Mike Keenan Collection on Auction Block Has a Personal Connection

Mike Keenan reached hockey’s Mount Everest when he coached the New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup Championship in 1994 during a season for the ages, snapping a 54-year Cup drought for the franchise.

Life’s pinnacle met life’s depths two decades later when Mike's daughter, Gayla, was diagnosed with Ocular Melanoma in 2011 at the age of 32. Ocular Melanoma is a rare cancer that affects about 2,000 people each year in the United States.

“My daughter is healthy now,” reflects Keenan, “She is now 37. She was diagnosed when she was 32. It was very shocking.”

Keenan is participating in the Steiner Sports online “Fall Classic Auction,” featuring 300 pieces from his personal memorabilia collection, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting CUREOM (part of the Melanoma Research Foundation that funds research on ocular melanoma).

The unique memorabilia from a storied coaching career includes: the 1994 replica Stanley Cup presented to members of the Rangers team members; the NHL skirt that draped the table holding the Stanley Cup at the Garden; his “Jack Adams Coach of the Year” trophy from his ’84 rookie season, when he took the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals during a franchise record 53-win season; game-worn coaches jackets from his days in Philadelphia, New York, St. Louis, Calgary and Florida; and game-used jerseys of all the captains he has coached, including Mark Messier. The complete list of the Keenan memorabilia collection appears following this column.

Visit http://auction.steinersports.com/ to bid.

“There’s a lot of history available, and it’s a great opportunity,” says the former coach, now a television hockey analyst on MSG Network and NBC Sports. “I told (Steiner Sports founder) Brandon Steiner that I’d participate in the auction, as long as it had a charity aspect to it. It was nice of him to ask me to be involved, and be able to contribute to the awareness of this disease.”

“That charity is to support my daughter who was diagnosed with eye cancer in 2011. I thought this was a great way to support her. But she told me that I could not put up my championship rings.”

While treatments to eradicate the cancer from the eye are extremely effective, no treatments to prevent the cancer from spreading to other organs have been shown effective over the long term. Over 50% of ocular melanoma patients will eventually succumb to the disease. Please support Mike and his daughter in their fight to find treatments and an ultimate cure for this rare disease. A portion of the proceeds from this auction will be donated to CUREOM, a part of the Melanoma Research Foundation that funds research on ocular melanoma. Please visit their website here (www.cureom.com) to learn more.

‎‎Along with Keenan, sports icons including the late, legendary New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra, Yankees World Series “Perfect Game” pitcher Don Larsen, football Giants Super Bowl XXV MVP Ottis Anderson, and Devils three-time Stanley Cup goaltender Marty Brodeur also have memorabilia from their personal collections in the online auction.

The treasure trove of memorabilia is called by Steiner “our biggest auction in history,” and includes a total of 2,500 gems for collectors highlighted by select items from:

• Berra’s 1953 World Series Championship ring, which was the only one of 10 title rings that the legend actually wore; his Hall of Fame ring and plaque presented upon his induction in 1972; and a vintage, 1961 game-used, home pinstripe #8 jersey.
• Larsen’s “Babe Ruth Award,” which was presented to the hurler as the 1956 World Series Most Valuable Player in recognition of his historic Fall Classic performance heads the Larsen lot.
• Anderson’s Super Bowl MVP Trophy and a game-used jersey from the 1991 Super Bowl.
• A collection of game-used goalie sticks from many of Brodeur’s record-setting performances.

The Berra collection also includes a bevy of photographs, his driver's license, credit cards, signed checks, signed contracts, signed baseball cards and other personal documents.

Many of the Larsen pieces are connected to his 1956 World Series Perfect Game, including a 1956 letter from President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and 2006 letters from Governor George Pataki and Mayor Rudy Giuliani of in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the “Perfecto.”

The Keenan items also include his NHL ID card and a wedding invitation to Wayne Gretzky’s wedding.