MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Canada’s most revered hockey jersey was face down on a nondescript boardroom table in the fourth floor of a nondescript suburban office building. It still had Paul Henderson’s sweat stains on the collar, but even as he lifted it gently off the table, he knew it did not belong to him.
It is owned by an unidentified American who is putting it up for auction later this month. The company in charge of the process reunited it with Henderson on Monday, asking him to vouch for its authenticity while allowing him to wear it for the first time since he scored the winning goal in the 1972 Summit Series with the Soviet Union.
Henderson, who is 67 years old and seven months into a battle with cancer, wore it like he had never taken it off. He presented it as a gift to Team Canada trainer Joe Sgro not long after the deciding game 38 years ago, a decision which has ultimately left it on the auction block.
“I probably didn’t understand the significance of it in 1972, I don’t think anybody did,” he said.
“And there wasn’t the market for things like there is today. So it is what it is, and it’s free market, so it’s going to be interesting to see how high it does go.”
There have been 25 bids submitted for the auction, which closes June 22. The highest bid is US$211,000.
The jersey is white and heavy-knit, with “Canada” spelled out in block letters between the shoulders, just above his No. 19.
Henderson is not monitoring the bidding.
“If I owned it today and it was worth $400-$500,000, I still wouldn’t sell it,” he said. “I’d still give it to the sports hall of fame ... it’s a part of Canadian history.”