Henderson's $1.2 million Summit Series jersey to tour Canada

Yahoo! Sports

Tue Sep 28 02:02pm EDT

Henderson's $1.2 million Summit Series jersey to tour Canada

A little over three months since he purchased the most expensive hockey item in sports memorabilia history, SmartCentres owner Mitch Goldhar officially announced that the jersey worn by Paul Henderson in the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union would go on tour across Canada.

The $1.2 million jersey won through last June's bidding war via Classic Auctions was such a hotly contested item that the Canadian government discussed getting involved in the auction and even Canadian Tire became involved in the process, hoping to keep it in Canada.

A day after he won the jersey, Goldhar stated that his goal was to take the historic Canadian artifact on a tour across the country, hitting every small town and sharing it with as many people as possible. Today, on the 38th anniversary of Henderson's goal that that clinched the Summit Series, Goldhar's vision has come to fruition.

"I am pleased and proud to bring this important piece of history home and to share it with all Canadians," said Goldhar. "As a lifelong hockey fan I know what the Summit Series and Paul Henderson's winning goal against the Russians in 1972 means to all Canadians."

A contest -- running through November 28th -- will be held on the tour's Facebook page to determine where the jersey will begin to make its trek across Canada. The rest of the tour's dates and locations will be finalized over the next few months, according to a SmartCentres PR rep.

The jersey will be housed in a trailer as part of the setup for the tour and feature other hockey memorabilia as part of a full interactive experience for fans.

"This tour will be a great opportunity for children to learn about Canadian hockey history," said Henderson. "The trailer is going to be perfect for families to walk through and enjoy an afternoon of stories, memorabilia and interactive games."

Henderson and Goldhar spoke about the jersey and the tour as the event was announced:

Before the June auction, Henderson stated he wanted to see the jersey displayed in sports Hall of Fame so it could be shared with the Canadian people. Goldhar's vision will now be taking the treasured jersey directly to the people.