DON NACHBAUR 1985/86 HERSHEY BEARS CAPTAIN’S JERSEY WORN IN CALDER CUP FINALS WITH LINDBERGH ‘31’ AND AHL 50yr PATCH

What a fantastic piece of American League history!

This Hershey Bears road knit jersey by CCM was worn by the rugged Bears Captain during the 1985/86 AHL regular and post season, including the Calder Cup finals, which the Bears ultimately lost to the Adirondack RedWings.

This sweater features the one-year Pelle Lindbergh memorial ‘31’ stitched on front left chest with the Captain’s ‘C’ sewn just below. The back left hem features the wonderful, fully embroidered one-year AHL 50th anniversary patch 

1985 CCM Type 2 version production tag without additional date tagging sewn inside neck affixed to base of collar with a single line of stitching at top, small style CCM embroidered patch stitched on back right hem, CCM patch version with ‘R’ appearing after the last letter.  

Ribbon style fabric ‘loop’ fight strap sewn in back hem, cut as most were to make 2 tie-downs as a workable fight strap.  

The sweater shows considerable fight damage, having been torn down back of the neck and repaired with heavy white stitching. Additional 6 repairs showing on left sleeve, 8 on right sleeve, all of which have been refortified from the inside with color-coded material. Tons of heavy game wear showing inside and out of jersey with puck and stick marks all over, unrepaired holes, blood staining, board burns and board paint transfers. Tons of interior pilling, right inside cuff torn away from stitching and remains unrepaired.

From Nachbaur’s career highest penalty minute season which saw the Captain notch 301 in bin during the regular season and another 70 in the Calder Cup playoffs, logging 21 total season fights.

Nachbaur fought 7 times in this jersey: Wally Weir (Oct 13th), Chris McRae twice (Oct 15th and Nov 12th), Jim Hofford (Oct 18th), Peter Bakovic (Nov 17th) and Ray Staszak twice in the Calder Cup Finals v Adirondack on May 15th and May 17th. In a home game in that same Calder Cup final series on May 10th at the historic Hershey Park Arena, Nachbaur was hammered by a young Bob Probert. 

The Hershey Bears were the Calder Cup runner up in 1985-86, losing the series to the Adrondack RedWings 4 games to 2.