Sometimes just looking at certain pieces of memorabilia can evoke a rush of emotions and images. This early 1950's Gordie Howe sweater does just that. The thick red wool is still so bright and warm that you can almost hear the scrape of the blades and feel the rush of cool air. The rugged utilitarian look and period clubhouse repairs harkens back to a simpler but rougher era of the sport, and no one back then had the combination of skill and toughness than Gordie Howe. That this part of early NHL history has survived is a minor miracle in of itself, for it was earmarked in 1954 to be used in a Detroit prison for use by the inmates. Fortunately, due to a series of lucky circumstances, Mr. Hockey's sweater survived impending incarceration to be offered here.

If you were to own one Hockey sweater from the sport's golden era, this is the one you would want. This classic wool sweater exhibits good game use as would be expected from this NHL legend. Size "50" Lippman's Sporting Goods label is sewn inside the left side of the sweater. The jersey shows a number of period clubhouse repairs: 5 on the right sleeve, 2 on the left sleeve, 5 on the front and 1 on the back. The sweater has been altered by taking in 1" on the right side. There is some piling of the wool within the interior. Howe's immortal number "9" in white tackle twill is sewn to the back of the sweater. The classic Red Wings crest has been professionally restored by the Textile Conservation Workshop, who removed a comparable 1960's crest from a game used Red Wings jersey and skillfully applied it to this sweater.

The sweater has a solid provenance as it was acquired in 1954 from Jack Adams, coach and senior manager of the Red Wings. The sweater was given to a young hockey memorabilia collector name John McDermott, who happened to be neighbors with Adams' aunt in Ontario and asked her nephew to contribute something to McDermott's growing collection. The Red Wings crest had been removed by the team because this and other retired sweaters were going to be sent to a Detroit area prison to be used by the inmate's team. Letter stating the provenance from John McDermott and Letter of Authenticity from the MeiGray Group accompanies this remarkable Hall of Fame Museum-worthy sweater.

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