Classic AuctionsWednesday marked the 32nd anniversary of Team USA's "Miracle on Ice" victory over the Soviet Union during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y. It also marked a memorable moment in the sports memorabilia industry.
Ken Morrow, a four-time Stanley Cup winner with the New York Islanders and defenseman on the gold medal-winning American squad in 1980, sold his game-used jersey worn against the U.S.S.R. through Quebec-based Classic Auctions to a U.S. bidder for $104,328, which includes a 19.5-percent buyers premium.
It was the first jersey, and second piece of "Miracle" memorabilia, to be sold at auction. In September 2010, the gold medal once owned by Mark Wells sold for a record $310,000.
Other than the "Miracle" jersey, Morrow also auctioned off other pieces of memorabilia from his career including equipment worn during the Lake Placid Games and the Stanley Cup years with the Islanders.
"We're really, really satisfied with the sale of the Ken Morrow Collection as a whole," said Marc Juteau, president of Classic Auctions.
The 55-year-old Morrow told Puck Daddy last month that he was beginning to look toward the future and began the process of going through the many items he's kept from his hockey career and determining which ones he's going to pass on to family and friends and which ones he'd like to sell.
As for the historic jersey, Morrow said that it had been sitting on a hanger in his house when he wasn't taking it out to bring to schools and charity events. While the blue Team USA jersey he wore against Finland in the game that clinched the gold medal is in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, after 32 years, it was just time to part with the "Miracle" memory.
"There's just so many things you can do with that."
Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy
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