Provenance: This jersey was acquired by us a number of years ago from the personal collection of Wayne Carleton. We originally sold this jersey along with a letter from Mr. Carleton. Sadly, that signed letter has since been lost.

This white mesh gamer by Cosby was worn by Wayne Carleton during the 1976 WHA All Star game. Carleton had a lengthy professional career that included time in both the NHL and WHA. He began his career with the Maple Leafs in 1966-67 and would later play for the Bruins and Seals in the NHL. Wayne was a member of the 1970 Stanley Cup winning Boston Bruins team and was an NHL All Star while a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

His WHA career spanned Ottawa, Toronto, New England, Edmonton and Birmingham. In 290 games in the WHA, Carleton tallied an impressive 312 points, while providing steady veteran leadership. He served as team Captain for the Toronto Toros in their first ever season in 1973-74 and was selected to the All Star team in 3 of his first 4 WHA seasons. In a poll taken of the 50 greatest WHA players in history, Wayne Carleton ranked 47th on that list.

This style ranks among the toughest of all WHA gamers. The 1976 WHA All Star game featured a change as it pitted Team Canada against Team USA. This game took place at the Richfield Coliseum in Cleveland Ohio. This attractive historical design features the league logo on the left breast with USA boldly scrolled across the chest. On both shoulders and the belly are the historical bicentennial insignia signifying America’s celebration of its 200th birthday in 1976. Sewn to the sleeves and back are the player number 15, while WHA sits prominently along the back hem. The player name Carleton is sewn on directly between the shoulder blades. There remain about a dozen stick marks that lightly adorn this historic sweater. Offered here is a rare opportunity for one to acquire a key piece of both WHA and USA hockey history, which originated directly from the personal collection of Wayne Carleton.