Pocklington auctions off his Stanley Cup rings
Former Edmonton Oilers owner raises almost $300,000 US for his grandchildren's education
Last Updated: Thursday, June 12, 2008 | 9:04 AM ET
CBC Sports
Peter Pocklington, left, at the Aug. 9, 1988 press conference announcing Wayne Gretzky, right, had been dealt to the Los Angeles Kings. (Ray Giguere/Canadian Press)Peter Pocklington, who once sold Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings, held an online garage sale this week that netted the former Edmonton Oilers owner a cool $294,269 US.
The items included five Stanley Cup championship rings from the Oilers' amazing run in the 1980s, plus three Edmonton Trappers title rings dating from when Pocklington owned the Pacific Coast League baseball team.
In addition, there were miniature replicas of the Stanley Cup and Clarence Campbell Bowl (Western Conference championship) trophies. A number of smaller items such as photographs were also up for bid.
All were sold by Classic Auctions, a leading online house that specializes in hockey memorabilia.
"It's just memorabilia," Pocklington told the Edmonton Journal. "I remember being there in real life and those memories will last forever.
"To look at a hunk of gold, that I keep in a safe most of the time anyway, every five years, doesn't make much sense," he said. "I'd just as soon use that money and the interest on it to look after my grandchildren."
There are a dozen grandchildren, each of whom has an educational trust.
This isn't the first time Pocklington items have appeared on the Classic Auctions site.
In May, 2005, a 33-centimetre replica of the Stanley Cup from the 1988 victory went for $9,646.15 and in December of that year a second version of the 1987 cup ring sold for $13,450.20 and a Clarence Campbell Bowl trophy replica brought in $1,046.84.
It's not known if those were directly sold by Pocklington.
Here's a rundown of the items sold this week, and how much each fetched, in U.S. dollars:
- 1984 Edmonton Stanley Cup ring ($59,628)
- 1985 Edmonton Stanley Cup ring ($61,174)
- 1987 Edmonton Stanley Cup ring ($30,597)
- 1988 Edmonton Stanley Cup ring ($49,279)
- 1990 Edmonton Stanley Cup ring ($72,151)
- 1984 Edmonton Trappers PCL ring ($4,608)
- 1996 Edmonton Trappers PCL ring ($4,608)
- 1997 Edmonton Trappers PCL ring ($3,146)
- 1987 Clarence Campbell Bowl replica ($1,302)
- 1985 Edmonton miniature Stanley Cup ($7,786)
Pocklington owned the Oilers through their glory years, eventually selling off the club and other business interests in the Edmonton area, including Swift-Canadian and Canbra Foods, and moving to the U.S. in 1998.
