Ex-Ranger Esa Tikkanen’s 10K Gold and Diamond Stanley Cup Ring accrues $25,000 so far in active auction

Former New York Ranger Esa Tikkanen’s 1994 Stanley Cup championship ring is up for auction. Tikkanen was a member of the 1994 New York Rangers team led by Mark Messier. The ’94 Rangers ended a 50-plus-year championship drought by defeating the Vancouver Canucks in the Finals.

Now, a piece of Rangers’ history is up for sale with the current bid well over $25,000. The bidding started at $5,000. But 15 bids later, the price has skyrocketed to five times its original asking price.

Interested fans can check out the ring here.

The ring features the distinctive “RANGERS” letters embossed diagonally in bright blue letters with “Stanley Cup Champions” printed along the borders. On one side, “1994” and an image of the Stanley Cup can be seen.

The other side features Esa Tikkanen’s name, printed as “Tikkanen,” the New York Rangers logo, and his uniform number “10.”

The ring is listed as Balfour 10K gold and comes with the original presentation box. Classic Auctions certified the ring as authentic.

The ring also comes with a personally signed letter of authenticity from Esa Tikkanen.

For fans interested in owning a piece of history, this ring provides a wonderful link to one of the most iconic stories in NHL history. There are roughly 23 days left before the bidding closes. So, any interested fans had better place their bids sooner rather than later.

Esa Tikkanen charged with tax evasion

News hasn’t been all good for Esa Tikkanen. According to the New York Post, the former Rangers winger has been charged with tax evasion in his native Finland.

Based on reports from Ilta-Sanomat, the Post stated that Tikkanen has denied all charges against him.

Per the Post:

"I have not committed any offense, it is a matter of disagreement with the tax authorities," Tikkanen said.

Reports indicate that Finnish tax authorities seized 168,000 Euros worth of Tikkanen’s property. However, the property was later returned to Tikkanen.

Ilta-Sanomat reported that the offenses were said to have occurred between 2015 and 2019. While the Finnish authorities apparently returned Tikkanen’s property, he is still on the hook for tax fraud charges.

The fraud charges are reportedly related to money Tikkanen made overseas. However, the specific nature of the charges is not known.

There is no word as of yet regarding the outcome of the charges.

The five-time Stanley Cup champion played 14 years in the NHL, was a three-time Selke Trophy runner-up, and is considered one of the all-time best Finnish-born players.