HARRISBURG -- Someone really wanted a special pink jersey worn by Yannick Tifu.
A diehard Reading Royals fan successfully bid $10,600 -- that's right, $10,600! -- for the sweater of the Royals' captain on Saturday night after Reading's game against the Elmira Jackals at Sovereign Center.
The proceeds from the auction benefit Breast Cancer Support Services (BCCS) of Berks County.
The winning bidder has asked his name not been released by the team, said Mark Wallace, general manager of the Royals.
However, Wallace told CBS 21 News Sports Director Jason Bristol he is allowed to share the bidder's reasoning for buying the Tifu jersey and two others -- from defenseman Dustin Stevenson ($900) and defenseman Denny Urban ($700) -- for a grand total of $12,200.
The bidder's mother recently passed away from breast cancer. He felt buying the jerseys with some of his inheritance -- and knowing the money would go to BCCS -- was the best way to help others, said Wallace.
According to its website, BCCS of Berks County is a non-profit organization that provides "hope, information and emotional support to women diagnosed with breast cancer and those who care for and about them."
CBS 21 News viewer Anthony Lepri was at Saturday's game and recorded the final moments of the auction.
He said that two fans -- the man and an older woman -- were bidding against each other and neither "just didn't give up." When the price reached $9000, Tifu, who was present during the bidding, told the fans he would take both of them out to dinner, according to Lepri.
Tifu gave the losing bidder two autographed hockey sticks, said Lepri.
Reading plays in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL).
Tifu, 28, from Brossard, PQ, is in his second season with the Royals. He has 49 points (19 goals, 30 assists) this season in 54 games. He began his pro career in 2005-06 and has also appeared in a total of 81 games in the American Hockey League with Binghamton, Albany, and Rochester.
Tifu's jersey sale apparently broke the previous record of $4100 for a Philipp Grubauer jersey. Grubauer, a goaltender, now plays for the AHL's Hershey Bears.
Editor's Note: Updated (2/19) to add Wallace comments and information on BCCS Berks.
