IROQUOIS FALLS - Looking for that perfect gift for the hard-to-please sports fan on your Christmas list?
How about the trunks worn by three-time welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre during one of his Mixed Martial Arts championship bouts — autographed and framed?
Or maybe a game-used Red Kelly hockey stick, autographed by members of the rival Montreal Canadiens — including Jean Beliveau, Henry Richard and J.C. Tremblay — during the 1965-66 NHL season might be more to your liking.
Those are just two of the items available to the highest bidders during the KidSport Iroquois Falls/Abitibi Eskimos online silent auction.
“All of the items up for auction were donated by an anonymous benefactor,” said Nick Fasano, one of the founders of KidSport Iroquois Falls, along with Rolly Cote and Steve Belanger.
“He is an Eskimos supporter and he believes in KidSport, so he donated all the items for the auction from his private collection.”
Fasano figures the St-Pierre trunks and an authentic autographed fight glove, framed with a photo of the UFC star could be among the more popular items in the auction.
“I know the autographed trunks, on ebay, are listed for more than $1,000 and his glove is listed at more than $600,” he said.
“Also, some of the autographed jerseys, like the (Doug) Gilmour, the (Wayne) Cashman and the (P.K.) Subban, the Bobby Hulls, should do well.”
The autographed jerseys available in the auction include a Bobby Hull Chicago No. 9 red jersey, a Bobby Hull Winnipeg No. 9 blue jersey, a Doug Gilmour Toronto No. 93 blue jersey, a Wayne Cashman Boston No. 12 black jersey, a P.K. Subban No. 76 red Montreal jersey, a white Boston Bruins jersey signed by Rick Smith, a white child-sized Maple Leafs jersey signed by a number of Toronto players, a Philadelphia Flyers practice jersey autographed by Reggie Leach and a Cody St. Jacques No. 30 red Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds jersey.
There are also a number of game-worn Abitibi Eskimos jerseys up for auction, including Eric Robichaud’s No. 74 white jersey from the 2013-14 season.
Also available is a white Eskimos jersey autographed by all the players from the team’s current roster.
In addition to the Kelly stick, other hockey sticks available include an autographed Guy Lafleur game-used stick, an autographed Bobby Hull stick, a Bobby Hull game-used stick, an autographed Patrick Roy game-used stick and an autographed Martin Brodeur game-used stick.
Among the most popular autographed photos up for grabs is a black and white print of Bobby Orr’s famous leap through the air after scoring the 1970 Stanley Cup-winning goal against the St. Louis Blues.
Another popular framed black and white print that is sure to be popular is a sketch of John Ferguson, George Chuvalo, Eddie Shack, autographed by all three iconic legends.
There are also framed and unframed autographed photos of Bobby Hull, Sidney Crosby and Eric Lindros.
“This guy didn’t just collect hockey, either,” Fasano said.
“He has got a bit of everything.”
Some of the non-hockey items include a framed picture of the Ali-Frazier Fight of the Century, autographed by Joe Frazier, and framed picture of Secretariat, the 1973 Triple Crown Winner of Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes, autographed by jockey Ron Turcotte.
“It’s our 10th-anniversary,” Fasano said.
“We have distributed more than $22,000 in grants, providing the opportunity for 120 kids to participate in sports and physical activities in our area during that time.”
The association between KidSports Iroquois Falls and the NOJHL franchise goes back to the formation of the charitable organization 2004 and one of its main source of revenue is the Chuck-a-Puck competition it holds during the first intermission of Eskimos games.
For a complete list of items available visit: http://www.eskis.com/page/show/1498702-kidsport-abitibi-eskimos-silent-auction-2014.
Bids can be placed by email Fasano at nfasano@ontera.net, or by telephone 705-231-0808.
Bidding is scheduled to close at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20, during the Eskimos game against the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners at the Jus Jordan Arena.
