This home yellow dureen gamer by Rawlings was worn by Jacques Locas during the 1975-76 and 1976-77 WHA seasons, including the team’s inaugural year. It is also likely that Gary Veneruzzo wore this jersey during the early part of the 1975-76 WHA season prior to his trade to Phoenix. The Los Angeles Kings selected Locas in the 11th round of the 1974 NHL Amateur Draft. Locas made his WHA debut in 1974-75 with the Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades franchise. Locas spent four seasons in the WHA, playing for the Stags/Blades, the Indianapolis Racers, Cincinnati Stingers and the Calgary Cowboys. An adept scoring center iceman, in 1975-76, his only full year with Cincinnati, Locas played in 80 games, scoring 27 goals and adding 46 assists for 73 points.

Veneruzzo spent many seasons playing minor-pro before making his NHL debut in 1971-72 with the St. Louis Blues. Gary joined the upstart WHA the following year, playing from the league’s inaugural season through 1977. During that time Veneruzzo represented the LA Sharks, Michigan Stags/Baltimore Blades, Cincinnati Stingers, Phoenix Roadrunners and the San Diego Mariners. Veneruzzo scored a career best 43 goals during the 1972-73 campaign with the Sharks. He followed that up with seasons of 39 and 33 goals respectively.

The game wear on this size 46 sweater is solid and consists of stick and slash marks, board burns, board paint transfer, un-repaired burn holes and trauma, heavy washed out bloodstaining, fine inner pilling and team-sewn repair work. Removed from the upper verso and lost to history is the player nameplate. A tough to find well-worn colorful dureen that hails from the Cincinnati Stingers inaugural season, choice!