This home white heavy mesh gamer by Good Sports was worn by Dave Keon during the 1980-81 NHL season. Keon’s career spanned 22 seasons, the first 15 being spent with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Keon won 4 Stanley Cups with Toronto and left the Maple Leafs in 1975 as their career scoring leader. Dave then spent 4 years in the WHA and transfered with the New England Whalers to Hartford of the NHL during the 1979-80 expansion, where he spent the final 3 years of his career, playing until the age of 42.

Keon captured the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 1961, won 2 Lady Byng’s for the combination of sportsmanship and high ability, was the back to back recipient of the Paul Daneau Trophy as the WHA’s most gentlemanly player and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1967, with the Leafs, as the most valuable player in the playoffs. Dave was twice a 2nd team NHL All Star and played in 8 NHL All Star games. He was among the greatest team leaders of his generation, serving as team Captain with both the Leafs and Whalers.

Sewn to the collar of this gamer is the Good Sports, size and year tagging. Game use is light but evident in the form of stick marks, board burns and board paint transfer, along with some pilling. As was often the case with the Whalers big 3 from the era of Howe, Hull and Keon, there exists evidence of a number change by the team on this sweater.