By R. Inkrat, Special to the Wall Street Journal
PORTLAND, MAINE, AUGUST 7, 2011 - Though Morning Hockey Club officials are speaking in carefully chosen words, it appears that a highly valuable item of MHC memorabilia may have fallen into corrupt hands in what could be just the latest incident of valuable player paraphernalia ending up for sale on the black market of sports artifacts.
MHC star Bill Welch has reported his blue # 18 jersey cannot be found, and he put out a call for it around the league. This is often how it starts, a key piece of sports memorabilia goes missing. Then after a time it shows up on the black market at a high price for sale under claims of legitimate ownership.
Welch's # 18 jersey had just been voted the special honor of being retired. League founder George Gooley, announcing the honor, wrote to Welch, "The Morning Hockey Club Board of Directors voted unanimously in selecting you to The MHClub Hall of Fame. Your jersey will forever hang in the rafters at both PIA and FIC, alongside the greats of Pickett, Sousa, Trowbridge & Mokarzel." This message had not even arrived at Welch's office before he discovered the jersey was nowhere to be found.
According to experts, a jersey worn in competition by a player of Welch's caliber could fetch tens of thousands of dollars at any one of a number of popular sports memorabilia web sites or auction houses, or for those looking for a quick buck could show up on EBay or Craig's List. "My guess it it's Russian mafia," said one source, who asked not to be identified for his own safety.
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