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1975-76 Jean Ratelle Boston Bruins Game Worn Jersey (Davious Sports Photo-Matched LOA)
<p>Jean Ratelle is a Hockey Hall of Fame center who in 2017, the 100th Anniversary of the NHL, was selected as one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players. The voting was by a group of 58 persons chosen by the NHL: media, NHL alumni, and NHL executives. Displayed is a game used and photo-matched Jean Ratelle Boston Bruins' jersey from the 1976-76 season. Photo-matched to Getty #80355814! In that span, the majestically stylish skater had a superb campaign, as he scored 105 points, won the Lady Byng Trophy and finished in 6th place for the Hart Trophy, for the NHL's MVP. Born in Quebec, Canada, in 1940, Ratelle played 21 seasons in the NHL, the first 15 seasons with the New York Rangers, the 1975-76 season with both the Rangers and the Boston Bruins, and his last full five seasons also with Boston. Always a clean player, Ratelle won the Lady Byng Trophy two times for his sportsmanship and finished in the top five for the Lady Byng Trophy on seven other occasions. After he had already appeared in the NHL with the Rangers, Ratelle suffered a serious back injury in 1963, and had to undergo spinal surgery. He recovered from that and also from later being sent to the minors by the Rangers for not playing rough enough, a style Ratelle wouldn't adopt because he said, "It just wasn't me." The Rangers hit paydirt in the late 1960s-70s when they used a permanent first line with playmaker Ratelle at center, graceful skater and Hall of Fame goal scorer Rod Gilbert at right wing, and tough guy Vic Hadfield, who handled the fighting and rough play in the corners, at left wing. That line became known as the "GAG Line," an acronym for the "Goal-A-Game Line," and this great combination was one of best line combinations in NHL history. While on the GAG Line in 1971-72, Ratelle scored 109 points, with 46 goals and 63 assists, and his 40 even-strength goals led the NHL. In 1972, Ratelle was a member of Team Canada when the Canadians defeated the Soviet Union in the first Summit Games. In one of the biggest trades ever in the NHL, early in the in 1975-76 season, Ratelle was traded with Hall of Famer defenseman Brad Park and defenseman Joe Zanussi from the Rangers to the Boston Bruins for Hall of Fame center Phil Esposito and defenseman Carol Vadnais. Despite the trade, Ratelle had another great season in 1975-76, as he scored 105 points on 36 goals and 69 assists while playing for both New York and Boston. Ratelle played almost six full seasons with Boston, playing 419 games and he tallied over a point-a-game with Boston, as he scored 155 goals and added 255 assists for 450 points. Ratelle's style has sometimes been compared to that of Montreal Canadien Hall of Fame immortal center Jean Beliveau. While Ratelle has said that he didn't consciously copy anyone's style, Beliveau did find similarities between his playing style and that of Ratelle. "Sure, our styles are similar," said Beliveau. "We both play very cleanly, we're pretty quiet fellows, and we both have a long skating stride and a long reach." The black Bruins' jersey has white and gold trim. The front features the wonderful, spoked-wheel Bruins' logo, an adapted symbol for the city of Boston, which symbolizes that all New England roads lead to Boston, thus making it the center of a figurative wheel, hence, the" Hub City." There is a Wilson manufacturer's size "46" tag in the collar. A "10," in gold, with white trim, is on both sleeves and on the back. Each sleeve also has a fierce-looking, colorful Bruin patch. Inside is a metal clip style fight strap. The jersey shows wonderful use. It shows over a dozen team repairs, with very heavy pilling inside, stick marks, and burn and paint transfers. With its extensive game use apparent, the jersey is a great example of the rough play that Ratelle had to overcome while persisting in his smooth-skating, elegant way. This offering possesses the rare combination of a Hall of Famer's game used jersey that also shows terrific use. Comes with Davious Sports Photo-Matching LOA.</p><p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Addendum:</span></strong> There is evidence that two Bicentennial patches were removed from the shoulders, thus confirming use during 1975-76 season. Given the fact that the photo-matches show the Bear patches on both shoulders, that means the jersey was used after the 1975-76 season. We can definitively say this jersey was worn by Ratelle during multiple seasons, including 1975-76.</p>
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