Rick WaMSLEY
Team: Calgary Flames
Style: Road
Manufacturer: CCM
Material: Airknit
Tagging: Manfufacture's tag in the neck
Year: 1989
Set: Playoff and SCF
Size: 56G
Patches: 1989 Stanley Cup Finals
Acquired From: Gamewornauctions.net; letter from Rick Wamsley
Photomatched: Yes
Description: This red air-knit gamer by CCM was worn by Rick Wamsley during the 1988-89 Stanley Cup Playoffs and Finals. The Montreal Canadiens selected Wamsley in the 3rd round of the 1979 NHL Entry Draft. Wamsley made his NHL debut in 1980-81 with Les Habitants, his home for the first 4 years of his NHL career. Wamsley’s 1981-82 Rookie season saw him post the NHL’s 2nd best GAA at 2.75 GAA and he finished with the NHL’s 2nd best shutouts total. Wamsley captured the inaugural 1981-82 William M. Jennings Trophy, finished 6th in voting for the Calder Trophy and 5th in voting for the Vezina Trophy.
In the summer of 1984, Montreal dealt Wamsley to the St. Louis Blues, the place he called home for the next 4 years of his career. The 1985-86 season saw the Blues advance to Game 7 of the Conference Finals only to fall to the Calgary Flames by the score of 2-1, perhaps the toughest defeat of Wamsley’s career. However, it was Game 6 that lives in infamy for Blues fans, many who consider it the greatest game in franchise history. With Wamsley between the pipes on home ice in Game 6, St. Louis won an overtime thriller to force a 7th Game in what is known as “The Monday Night Miracle”.
The game wear on this sweater consists of stick and puck marks, collar pilling and inner pilling. Shown above is a beautiful photo match of Wamsley wearing this exact jersey whilst between the pipes during the 1989 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The 1989 Stanley Cup Finals were the first that saw the NHL use a Stanley Cup Finals patch on their player jerseys, a tradition that continues to this day. The Flames players took their red Stanley Cup winning jerseys home with them after dispatching the Montreal Canadiens to win Lord Stanley’s Cup. This is the first time we’ve had the pleasure of handling one of these Stanley Cup winning gems. To our knowledge, this is also the first time that a red Calgary Flames Stanley Cup winning jersey has surfaced in a major hobby auction. Here is a rare opportunity to acquire a Cup winning jersey from the inaugural year of the Stanley Cup Finals patch, which comes to you directly from The Rick Wamsley Collection.
