The Spirit of the Game grew out of our sister website, www.dropthepucks.com. Rich Ellis, a long time game worn jersey collector with over 29 years of experience, started dropthepucks.com in 1999 to catalog all of the versions of every team jersey ever made (an ambitious goal!). 

After a while, Rich turned his collecting hobby into a business, and launched The Spirit of the Game in 2004 in order to meet the need and requests from other collectors to find, buy or sell items and authenticate for them.

Rich graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business management.  Rich purchased his first game worn jersey in the summer of 1976, and has been in the hobby ever since.  Rich has been to countless shows all across North America and has seen thousands upon thousands of jerseys.  

Rich also worked for one of the leading auction houses in North America, he was the director of hockey acquisitions for Lelands.com in 2003.  Rich has also been a member of the Society for International Hockey Research since 2004.  He authenticates hockey memorabilia for the following major auction houses, Broadway Rick's StrikezoneGeppis Road show , American Memorabilia.  Rich has also helped Lelands.com and Mastronet.com on authentications.

We are always looking for consignments of authentic game worn jerseys and other hockey memorabilia. Please feel free to contact us at rich@dropthepucks.com

           

Rich Ellis  - Proprietor