LINDEN.......STICK OF THE WEEK???

This could very well have gone under the title 'Stashed In The Closet'.... 'cause that's where I found it.

I was told it was a Trevor Linden game-used stick from the early 90's. Let's take a look and I'll tell you where I stand.

(please excuse the clutter) :)

I purchased this stick about 10-12 years ago at one of the local card stores in town. The guy had a number of 'game-used' sticks for sale. I had never considered buying game-used memorabilia before that, but when I saw the Linden stick peeking out at me, I'll admit, I was intrigued.


Right off the bat, my first question is obviously - is it a real game-used stick? Well, this photo (sorry, it was the only one I could find with a real nice looking shot of the stick) is conclusive that he used that style of stick.


It had a ton of wear and tear on it and it looked like it would be tough to fake. I didn't normally buy a ton of stuff from the dealer through the years, but I did feel like I could trust him. My next question was - how much?


$50 i was told. Yeowch! At the time, I pretty much never dropped fifty bucks on anything Linden - especially 'non-card' stuff. I'd have to think about it.


Of course, that got the dealer going into his 'used car salesman' mode. How it's tough to get one of these (especially in Calgary). He's a popular player and has a huge fan base. Game used memorabilia can fetch a lot of coin. Fifty bucks is a steal.

I'll admit. I bit pretty much right away. I was just seeing if I could get him to drop his price. I got him down to $40 and was happy to pay it.


A little research when I got home and I felt confident that this was the real deal. I feel this way even today. Besides, it looks cool. And if it's ever determined that it's a fake, I can always cut it up and do some custom stick cards with it.


Looking back now, I think it was a steal. You see teams holding equipment sale days and sticks can go for a pretty penny now (although they aren't the wood-style sticks anymore). I think $40 was a great price and this stick sits proudly in my Linden collection.