It was the shirt on his back when he scored one of the most memorable goals ever, an item coveted by fans and lauded as a piece of hockey history.
Now, the jersey worn by Paul Henderson during that momentous final game against the Soviets in the 1972 Summit Series is up for auction. The scuffed white sweater emblazoned with the number 19 has been on the block since Monday and already boasts 12 bids, the highest sitting at $67,000 (U.S.).
"We think it's probably one of the most significant pieces of hockey memorabilia in existence," said Marc Juteau, president of Classic Auctions, a hockey memorabilia auction house in Montreal. "If any items have the potential to be that number one piece, I think it certainly ranks among them."
The most expensive piece of hockey lore the company has sold is a circa 1973 Bobby Orr sweater, which went for $160,000 (U.S.) in 2004. Another auction house sold a similar Orr jersey for $190,000 (U.S.) a few months ago, considered the highest hockey auction sale to date.
Although the Henderson jersey may well surpass that price, the man himself isn't a fan of the sale.
The 67-year-old hockey veteran, who revealed earlier this year that he is battling chronic lymphocytic leukemia, had given that jersey to his old Toronto Maple Leafs trainer Joe Sgro after Canada's big win. When the trainer encountered financial trouble a few years ago, Mr. Henderson said, he sold it to a private American collector.
Today, Mr. Henderson has barely any memorabilia left from his days of hockey stardom. Much of it went to charity and a lot of it he gave away.
"We raised money for a lot of different causes over the years and basically I have nothing left from 1972 at all," he said. "I figure if you've got it in a closet or something, it'd be better to give it to someone. It would have been nice to have this to give to charity now, but anyway… "
He'd tried to buy the jersey back from private collectors so he could donate it to the Canada Sports Hall of Fame, but was put off by the exorbitant asking price.
The red jersey he wore during the Summit Series is in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, as is the stick he used to fire the winning shot.
Mr. Henderson, who lives in Mississauga, has been heading up a men's Christian organization for the past 26 years. He no longer plays hockey but attends "celebrity golf tournaments up the wazoo."
He also travels across Canada with his wife to give public speeches about marriage, and was in Victoria in February for one such engagement when Sidney Crosby scored the Olympic golden goal for Canada.
As for the winner of this auction, which continues until June 22, Mr. Henderson hopes he or she will put it in a museum for the public to enjoy.
"I would have loved to have it go in the Canada Sports Hall of Fame," he said. "But who knows? Maybe someone's got more money than they know what to do with [and]will buy it and give it to them."