Wayne Gretzky Sets Record with Jersey Sale

Wayne Gretzky currently holds the record for the most expensive hockey jersey ever sold. It seems fitting, doesn’t it?

The jersey worn by Gretzky during Game 4 of the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals fetched an impressive $2.806 million, establishing a new record for a hockey jersey. Previously, this same jersey had set a record when it sold for $1.452 million in 2022, marking his last championship game with the Edmonton Oilers.

This isn’t just any jersey, though. It was worn during a significant moment in NHL history, particularly during Gretzky’s last Stanley Cup appearance. It was confirmed through photo matching that he wore it in several games, including both Games 1 and 4 of the Finals. Remember the odd scenario during Game 4? It was interrupted due to a power outage at the Boston Garden, with the score at 3-3. The teams eventually replayed the game two days later, where the Oilers emerged victorious, winning 6-3 and giving Gretzky his fourth and final Stanley Cup title.

In that postseason, he accumulated 43 points across 19 games and went on to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP.

There’s more to this jersey than just its monetary value. It’s connected to another landmark in Gretzky’s career—he wore it during a game on March 1, 1988, where he tallied his 1,050th career assist, surpassing Gordie Howe’s record at that time. By the time he hung up his skates in 1999, Gretzky had amassed 1,963 assists, which is, well, quite a bit more than anyone else has in NHL history.

Shortly after that 1988 Cup win, Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings. He spent two decades in the NHL before retiring, and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame almost immediately, something that feels somewhat surreal. Now, nearly 30 years later, he’s still making headlines and breaking records.