breaking through several times this season, including a 24-23 loss to

FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. -- It started almost two decades ago with a $20 hockey stick once wielded by a forgotten player for a string of mediocre teams. It ends at the auction block this week when millions of dollars are likely to change hands. This may be the worlds largest game-worn collection of memorabilia from the worlds best player from the sports last dynasty. Shawn Chaulk owns a hoard of everything Wayne Gretzky. He says its all for a singular cause that only a full-blooded hockey lover can savour. "When youre a fan, fans are usually at a distance," he recently told The Canadian Press in the basement office of his home in Fort McMurray. The space is a forest of game-used Gretzky hockey sticks, a dressing room of game-worn Gretzky jerseys and a trainers bag full of assorted pucks, gloves, helmets and skates -- all touched, used and sweated in by the Great One himself. "You love the game. You love the athletes, at a distance. At best, you get to attend an event and see them in person. Again, from a distance. And thats as close as we get. This was all to help me get closer to the game." The online auction begins Friday through Montreals Classic Auctions. Among the of hundreds of items on sale are: --the puck Gretzky shot to score his 500th goal, as well as the jersey and skates he was wearing at the time. --gloves and helmets worn during Stanley Cup victories and regular-season games. --skates replete with scuffs and repairs. --Gretzkys early-1980s Oilers Nike track suit. --No. 99 practice jersey. --Gretzky-used equipment bag. Chaulk, however, will not be entirely stripped of his Gretzky trove after the auction. Heres what hes not selling: --a stick from Gretzkys first pro team, the World Hockey Associations Indianapolis Pacers, on which the equipment manager stamped the name "Gretsky." --the jersey Gretzky wore during the entire 1981-82 season in which, as an Edmonton Oiler, he compiled more than 200 points and broke Phil Espositos scoring record of 77 goals in one season. --replica Stanley Cups once owned by former Oilers owner Peter Pocklington, who is reviled for trading Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988. --the jersey Gretzky wore the infamous night in 1986, when, in a division final against Calgary, Steve Smith scored in his own net to eliminate the Oilers from the playoffs. Chaulk is 45 years old and didnt start collecting anything until he was in his 20s -- and that involved golf. He had read an article about Arnold Palmer, which included a chat with the golf greats secretary. "She talked about how once a week she opens all his mail from fans, lays out all his autograph requests and he signs them and she sends them off," Chaulk recalled. "I thought, Wow." He wrote to the magazine. which forwarded the letter to Palmer. In due course, he returned a signed autograph. Chaulk thought that was terrific. "Id go to the post office and drop 300 letters in the mail," he said. "Some days Id get up to 50 cards back in the mail." He ended up with 50,000 signed hockey cards in his collection, many accompanied by letters. Chaulks correspondents included Montreal Canadiens legends Maurice and Henri Richard and Jean Beliveau. But the cards, now sold or donated, were just a gateway. Before long, and as his contracting business prospered, Chaulk was dabbling in signed photographs, prints, jerseys. Then one afternoon he was in an Edmonton pawn shop, looking over cards. He spotted an old hockey stick hanging on the wall. The man behind the counter told him it had been used by Wayne Presley, a journeyman who played for five NHL teams between 1984 and 1997. "I didnt realize you could put your hands on that type of thing," said Chaulk, awe still in his voice more than a decade later. "I didnt know it was available to the fan. And there I am in a pawn shop and theres a game-used stick there. I asked to see it and held it and went Wow! Will I ever get closer to the game? I spent my $20. That was my first piece of the game." But not his last. Chaulk moved on from Presley and decided to focus on Gretzky. If game-used sticks were available, he wanted them from the Great One. Chaulk now has more than 100 sticks that once hit the ice in Gretzkys hands: Titans, Eastons, wood and aluminum. They cover his entire career -- from the 1977 world juniors to his last NHL game on April 18, 1999, with the New York Rangers. The final step in Chaulks full-blown collectors bug came in 2005, when a major Gretzky collection hit the block. "I saw, in one single auction, the amount of stuff that can surface from a single player. That was the turning point for me. I knew I wanted to collect game-worn equipment and that would be my focus." Chaulk bought a jersey at that sale and hasnt slowed down since. He began buying at other auctions and networked himself into a community of like-minded souls who would get in touch if they ran across something they thought might interest him. Persistence helped. "Once I get something in my mind, theres no stopping me," Chaulk said, laughing. "Ask anybody that Ive acquired something from who didnt truly want to give it up. I am a hound." A note of reverence creeps into Chaulks voice when he talks about the day his collection was visited by the man who created it. Gretzky was appearing at a function in 2011 where Chaulks collection was on display. The two took time to walk through it. "Id tell him where the sticks came from and hed smile and react accordingly. And then, as we moved through the collection, he realized the magnitude of what Id put together and it was just absolutely surreal to walk the collection from end to end and discuss the pieces with him," he said. " In terms of collecting, it dont get any better. Thats beyond my wildest dreams as a collector." Why sell, then? Insurance is a big reason. Its hard to buy coverage for such collections, and the thought of a fire makes him blanch. Also, hes already got most of the main Gretzky items likely to come on the market, so some of the thrill is gone. "Theres not a lot of chase left," he said. "Its like Ive gotten to the top of the mountain. I have the memories. Its maybe time to spread it out a little bit." Hes casual about what he thinks the sale might bring and claims not to have a figure in mind. Still, consider just the sticks. The cheapest one is worth about $2,500 and the most expensive about $20,000. There are plenty leaning against his wall that sell for about $9,000. Chaulk has more than 100 sticks. He knows his trove wont stay together. Itll get parceled out to collectors around the continent and, probably, the world. He just hopes that whoever buys the items lets people see them. He shudders at the thought of someone cutting up the jerseys and selling them piece by piece, which happens. "Thats sick," he said. "We just cringe at that." Deion Sanders Cowboys Jersey . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. Michael Irvin Womens Jersey . -- Most satisfying to Russ Smith about No. https://www.cowboyssportsgoods.com/Womens-Charles-Haley-Inverted-Jersey/ . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. Darren Woodson Youth Jersey . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Larry Allen Womens Jersey . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- All signs point to a low-scoring, defensive battle when the Boston Bruins visit the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night.Both clubs struggled to light the lamp in recent games despite numerous chances, while strong defensive play and stellar goaltending allowed each team to remain competitive.All this means, of course, is the game could just as easily erupt into an old-fashioned, 1980s-era shootout.Boston (10-6-0) is coming off a stretch of six games in nine days (4-2-0) culminating with a 2-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. The team with an NHL-best 7-3-0 road record had Monday off and practiced in Denver on Tuesday before arriving in Minnesota a relatively rested team.The Thursday game marks the end of a three-game trip for the Bruins, who won a pair of tight contests over the Arizona Coyotes (2-1) and the Avalanche. But despite firing a combined 75 shots on goal in the two games, only four went in, giving Boston just 22 goals in the past nine contests.Following practice Tuesday, Bruins forward Brad Marchand, the teams leading goal-scorer last season, said it is premature to push the panic button.If we continue to get opportunities and play the way we are, then goals are going to come, said Marchand, who has five goals this season. We know that. Theres no need to worry. The only time is when youre not getting opportunities and not getting the chances, but we are. Were playing good hockey, and we want to continue that.The potential absence of leading scorer David Pastrnak certainly wont help the Bruins, though. The 20-year-old third-year forward from the Czech Republic has 10 goals already this season, but he sat out a second straight practice Wednesday in St. Paul and was listed as day-to-day by Boston coach Claude Julien.Minnesota, meanwhile, spent its day off Wednesday trying to digest a flame-broiled goose egg delivered to its doorstep by a struggling Calgary squad on the night before. The Flames arrived Tuesday having been outscored 27-9 in their past seven games (1-6-0) but left Minnesota with a hard-earned 1-0 win, much to the Wilds frustration.I just doont think we played the way we needed to, Wild defenseman Ryan Suter said.dddddddddddd We had some chances and hit some posts. At the end of the day, we have to put the puck in the back of the net.Weve got to, as a group, ask ourselves, Did we really do enough to give ourselves a chance to create offense, to sustain offense, to get scoring chances? And I dont think we did, added Wild forward Zach Parise who skated 18:53 on Tuesday, tallying two shots, one hit and two penalty minutes in his first game after sitting out six due to a lower-body injury.It doesnt get any easier for the Wild (8-6-1), as they will face the NHLs reigning NHL First Star of the Week. Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask (4-0-0, 0.75 goals-against average last week) is 10-1-0 overall with a 1.54 GAA and a .945 save percentage.Hes been solid since the start of the season and giving us a chance to win every night, Julien said of Rask after the Sunday win.Weve been playing good hockey, and Ive felt good, Rask said after Tuesdays practice. I think everybody has contributed to our success, and Im just riding along with the boys, I guess.The Wild, who also dropped a 1-0 contest at Colorado on Nov. 6, have been held to two goals or fewer in five of their six November games after outscoring opponents 13-0 in three games to close out October, the first of which was a 5-0 Oct. 25 blanking of the Bruins in Boston. Rask sat out that game due to injury.Minnesota goaltender Devan Dubnyk, who was in goal for all three shutouts, stopped all 27 Boston shots that night, a feat he may have to duplicate if his teammates cant solve their offensive woes. Considering Minnesotas stingy defensive play recently (10 goals allowed in the last nine games), that is not out of the question.Dubnyk is tied for the league lead in shutouts (three) and save percentage (.948) and is second only to Rask in goals against average (1.60). He has allowed just nine goals in his past eight games, stopping 245 of 254 shots over that span. ' ' '