Each sport has a few names that illicit praise, fame, and recognition even from non-fans of the sport. Formula 1 has Michael Schumacher, the NFL has Tom Brady, and the NBA has Kobe Bryant. In the world of professional ice hockey, that name is easily Wayne Gretzky.
Wayne Gretzky has a legacy of being one of the greatest hockey players of all time, with dozens of records in his illustrious two-decade-long career. His most famous period was with the Edmonton Oilers, where he won four Stanley Cups with the Canadian team.
At the end of June 2024, Sotheby's New York sold the very hockey stick Wayne Gretzky used during the winning match of the 1988 finals against the Boston Bruins. It sold for US$336,000 and had no reserve.
This piece of memorabilia is iconic, as it was not only the stick he used during a championship-winning match but also the stick he used for his last Stanley Cup win. It was also the stick he played with for his final game with the Edmonton Oilers before going to California to popularize the sport in the state.
Lot 1⏐Wayne Gretzky 1988 Stanley Cup Finals Edmonton Oilers Game Used & Signed Hockey Stick⏐26 May 1988⏐NHL Finals 1988 Edmonton Oilers vs. Boston Bruins Championship Clinching Game
Titan, Titan TPM 2020
Wood, Tape
Circa Late 1980s
Estimate upon request (without reserve)
Hammer Price: US$280,000
Sold: US$336,000
Auction House: Sotheby’s New York
Sale: Edmonton Oilers & Wayne Gretzky | A Championship Legacy
Date: 21 June 2024
“The Great One” needs no introduction to hockey fans. Widely considered one of the best, if not the best, hockey players of all time, Wayne Gretzky is a legend of the sport. Born in the small town of Brantford, Ontario, in 1961, Gretzky at the time of his retirement held 61 NHL records.
The lot being offered is a reflection of Gretzky’s greatness as an ice hockey player, as it comes from the 1988 finals played between the Edmonton Oilers and the Boston Bruins. At the time, Gretzky was the team captain for the Oilers and had been with them since 1979. He had also been with the team for their 1984, 1985, and 1987 Stanley Cup wins.
This hockey stick comes from the fourth game of the 1988 finals, where Edmonton would sweep Boston, winning the best-of-seven series format the NHL uses in their playoffs and finals system. The final score of that game played in Edmonton at the now-defunct Northlands Coliseum was 6-3, with Gretzky scoring one goal during the second period to make the score 4-2. Gretzky would also have two assists during the game.
Wayne “The Great One” Gretzky at game four of the 1988 finals against Boston
Gretzky raises the Stanley Cup after the Oilers swept the Bruins to win the series in four games
The game is also infamous for “The Trade.” Around two hours after Gretzky, widely considered the key element in Edmonton’s hockey dominance in the 1980s, raised the Cup, he learned that he was to be traded to another team.
With hindsight, it is now known that Gretzky was traded because Oilers team owner Peter Pocklington needed money to save his other failing businesses, and trading out Gretzky would help with that. Both the Vancouver Cannucks and Detroit Red Wings were interested in trading for Gretzky, but ultimately he went to the Los Angeles Kings.
“The Trade” created a massive uproar, not just for the Oilers but for the wider Canadian hockey culture. An effigy of Pocklington was burned in Edmonton, and politicians attempted to have the trade deal with the Kings blocked.
Hockey’s place as Canada’s national sport does mean there is some nationalism and extreme fan radicalism baked into the sport, and as such, when Gretzky returned to Edmonton as a Kings’ player, he had to reaffirm his patriotism for the country. He received a standing ovation on his return to the city.
Gretzky at game four of the 1988 finals against the Bruins, Gretzky played the position of center during his time in the sport
Following the 1988 victory, Gretzky would never win another Stanley Cup. After his time at the Kings, he would play for the St. Louis Blues before retiring with the New York Rangers in 1999.
The Oilers, for their part, won another Stanley Cup in 1990 but have never won one since. During the 2023–2024 season, they reached the finals against the Florida Panthers but ended up losing dramatically. After nearly getting brutally swept, they suffered a 2-1 loss in game seven. No Canadian team since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993 has won a Stanley Cup.
The MeiGray Group's authentication service has confirmed that the lot sold is indeed Wayne Gretzky’s from the final game, using a variety of photo evidence to prove that it was the same stick. This includes the small groves, notches, and pieces of damage unique to this stick, cross-checked with images from that game in 1988.
Wayne Gretzky, pictured in the centre, playing for the LA King's against his former team in the 1988-1989 season
Nike⏐1988 Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup Clinching Game-Used Jersey (MeiGray Photo-Matched, Last Oilers Jersey, Conn Smythe Season)⏐Sold: around US$1.45 million, Grey Flannel Auctions, 2022
The lot, however, is far from the most expensive piece of Wayne Gretzky memorabilia. In 2022, sports auction house Grey Flannel sold the jersey that Wayne Gretzky wore at the same match for an eyewatering US$1.45 million.
However, neither of these pieces of hockey history is the most expensive to be sold at auction, with that going to "The Sharpe's Hockey Stick." Carved from a tree between the years 1852 and 1856, it was sold for US$2.2 million in 2006 and is currently on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame. The first ever game of hockey was recorded in 1875, and this stick serves as a reminder of the sport's humble origins before the age of superstars.