A letter of provenance from Encil "Porky" Palmer will accompany these pads. Mr. Palmer has been behind the benches in Buffalo since 1953.

This well worn set of goalie pads was worn by Don Edwards during his Vezina Trophy winning season of 1979-80. Edwards enjoyed a 10-year NHL career, the first 6 of which were spent with the Buffalo Sabres. In 1977-78, his first full season as the #1 man in the nets, Don led the NHL in games played with 72 and wins with 38. His 5 shutouts and 2.64 GAA that season helped lead the Sabres to a 105 point season.

It was during the 1979-80 season, under new boss Scotty Bowman, that Edwards won his only Vezina Trophy, a title he shared with teammate Bob Sauve. The 1979-80 season was a special one in Buffalo for both the players and fans. Scotty Bowman, who was coming off of 4 consecutive Stanley Cup titles in Montreal, took over the reigns for the Sabres and worked his magic, leading his squad to a 110 point regular season and the fewest goals allowed in the league. The Sabres took the Islanders dynasty to a game 6 in the Semi Finals before bowing out, ending what was a thrilling season. Don started 49 games in 1979-80, winning 27 against only 9 losses and 12 ties. He posted a 2.57 GAA with 2 shutouts, while wearing these very pads.  

Since it is impossible to verify the authenticity of these pads with specific photos, we are using the Porky Palmer letter to both authenticate and date the pads.