1962-64 San Fransisco Seals WHL #15 Len "Comet" Haley

GAME WORN CHAMPIONSHIP JERSEY

One of the rarest jerseys in the Canadian National Hockey Museum display, this jersey hails from the “Comet”, Leonard Frank Haley, who wore this during the WHL Championship seasons of 1962-63 and 1963-64. Obtained directly from Mr. Haley, this jersey exhibits the battles consistent with two years worth of use and the rough and scrappy style played by it’s owner, Len “Comet” Haley. Arriving in San Francisco mid way through the 1961-62 season in a trade from the WHL Edmonton Flyers, Mr. Haley would go on to lead the upstart franchise to two consecutive President’s Trophy winning seasons of 1962-63 and 1963-64. As Len Haley would do many times in his professional career, he led the team in goals in the 1963-64 season. Len played a total of 1470 games in his career, scoring 551 goals and 686 assists for 1237 points, including 30 games played with Gordie Howe and the Detroit Red Wings in 1959-61 scoring a goal and adding 3 assists in the 1960 Stanley Cup Playoffs vs the Toronto Maple Leafs.

To my knowledge, this #15 Len Haley jersey and the recently acquired, # 18 Orland Kurtenback are the only two white durene jerseys from these two Championship seasons that have surfaced. A classic crest with a Seal holding a hockey stick and a puck spinning on its nose adorns the front. There are too many team repairs to count a testament to the battles waged by the feisty and speedy, Comet. 

 

Coached by Bud Poile in the 1962-63 and 63-64 Championship seasons, this team was a powerhouse of the professional Western Hockey League and were a strong farm team for the Boston Bruins of the NHL. Players that went on to play in the NHL from this era of the Seals include Bob Bailey, Real Chevrefils, Garry "Duke" Edmundson, Len Haley, Orland Kurtenbach, Jim McLeod, Nick Mikoski, Ed Panagabko, Wayne Rutledge, Wayne Connelly, Charlie Burns, Larry Lund, Gerry Odrowski, Cliff Pennington and Bob Perrault.