NHL Notebook: Wayne Gretzky’s game-used stick from 1988 Stanley Cup final going up for auction, the Seattle Kraken re-sign Vince Dunn, and more.
1 year ago
Wayne Gretzky made hockey history, and now one of his incredible pieces of memorabilia — a game-used stick from the Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup final in 1988 — is going up for auction through Sotheby’s Sealed on Tuesday until July 25th.
Winning the one and only Stanley Cup is a dream come true for many NHL players. For the legendary Wayne Gretzky, that dream came true four times during his time with the Edmonton Oilers. The game used-stick was used by Gretzky in the 1988 game five of the Stanley Cup Final when the Oilers reigned victorious winning 6-3 over the Boston Bruins.
Gretzky scored the fourth goal for the Oilers that night, contributing two assists, and was named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player; this would mark the last time he won the Stanley Cup.
During Gretzky’s nine years with the Oilers from 1979-1988, the forward accomplished unimaginable feats in the NHL, 61 of which remain all-time records today still held or shared by the great one himself. In his 20 years in the NHL, while playing for the Edmonton Oilers, the Los Angeles Kings, the St. Louis Blues, and the New York Rangers, he scored 894 goals and 2857 points over a collective 1487 games between the five teams.
The memorabilia is estimated to rake in more than US$500,000 at auction.
Here’s more from Sportsnet on the event:
“To have something like this is really remarkable,” said Sotheby’s Head of Streetwear and Modern Collectables, Brahm Wachter.“You’re talking about really the greatest to ever grace the ice and you’re talking about his last championship, which of course helped cement his name into the history books.”
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Kraken re-sign Dunn
On Friday afternoon, the Seattle Kraken re-signed restricted free agent and top defenseman Vince Dunn to a four-year contract extension worth $29.4 million and an AAV of $7.35-million.
Seattle first acquired the blueliner from St. Louis Blues in 2021 when he was left unprotected during the NHL Expansion Draft in order for them to protect Colton Parayko, Torey Krug, and Justin Faulk. Dunn quickly adjusted to his new colours, elevating into the Kraken’s top four.
Dunn had a career-high year this past season, scoring 14 goals and 64 points with a plus/minus of +28 on the top defensive pairing with Adam Larsson. The deal proves solid for both the Kraken, who will benefit from a deal that isn’t an extensive long-term commitment and gives the 26-year-old eligibility to become an unrestricted free agent when the agreement expires in 2026-27.
Here aremore details on the news reported by Daily Faceoff‘s Mike Gould:
CapFriendly shared a more detailed rundown of Dunn’s new contract with the Kraken later on Friday. The left-handed defender will be paid $9 million in 2023–24, $8 million in 2024–25, $7 million in 2025–26, and $5.4 million in 2026–27.Dunn’s contract covers three years of unrestricted free agency eligibility and also includes a full no-trade clause in 2024–25 and a 16-team no-trade clause in both 2025–26 and 2026–27.
Nate Thompson retires from NHL after 15 seasons
At 38-years-old, veteran forward Nate Thompson has decided to hang up the skates and retire from the NHL.
The forward has played 844 games combined with nine different NHL teams during his 15-year career. Thompson has played for the Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, Winnipeg Jets, Tampa Bay Lightning, and most recently, the Philadelphia Flyers, where he’s scored a combined 65 goals and 164 points.
The Anchorage, Alaska native was the 183rd pick in the sixth round of the 2003 NHL draft by the Boston Bruins, turning an unfavourable pick into a successful career.
Thompson may have never been an offensive weapon. Still, he was well-known in and around the NHL market as a dressing-room guy with a beloved presence and hard-working attributes coupled with his willingness to drop the mitts.
“I’m beyond grateful and thankful for all the great people I’ve met and friendships I made. All good things must come to an end so thank you to all who supported me along this journey,” Thompson said in a tweet on Wednesday.
Here’s more from Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis:
Thompson was valued as a leader during his career, wearing the alternate captain’s A with Tampa Bay, Montreal and USA at two World Championships. Thompson also spent the 2012-13 lockout with the ECHL’s Alaska Aces, returning to play at home for the first time since 2020-21 when he was still in AAA.In all, Thompson wrapped up his NHL career with 65 goals and 164 points in 844 NHL games. He also had 87 points in 251 AHL games and 21 points in 24 ECHL contests. One of the highlights of Thompson’s career was winning bronze at the 2013 World Championship with USA, his only major career victory.
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