Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, known as “The Great One”, made his highly anticipated New York Rangers debut on October 5th, 1996 against the Boston Bruins. Reuniting with former teammate Mark Messier, Gretzky helped lead the Rangers to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in his first season in New York and tallied 97 points. This Easton Silver Tip stick features the name “GRETZKY” vertically on the shaft and stamped into the top of the blade. The Gripper tape is in black on the handle and written on the knob is “1 -” in black marker. Gretzky signed the blade of the stick with the added personal inscription to the team's Equipment Manager that reads “To Mike Thanks For All Your Help! Your Friend, Wayne Gretzky” and “First Ranger Stick Oct 1996”. In our opinion the signature rates a strong 8. The tape on the blade has been removed and the stick shows good game use. Accompanied by a Full JSA LOA and a Selby Colson LOA.