On 4/7/1998, The Rangers played their second consecutive game without their Captain - Brian Leetch, who had what the team called flu-like symptoms, after taking a hit to the head the week prior in a game against Boston. Gretzky put the Rangers ahead at 7 minutes 34 seconds of the second period with a slap shot high on the glove side of goalie Jocelyn Thibault - Gretzky’s 22nd of the season and 884th of his career. Gretzky was not available immediately after the game because doctors were giving him many stitches to close the cut above his upper lip on the right side of his face. Of the stick that accidentally cut his lip, Gretzky Said: “It’s nobody’s fault. I got hit with a high stick and I felt it should be a penalty. While you are on the ice, everyone gets emotional.” (New York Times). Inside the neck of this white mesh jersey, is the STARTER / NHL CENTER ICE label. Adjacent below is a white strip tag with: GRETZKY stitched in black. Team name (RANGERS) diagonally across the front. Captain’s “C” on the left breast in which was stitched on in a visibly different fashion because of its adjunct nature. Player number (99) on the back and each sleeve. Player name (GRETZKY) arched across the back. All identifiers are done in blue on red tackle twill. Custom velcro strip on the back left tail and fight strap cut out. NHL / Starter logos on the back tail. Handwritten inside the back tail in black marker is: 4-7-98 vs MONTREAL. Penned in green inside the Starter label inside the back tail is: 99 MF 98 - notes from Equipment MGR Mike Folga. Gretzky has signed and personalized in between name and number on back, in black marker, in our opinion rating a 9. Loose threads, stick marks, board burns and blood stains present. This jersey is properly tagged, presented to us as game-used and in our opinion shows excellent wear. Accompanied by full JSA LOA. Accompanied by a letter from SIA, confirming the photo-match. Accompanied by letter from Photo-Match.com,confirming the video-match.