Wayne Gretzky final game Rangers jersey up for auction

News: Wayne Gretzky
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY NETWORK

Wayne Gretzky holds 61 NHL records and continues to dominate in the memorabilia category long after his retirement on April 18, 1999.

In 2021, his 1979 O-Pee-Chee rookie card sold for an astonishing $3.75 million after becoming the first-ever hockey card to break the million dollar mark ($1.29) the year before.

Now his New York Rangers jersey that he wore in his final game is up for grabs with a current bid of $189,000 and climbing. Grey Flannel Auctions is conducting the auction online which you can view here. There’s 18 days remaining to bid.

Wayne Gretzky final game jersey auction

Wayne Gretzky
RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

The Rangers signed Wayne Gretzky on July 21st, 1996 as a free agent.

The Great One didn’t disappoint Rangers fans in his first season on Broadway as he recorded 25 goals and 97 points in 82 games to lead the Blueshirts in scoring. Matter of fact, he led the team all three years he wore their colors (90 pts, 62 pts).

Of course his first season reunited with Messier led to a magical run in the playoffs that was highlighted with a hat-trick against Florida. Sadly with no Alexei Kovalev and mounting injuries they could not overcome the powerhouse Flyers led by Eric Lindros.

The 1998-99 season started like any other for the Rangers as they continued to struggle since the departure of Mark Messier in the summer of 97. As the season grew late there were rumblings that Wayne was considering retirement. That started a long farewell tour and road arenas everywhere were giving him standing ovations. It wasn’t until after his last road game in Ottawa that Gretzky did indeed reveal he would retire. His last game would be against the Penguins at Madison Square Garden.

The game itself was surreal. Everytime he touched the puck the fans roared and sung his praises. There was just a weird feeling in the air that the game really didn’t matter and it was all about thanking and witnessing the last game of the greatest player in history. When the Rangers lost in OT, the moment fans really wanted to see took place and that was Wayne taking his final victory lap on the ice. Every wave touched fans not only at MSG but across the hockey world.

Anthony Scultore is the founder of Forever Blueshirts and has been covering the New York Rangers and the NHL... More about Anthony Scultore

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