ken dryden
Team: Montreal Candiens
Style: Road Jersey
Manufacturer: Wilson
Material: Durene
Tagging: Wilson tag in neck; Year tag in hem
Year: 1976-77
Set: Playoffs including Stanley Cup Finals
Size: 48
Patches: none
Acquired From: Classic Auctions; Meigray VIntage registration
Photomatched: Yes
Vezina Trophy Winner: 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, & 1979
Description: From Classic Auctions: The only NHL player in history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy before winning the Calder as the rookie of the year, Ken Dryden immediately exhibited his greatness after starting in just six regular season games in 1971 and boasting a thoroughly impressive 1.65 GAA. This strong performance led to Ken being chosen to backstop the Habs in the playoffs, with yet another Stanley Cup championship won after an amazing showing in the finals. Dryden would win an impressive 5 Vezina trophies along with 6 Stanley Cup championships and play in 5 All-Star Games all within the span of just 8 seasons… amazing! Enshrinement would occur for the Hamilton native in 1983, with Dryden ranked number 25 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. Ken also remains one of the most collected of all past Canadiens, with any and all material surfacing from the icon highly sought after.
An absolutely wonderful opportunity, we have an especially important and seldom-seen photo-matched Montreal Canadiens jersey that was worn by the legendary backstop during the 1977 Stanley Cup finals! Originally gifted by equipment manager Eddie Palchak to a former Montreal Canadiens goaltender, Wilson size “48” labeling remains affixed to the collar, with a “77” year swatch visible over the inside hem. Styled with the iconic Canadiens CH team crest fully administered in layered tackle twill, the heavy knit V-neck has been accented with white sleeve and verso numbers with blue trim, with no nameplate present over the upper reverse. A garter-style fight strap has also been utilized on the vintage garment. We should note that the 1977-78 regular season jerseys had a solid white collar with the sleeve numbers placed within the striping band. For the playoffs, they switched to numbers above the sleeve striping and had blue/white/blue V-neck collar, with no nameplates. For the Finals, nameplates were added, with this jersey showing faint evidence of a former nameplate including a hole.
Regarding condition, a few small holes and fabric pulls are visible over the team crest along with a small team repair, with a few dark marks over the lower front hem. Additional marks are present over each sleeve, with some light fraying to the team crest. A Montreal Canadiens media photo has been matched to the small black mark in the upper white striping band over the left sleeve. This photo clearly shows the placement of the team's crest and the amount of the white stripe showing in the middle of the team crest in three different spots. Furthermore, images taken from a DVD of the Cup-winning game 4 (May 14th 1977) are clearly showing the correct team crest and back numbers placement. An LOA along with a COR will accompany from MeiGray.
