WG Authentic – the official company of Wayne Gretzky memorabilia – played host to a pair of sports luminaries as legendary icon Muhammad Ali and “Mr. Hockey” Gordie Howe each made a recent visit to the Scottsdale, Arizona office. Both Ali and Howe signed limited edition canvas photos now available at Gretzky.com/shop.

Simply known as “The Greatest,” Ali was a three-time heavyweight boxing champion, tallying 56 wins – 37 by knockout – in 61 bouts throughout a career that spanned 21 years. Also the Olympic Light Heavyweight gold medalist at the 1960 Rome Olympics, Ali transcended sports as a social and political figure during his fighting career and continues to do so today. Since retiring from the ring, he has traveled the world, assisting people in need in the areas of hunger, children’s health and Parkinson’s research.

In a piece that captures his competitive spirit, WG Authentic is honored to offer a canvas photo (limited to 65) of the famous image from Ali’s May 25, 1965 victory vs. Sonny Liston. Known as “The Phantom Punch,” this photo pictures the moment the young, toned, budding legend knocked out the former champ in the first round to retain his title.

Howe earned the title “Mr. Hockey” through blood, sweat and tears over a 32-year career at the professional level. Covering six decades, Howe tallied 2,589 career points, 1,071 goals and made 29 all-star appearances playing in both the NHL and WHA. A 7-time MVP and 6-time scoring champ, he led teams to the final championship series round in 15 of his 32 seasons – including winning six world championship cups – despite playing most of his career in the tough original six era dominated by the highest concentration of talent in history.

WG Authentic has available limited edition canvas prints (each limited to 19) signed by Howe that capture the tough yet talented essence of the man who inspired future legends of the game.

For more information on these limited edition pieces signed by Ali and Howe, please visit www.gretzky.com/shop.

Tags: ali, gordie howe, howe, mr. hockey, muhammad ali, sonny liston, the phantom punch, wayne gretzky, wg authentic

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 at 3:46 am and is filed under Don Schwartz. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.