Uniform numbers in professional hockey date back to the old National Hockey Association, one of the leagues that pre-date the NHL. The original intention was to help fans identify players and to help officials to credit statistics.

Why can't hockey players wear 99?

99 – The Great One

There is not much to say there, it is a sacred hockey number. Unless you are the Great One, this number is completely off limits to any hockey player anywhere in the known universe.

Can you wear number 99 in the NHL?

No, you cannot wear the number 99 in the NHL. The league officially retired the number on behalf of Wayne Gretzky in 2000. Although, five other players have wore the number 99 in the history of the NHL. Gretzky was the most famous player to wear the number 99, but it has been worn by 5 other players.

Can you wear 69 in the NHL?

Fun fact: Desjardins and forward Melvin Angelstad (two games with the Washington Capitals in 2003-04) are the only players in NHL history to wear No. 69.

Can you wear 0 in NHL?

Beginning with the 1996-97 season, the NHL decreed that Nos. 0 and 00 could no longer be worn since they confused the League's digital database; today, only No. 1 through No. 98 are allowed, No.

Who wears 96 in the NHL?

96: Tomas Holmstrom

Forward Tomas Holmstrom spent all but 47 games of his NHL career, which lasted for 15 seasons and 1,026 regular season games, wearing number 96.

Can you wear 66 in the NHL?

No. 66 isn't retired League-wide like No. 99 is for Wayne Gretzky. Two players have worn it since Lemieux retired from the NHL in 2006: Ho-Sang and Calgary Flames defenseman TJ Brodie in 2010-11.

Why did Gretzky choose number 99?

It was with the Greyhounds that Gretzky first wore the number 99 on his jersey. He originally wanted to wear number 9—for his hockey hero Gordie Howe—but it was already being worn by teammate Brian Gualazzi. At coach Muzz MacPherson's suggestion, Gretzky settled on 99.

Who wears 62 in the NHL?

62 – Carl Hagelin. Carl Hagelin appears on this list mostly due to a lack of competition. He is a solid NHL player but has been limited to 58 games played over the last two seasons.

Is Gretzky number retired by NHL?

Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky retired from professional play after the 1998–99 season and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1999. His career totals include 2,857 points and 894 goals. The NHL retired his jersey number (99) after his final game.

Do NHL players take their skates off between periods?

Yes, some NHL players change jerseys between periods. As part of the cooling down process during intermission, players will take skates, jerseys, and pads off to try their best in dry out before having to put everything back on 3 – 4 minutes before the next period starts.

Why did the Kraken retire 32?

Before Saturday night's game against the Vancouver Canucks, Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke announced that the team would retire #32. This is because they are the league's 32nd franchise and wanted to honor the 32,000 fans who made deposits for season tickets the first day they were allowed to.

What is the least used number in NHL?

0. What's even rarer than the double-zero is the single zero in the NHL. Only one man has worn this number, and most likely you've never heard of him.

What number was Wilf Paiement?

While Paiement was playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs he wore the number 99 for the 187 games he spent in Toronto, and was the last player other than Wayne Gretzky to wear that number, last wearing it on March 6, 1982 against the Montreal Canadiens.

What number is retired in the NHL?

Wayne Gretzky's number 99 was retired league-wide in 2000; Gretzky's former teams the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings also separately retired his number. As of March 2022, two teams have no retired numbers: the San Jose Sharks and Winnipeg Jets.

Who wears 98 in the NHL?

98 is the rarest number in NHL history. Only three players have worn it – Brian Lawton, Jesse Puljujarvi, and Mikhail Sergachev.

Who is the greatest hockey player ever?

Wayne Gretzky shattered long-standing records, notably scoring an unprecedented 894 goals. He also earned four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers (1984–85, 1987–88) and was named the NHL's MVP nine (!) times (1980–87, 1989).

Is Gretzky a Russian?

Gretzky's ancestry is typically described as either Belarusian, Ukrainian, or Polish. In interviews, Gretzky stated that his parents were "White Russians from Belarus", and whenever anyone asked his father if they were Russian, he would reply, "Nyet.

Who wears 79 in the NHL?

The number 79 has only been worn by six players in NHL history, and the only other household name to wear it is Andrei Markov.

Who wears 97 in the NHL?

97 -- Connor McDavid. The skinny: Appropriately, McDavid has 97 points (34 goals, 63 assists) in 64 games this season, second in the NHL behind teammate Leon Draisaitl's 110.

Who wears 74 in the NHL?

McKee has worn No. 74 for almost all of his career -- most of which has been spent blocking shots and doing everything else possible to keep the puck out of his own net. He has just 21 goals in 802 NHL games, but usually has been among the NHL's best shot-blockers. Poddubny wore No.

Who wears 86 in the NHL?

Jack Hughes, the number one overall draft pick for the New Jersey Devils, has chosen number 86 for his NHL number. Hughes began his career with the US National Team Development Program wearing the number 6, which had been a family number.

Who else wore 99 in the NHL?

Number 99

Since the 1950-51 season, only three players are in the number 99 club, Gretzky, Rick Dudley and Wilf Paiement.

Do hockey jersey numbers mean anything?

Numbers 2-6 were traditionally for defense, and 7-11 traditionally for forwards. Higher numbers were for players further down the depth chart, with one of the highest numbers (often 20, 29 or 30) for the backup goaltender.