured center, played against his former team as a member of the Los Angeles Kings during the 1988-1989 season.

Nike ⏐ 1988 Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup Championship Commemorative Game Worn Jersey (Mae Gray Photo Matching, Final Oilers Jersey, Conn Smythe Season) ⏐ Successful Bid: Approx. $1.45 million, Grey Flannel Auctions, 2022

But it's far from the most expensive piece of Wayne Gretzky memorabilia: In 2022, sports auction house Grey Flannel sold the jersey Wayne Gretzky wore in the same game for an astounding $1.45 million.

But these pieces of hockey history haven't fetched the highest prices at auction – Sharpe's Hockey Stick. Carved from wood between 1852 and 1856, it sold for $2.2 million in 2006 and is now on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame. With the first recorded hockey game being played in 1875, the stick serves as a reminder of the sport's humble origins before the era of superstars.