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1979 Wayne Gretzky Game Used Koho WHA Rookie Stick
This is the rarest game used Wayne Gretzky stick we have ever offered. A true "rookie" stick, used by Wayne while with the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association during the latter part of the 1978-79 season. This Koho Custom Pro 221 model stick is factory stamped "GRETZKY" below the knob with Wayne's number "99" marked in black high up on the shaft. The handle is taped in the manner of later Gretzky gamers, with white over the heavy black 'bulldog" tape. Over time, the oils from the black tape have discolored the white and turned it to a light brown. The one or two strips of blade tape are no longer there but reside has been left behind to mark its place. This stick displays heavy game use with numerous puck and stick marks and was in the end demoted for use in warm-up as it has the word "practice" written in marker on the shaft. Slight game damage on the blade has been repaired using a few wraps of clear repair tape; a practice found on other Oilers sticks from the period. Interestingly, the repair tape wrap starts off on an angle in a style Wayne maintained for many years to come on his game sticks. The stick has one slight cosmetic glitch in the form of a one-inch saw groove or notch on one side of the shaft. It's an often-told story around Oilers circles. A rookie sports reporter, having faced a night of ritual hazing at the hands of the team, sought his revenge by taking a chainsaw to the stick rack in the locker room. Reportedly, only a dozen of these Kohos were produced for Wayne, and although photos exist of him using this exact model in 1979, this example is the first we have seen offered.
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