Thanks

CNN
CBC
CTV
CFTO
CITY TV
Wayne Gretzky
Hockey Hall Of Fame
Canada AM
Breakfast Television
The National
NY Stock Exchange
CTV SportsNet
Steve Larmer
Newsworld
The Hockey News
Macleans Magazine

MAKING HOCKEY HISTORY

About 150 years ago, it was a hunk of wood. These days, the hallowed Hockey Hall of Fame is just around the corner. In a 7 year span from 1999-2006 the World's Oldest Hockey Stick, appraised at over $4 million US and viewed by over 100 million, has never been contested for its authenticity.
 
Gord Sharpe was only nine when he received the stick as a gift from his great-uncle, Melville Rutherford, and he held on to the hand-carved, one-piece hickory stick, made between 1852 and 1856, until deciding to put it up for sale."I had it for 30 years, and it was just sitting around the house," he says by telephone from his home in the Cobourg area.

However, Sharpe, who captained U.S. College Hockey NCAA Division I, Clarkson University in 1984 - 1985, found out his old stick was a whole lot more than durable when he set about determining its worth for insurance purposes.

After numerous conversations with the television and news media, world antique appraisers (appraised at over $4 million US, June, 2002), NHL hockey players, bankers, sports memorabilia authorities and many corporations it has been concluded that this piece would be worth $2 million dollars (U.S.) or more to a collector, celebrity, or corporate investor. To put a value on a one of a kind piece, "The World's Oldest Hockey Stick", comparisons had to be made with recent expenditures that have made relevant headlines in world news as of late. Prime Time Sports Central - SportsNet describes owning the single most important piece of hockey memorabilia in existence in comparison to "a baseball went for $3 Million U.S. a couple of years ago, a round of golf with Tiger Woods went for $2 Million U.S. at auction, a Honus Wagner baseball card went for $1.25 Million U.S. and one star struck fan offered $17 Million U.S. for a date with Britney Spears.

Historic Sales:
 
$3 Million for home run baseball
$83.7 Million for rare painting
$3 Million to golf with Tiger Woods
$2.3 Million for rare stamp
$2 Million for vintage candle holders
$1.25 Million for rare baseball card
$1 Million for set of golf clubs
$30.8 Million for rare manuscript
 Person offered $17 Million for date with Britney Spears
   
After some investigation by the Hockey Hall of Fame and Phil Pritchard, its director of information and acquisitions and the leading authority on hockey sticks in the world, it was determined that Sharpe had an important piece of Canadiana on his hands. It's estimated that the first forms of what became hockey were played in Canada in the 1850s, or earlier.

Sharpe was informed by Pritchard at the Hockey Hall of Fame to trace the history of the stick to prove it's precise age. After a full investigation by Sharpe at the Lindsay Public Archives, it was determined the stick was carved between 1852 and 1856.

The Hall of Fame hopes that stick's future owner would store it at the archive's downtown Toronto site. Presently the stick is in a vault.

"The bottom line is we'd love to have it here," Pritchard says. "But, as long as the stick is preserved, that's fine by The Hockey Hall of Fame."

Thank you to the following for their support and interviews
CBC TV Newsworld		Maclean's Magazine
CTV Talk TV		CBC Radio
The Ottawa Citizen		Canadian Cancer Society
The Peterborough Examiner		CFRA Ottawa
The National Post		680 News Toronto
Steve Larmer - Chicago Blackhawks / New York Rangers		The Hockey Hall Of Fame
The Hockey News		CaddPro Computer Services Inc.
Toronto Sun		Globe & Mail
Globe News		Toronto Star
CFRB Toronto		CBC "As it Happens"
MOJO Radio 640 - Humble & Fred		"The Big Show" Gord Stelleck
CJAD 800 Montreal		St. Catherines, 610 AM
CHUC 1450 Cobourg		1350 Sports Talk Radio, Oshawa
News Talk 570, Kitchener		CFTO
CTV		Canada AM
City TV		Breakfast Television
NY Stock Exchange		Mike Young - Wayne Greztky's Restaurant and Sports Bar
CNN
CTV SportsNet		Various NHL players
Thanks to the public and friends for their ongoing support.

The "Evolution of Hockey" case presently holds the world's oldest hockey stick, appraised at over $4 Million US.

Hosting & Maintenance by Dray Design Studio

 
World's Oldest Hockey Stick, appraised at over $4 million US and was auctioned on e-Bay in December 2006 and sold for the reserve bid of $2 million US, with proceeds helping global charities through fanscharity.com. The stick was regularly on display at Wayne Gretzky's Restaurant, Toronto, along side the World Charity Award.



The stick crafted by the grandfather of Gord Sharpe's great-uncle is more than 60 years older than the 83-year-old National Hockey League.

Sharpe says "the sale of the stick has helped raise millions of dollars for global charities through the fanscharity.com World Charity Award program at Wayne Gretzky's Restaurant & Studio, 99 Blue Jays Way, Toronto."

Mike Young, manager of Wayne Gretzky's Restaurant and Studio, holds the oldest piece of hockey history in existence.