1952-53 OKSHL PENTICTON VEES # 9 DICK WARWICK GAME WORN JERSEY - ASSOCIATE "A" - ALL ORIGINAL
This jersey was worn by Associate Captain, Dick Warwick, of the famous Warwick Brothers who led the Penticton Vees to the World Championship for Canada in 1955. The jersey has been photo matched to images of the 1952-53 team and individual players.
The team began it's historic journey in 1951-52 when they joined the Okanagan Senior Hockey League. During that inaugural season they wore a green jersey with white trim, a "V" crest with "Penticton" on the front. (We have the only known example in our Museum collection - # 6 Ernie Rucks). They then switched to a new style of jersey for the 1952-53 season. It featured a large felt "P" centered high on the front with three smaller gold felt "V's" which represented the three types of peaches grown in the Okanagan (Vedette, Valiant and Victory). Images from the following year, 1953-54 when they won the Allan Cup, show the team wearing both this style of jersey and a dark jersey with the player's number on the front and barber pole striping on the sleeves. Although the white jersey for 1953-54 was similar in style to this Dick Warwick jersey, a noticeable difference is the position of the large "P" on the front. It appears to be positioned lower than on this jersey.
A staged photo of the team gathered together to listen to player/coach, Grant Warwick, shows the team wearing this exact style of jersey and a conclusive photo match to Dick Warwick wearing the "A". I have found a photos of Dick Warwick in the following season's jersey and you can see that the "A" on that jersey is in a different position than on this jersey. And the "P" is lower.
The Penticton Vees would win the 1954 Allan Cup and as a result would represent Canada in the 1954-55 World Championships in West Germany (Dusseldorf, Dortmund, Krefeld and Colgne). They defeated the Soviet Union 5-0 to take the gold in the final game. Dick Warwick was one of only four original members of the inaugural 1951-52 Penticton Vees that played on the 1955 World Championship team. The others were (Ernie Rucks, Doug Kilburn and goalie Ivan McLelland).
The Warwick brothers led the team and often played on the same line. Grant Warwick had a long career in the NHL and AHL before joining the Penticton Vees in the 1952-53 season. He was the Calder Trophy winner as NHL Rookie of the Year in 1941-42 when he scored 16 goals and 17 assists as a member of the New York Rangers. He was traded to the Boston Bruins in 1947-48 and was then moved to the Montreal Canadiens for the 1948-49 season. He finished his NHL career with 147 goals and 289 pts. Brother Bill also played for the New York Rangers in 1942/43 and 1943/44. He spent most of this professional career in the AHL with the Hershey Bears, Pittsburgh Hornets, Providence Reds, Philadelphia Rockets, Springfield Indians and Cleveland Barons. He also joined the Penticton Vees in 1952-53 to play alongside his brothers, Grant and Dick.
This is the only known example of an original Penticton Vees jersey from this era that I have ever encountered. We are honoured to have this piece in the museum and look forward to the time when we can display it in public.