This road gold knit jersey is tagged in the collar by Wilson and Gunzo's. Backstrom, a longtime NHLer, was coming off a Stanley Cup Finals appearance with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1973 when he signed with the Chicago Cougars prior to the 1973-74 season. It was a pretty big deal in Chicago that the Cougars had stolen Ralph away from their NHL counterparts. Backstrom played in 78 games for the Cougars in 1973-74 scoring 33 goals and totaling 83 points that regular season. During the 1973-74 playoffs Backstrom added 19 points in 18 games. He would play for the Cougars for one more season before moving on to Denver, Ottawa and eventually New England where he ended his career.

This unused jersey comes directly from the recently discovered Gunzo's collection. This sweater has never been fitted with a namebar and it shows no game wear. The stunning hand-stitched gold and green Cougar crest resides proudly on the chest while Backstrom’s two-color tackle twill player number 14 can be found on the left breast, both sleeves and the reverse. This vintage relic is nearly 40-years-old and remains in flawless condition with still vibrant gold, green and white colors. An exciting new discovery brings this previously unknown jersey to the hobby, good luck in your pursuit.