Someone is about to be the new owner of what could be the most unique piece of Buffalo Sabres memorabilia in franchise history.

Or, is it?

The Buffalo News has an incredible article that tells the backstory on the hockey puck responsible for the first-ever goal in Sabres history, and the puck is now on the auction block.

According to the News, Jim Watson, 77, owns the puck, and is looking to sell.

He's had it a long time -- Watson was the team's defenseman in a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins when he scored the first regular-season goal in Buffalo Sabres history on October 10, 1970.

And Watson said he has stored it since in a cardboard box full of memorabilia he collected since childhood.
“It was my treasure,” Watson said. “But it would be nice for somebody in Buffalo to have that puck, and then it’d be back home again.” -The Buffalo News

 

Watson listed the puck, titled “The Very First Goal Puck in Buffalo Sabres History,”  in Lelands’ Spring Classic 2021 catalog with "photos of both sides of Watson’s puck and his signed, handwritten letter swearing its authenticity."

Bidding for the puck starts at  $10,000, and the Buffalo News reports as of Sunday night there were no bids. The auction ends this Friday night.

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But there's a lot of doubt about Watson's claim that his puck is the first. The Buffalo News does an incredible deep dive into the storied history and debate of the puck's claims, including doubts from the Penguin's former equipment manager, and the Knox family.

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