Local entrepreneur and SmartCentres owner Mitchell Goldhar recently made history with his $1.2 million purchase of Paul Henderson’s 1972 Team Canada hockey jersey.
“If I had my way, I’d let every Canadian put it on,” Goldhar said of the recent purchase. “I want to get as close to that as possible.”
Worn by Henderson when he scored the game-winning goal of game eight during the 1972 series against the Soviet Union, the jersey has become a Canadian cultural symbol.
Marc Juteau, president of the Quebec-based Classic Auctions that held the sale, confirmed that the purchase represented the highest amount ever paid for a sports uniform. He added that the winning bid came as a shock.
“We told the consignor that there might be an outside chance that it could achieve half a million,” Juteau said.
While long-term plans for the jersey are still undecided, Goldhar stressed the importance of public accessibility to the iconic item.
“It’s not mine,” Goldhar said. “You can’t own this. You can’t own history. It’s owned by all Canadians. It’s all of ours, so it needs to be made available to everybody.”
