He had the “Heart of a Ranger.”

 

And so on Tuesday, February 3, 2009, the Rangers paid tribute to Adam Graves by retiring his No. 9 and capping a stirring pre-game ceremony by sending it to the Madison Square Garden rafters.  

 

Now you can own a game-worn jersey, goal-scored puck, or game-used puck from this historic night. Now up for bid at auctions.nhl.com is the unique set of blue game-worn jerseys worn by the Rangers in the first period on Adam Graves Night. Every jersey sports the unique Graves “9” Commemorative Patch on the right shoulder.

 

The New York Rangers-MeiGray Group Game-Worn Jersey Authentication Program is proud to commemorate "Heart of a Ranger" by offering collectors across the globe the opportunity to own a piece of history …… the actual jersey worn in the first period of Adam Graves Night by #23, Chris Drury, of the New York Rangers.

 

Drury's jersey is a Size 58 and is registered into the NYR-MGG Game-Worn Jersey Authentication Program as number F09444.  This jersey has the Adam Graves Night “9” Commemorative Patch sewn onto the right shoulder of the jersey.

 

The Rangers wore a set of white jerseys in the warmup prior to the game vs. Atlanta, and three new sets of blue jerseys in each of the three periods, all sporting the Graves “9” Commemorative Patch on the right shoulder. The jerseys worn in the second period were retained by the team. The jerseys worn in the third period were awarded to the players.

 

Each jersey was authenticated and security-tagged before the game by MeiGray, and marked by an NYR-MGG Program Director with the period number in the fight strap.  This jersey up for bid was worn throughout the first period. The set of jerseys worn in the second period remain property of the Rangers. The jerseys worn in the third period were awarded to the players, with our thanks for their participation on this great night.

Additionally, every jersey worn throughout the 2008-2009 NHL season by the Rangers contains a uniquely numbered inventory tag sewn into the jersey BEFORE IT IS WORN BY THE PLAYER ON THE ICE. This tag is equipped with covert security features regularly checked by NYR-MGG Program Directors so we can tell who wore the jersey, and when.