Incredible vintage jersey here from the long defunct Cleveland Barons. The club only existed for two years making these first season style very rare and desirable. The 1967 expansion Oakland Seals moved to Cleveland in 1976 and the Barons were born. Jim Neilson also moved with the Seals after being their captain for 2 years and became the first captain in Baron’s history. This is the very jersey he wore during that inaugural season. The Ohio State patches on the arm were only used in 1976 and as you can see, they are affixed to each arm on this almost 50-year-old relic. The jersey has been photo matched to the stick mark on the crest as well as the now washed out abrasion to the left shoulder, both pictured below, and also comes with a certificate from Meigray. The story on this jersey is amazing. It still houses the original name sewn directly on to the back which in itself is very rare for this set of jerseys. The only other example we have seen resides at the Hockey Hall of Fame being a Dennis Maruk. The Captains C, well there’s a story in itself. It is said Jim tore this off himself after an angry altercation with team management and the condition of the area of its removal, may indicate that. Incredible wear in the form of repairs to the lower right arm with slash marks and board burns covering the area. The left lower arm also houses some repairs slash marks and several unrepaired holes. 2 very large repairs cover the right side of the upper chest with runs and unrepaired holes where the C was removed on the left. On the back just below the number 5, there is a huge material backed repair with a black stick mark just below it from the culprit that left this once gaping hole. inside we find incredible pilling with the lopo style fight strap fully intact. Several small holes are scattered about the jersey along with other board burns and stick marks throughout. Great wear on this first season defunct style jersey from Captain Jim Neilson, make this jersey a very special one to add to any collection.
Jim Neilson is a four-time All-Star and five-time Norris Trophy candidate who was one of the first indigenous (Nehiyaw/Cree) superstars that played in the National Hockey League. He was an instrumental force in paving the way for aboriginal athletes in the sport of hockey and athletics in general. Neilson played sixteen seasons in the NHL in a total of 1,023 games for the New York Rangers, California Golden Seals, and Cleveland Barons, scoring a total of 69 goals and logging 299 assists. He played with the New York Rangers for 12 seasons and during that time became one of the NHL top defensemen in the 1960 and 70s. Neilson was traded to the California Golden Seals in 1974, becoming captain of the team and Most Valuable Player in 1975-76 season. When the Seals relocated to Ohio in 1976, becoming the Cleveland Barons, he followed as captain and played there for two more seasons. Jim Neilson concluded his career in 1978-79 playing 35 games with the Edmonton Oilers in the WHA at the time and where he was a teammate of 17-year-old Wayne Gretzky. He was inducted into the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame in 1998 and Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
