This home white knit gamer by CCM and Gunzo’s was worn by Steve Ludzik during the 1984-85 NHL season. The Chicago Blackhawks selected Ludzik in the 2nd round of the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. This Toronto native made his NHL debut with the Hawks in 1981-82. Ludzik spent 8 seasons wearing the Chief Indian Head and Tomahawks before playing a final season with the Buffalo Sabres. Following his playing days, Ludzik joined the coaching profession and was named UHL Coach of the Year in 1994-95. He also coached the Detroit Vipers to a Championship in 1996-97 and eventually became an NHL Head Coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Sewn into the collar of this gamer is the born on date “84-07”. The game wear on this sweater is solid and consists of stick and slash marks, board burns, board paint transfer, material pulls, heavy inner pilling, a stretched, stitch popped and repaired collar, a heavily worn and reinforced crest and in excess of 30 team-sewn repairs! Shown above is a beautiful photo match of Ludzik wearing this exact jersey during the 1984-85 season. Also worthy of mention is a black sharpie notation “85-86” that can be found on the inside of the CCM hem logo. This sweater was recycled to the 1985-86 preseason for Ludzik. A well-worn fresh to the hobby photo matched example hailing from the mid 1980’s Gunzo’s era in Chicago.