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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 this week when millions of dollars are likely to change hands as what may be the worlds largest game-worn collection of memorabilia from the worlds best player from the sports last great dynasty goes on the auction block. Shawn Chaulk, a quick-to-smile former Newfoundlander whose hoard of everything Wayne Gretzky makes grown men weak in the knees, says its all been nothing more than an attempt to get closer to the game he loves. "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, Alta. 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." Just a few items from the hundreds in an online auction, which begins Friday through Montreals Classic Auctions: -- The puck Gretzky shot to score his 500th goal, as well as the jersey and skates he was wearing at the time. -- Battle-scarred gloves and helmets worn during Stanley Cup victories and regular-season tilts that live still in copper-and-blue hearts. -- Skates replete with scuffs and repairs. -- Gretzkys early-1980s Oilers Nike track suit. -- A No. 99 practice bib. -- A Gretzky-used equipment bag. After the giant auction, Chaulk will still own some impressive items that drip with hockey history. 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, much-reviled for trading Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings in August 1988. -- The jersey Gretzky wore the infamous night in April 1986, when, in a division final against arch-rival Calgary Flames, Steve Smith scored on his own net to eliminate the Oilers from the playoffs. Although hes played sports all his life, Chaulk, 45, didnt grow up as the kid with the biggest bag of marbles on the block. He didnt start collecting anything until he was in his 20s -- and then it involved golf. Chaulk had read an article about Arnold Palmer, which included a chat with the golf legends 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, who, in due course, returned a signed autograph. Chaulk thought it was great and, when he thinks something is great, he doesnt hold back. "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 drug. Before long, and as his contracting business prospered, Chaulk was dabbling in harder stuff: signed photographs, prints, jerseys. Then one afternoon he was in an Edmonton pawn shop, looking over some more 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 NHLer for five teams between 1984 and 97. "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 his collection on Gretzky. If game-used sticks were available, he wanted them from the more illustrious Wayne. Chaulk now has more than 100 sticks that once hit the ice in the hands of the Great One: 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 slowly 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 laughed. "Ask anybody that Ive acquired something from who didnt truly want to give it up. I am a hound." Acquisitions came so thick and fast Chaulk jokes that his wife Tanya is on a first-name basis with all the local couriers. The collection has been a big part of his life and Chaulk speaks with great fondness of the friends hes made among fellow collectors. Hes got a great story about filmmaker Kevin Smith calling him up and asking if he could buy a stick, which ended with Chaulk hanging out with the celebrities at the Sundance Film Festival, while Smith used a borrowed stick as a prop onstage. A note of reverence creeps into Chaulks voice when he talks about the day his collection was visited by the man who, literally, created it. Gretzky was appearing at a function in 2011 where Chaulk had his collection on display and the two took some private 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. In terms of collecting, it dont get any better. Thats beyond my wildest dreams as a collector. "Thats way closer to the game than I thought Id ever be." Why sell, then? Insurance is a big reason. Collections such as Chaulks are hard to buy coverage for 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 the thrill of the chase is getting rarer. "Theres not a lot of chase left. 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 pretty casual about what he thinks the sale might bring in. He claims not to have a figure in his head and doesnt keep a database of what he paid for the items. 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 in the neighbourhood of $9,000. Chaulk has more than 100 sticks. The Wayne Gretzky of Wayne Gretzky collectors knows his trove wont stay together. Itll get parcelled 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. We just cringe at that." The pieces he plans to keep are special to him. The jersey and skates from the old-timers scrimmage at the very first Heritage Classic outdoor game in Edmonton will stay, because it was at that game that he and Tanya told friends they were about to have their first child. Before I left, Chaulk asked if there was anything Id like to try on. I point, with trembling finger, to the 81-82 jersey. "Sure," he said. The sacred relic was surprisingly heavy in my hands. Despite its satiny copper-and-blue sheen, it felt purposeful and tough, something you could wear into the corners or the front of the net. I held up my arms and the jersey settled over my shoulders. It fit perfectly. I looked at the picture Chaulk was showing me -- Gretz and Espo, sitting together just after the younger broke the older players record. Gretzkys face is still flushed from the game. And hes still wearing the jersey, the same one I now had on. I could see the same loose threads and marks in the picture as I now saw on my sleeve, and the time between then and now, between the birth of a legend and the honouring of it, collapsed. I felt a thrill tingling through my nerves. And I felt very close to the game. Jordan Shoes Uk Online . The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup. Cheap Air Jordan Uk . 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COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri hosts Middle Tennessee State in the schools 105th homecoming game and the Tigers would dearly like it to be a celebration.Missouri (2-4, 0-3 Southeastern Conference) is coming off consecutive road losses to LSU and Florida. The Tigers allowed a combined 705 rushing yards in those games as well as seven rushing touchdowns.The Blue Raiders (4-2, 2-1 Conference USA) are a pass-heavy offense, led by quarterback Brent Stockstill, who is 179 of 276 for 2,091 yards, 18 touchdowns and just five interceptions.Missouri linebacker Michael Scherer said this weeks preparation was completely different from the last few weeks.Theyre going to be spread out the whole game, Scherer said. They really like to throw screen passes. Quick stuff like that. Misdirection stuff to kind of throw you off. They have a few really talented athletes, too. If they get the ball in space, they can be dangerous.The Tigers have 10 interceptions this season, which ties Florida for the most in the SEC. Defensive coordinator DeMontie Cross believes the secondary is the strength of Missouris defense.Its hard to deny, Cross said. When those guys have been challenged down the field, theyve done a phenomenal job. Not only breaking up the ball, but coming down with quite a few of the pass attempts. Ive been really proud of those guys.Offensively, one of Missouris strengths has been its offensive line, which has given up only three sacks all season, leading the conference.Middle Tennessee State coach Rick Stockstill stressed the importance of penetration at the line of scrimmage for his team.Theyre really big, Stockstill said of Missouris offensive line. The big thing is, when you play guys that are a little bit bigger than you, is youve got to do a great job of getting off blocks. Youve got to be acctive.dddddddddddd You cant be stagnant. Youve got to move. Hopefully our athleticism will enable us to get off their blocks, but theyre huge.Here are some things to watch on Saturday when the programs meet for the second time (Missouri beat the Blue Raiders 41-40 in overtime in 2003, when Tigers coach Barry Odom was a graduate assistant on Gary Pinkels coaching staff):DEFENSIVE DEFEICIECYMissouris defense was elite in 2015. Led by one of the nations top tacklers in Kentrell Brothers, the Tigers compiled 27 sacks and 106 tackles for loss, tied for sixth in the nation. This season, defensive production has been down, as the Tigers have 27 tackles for loss and 10 sacks.WHEN IT MATHERSRunning back ITavius Mathers is the Blue Raiders go-to scoring option. He has 10 of the teams last 16 touchdowns, and ranks third nationally in scoring. He leads the team in rushing with 114 carries for 725 yards and 10 touchdowns, and also has 27 catches for 302 yards and two touchdowns.SPREADING THE LOVEBoth offenses like to spread the ball around. Middle Tennessee State has targeted 20 pass catchers this season, eight of whom have scored, while Missouri has had 18 players catch passes, with half of them finding the end zone.EARLY CONTRIBUTIONSFreshmen Cale Garrett and Ronell Perkins both made their first career starts for Missouri in a 40-14 loss to No. 18 Florida last week. Garrett started at middle linebacker and recorded eight tackles. Perkins started at strong safety, tallying four tackles and a quarterback hurry.The kid works hard, Scherer said of Garrett. He puts the time and effort into it necessary to really learn and to be able to do the right things on Saturday. ' ' '