Per NHL.com:
The number a player wears becomes a part of him. There’s not a hockey fan alive who doesn’t associate “99″ with Wayne Gretzky or “66″ with Mario Lemieux.
But not every player has a number to himself. For example, five of the Original Six have retired No. 9 (Toronto, the lone holdout, lists it among its “Honored Numbers”). No. 1, the number that for decades was given to the starting goaltender, no longer is available in a number of cities, where it’s long since been raised to the rafters.
Some numbers are overloaded; others only have a couple of applicants — and most players wear more than one number during their careers. In trying to determine the best of the best, we’ve attempted to limit players to the number they wore the most, or the one they’re best known for wearing.
00 — John Davidson
The future Hall of Fame broadcaster spent 1977-78 with the New York Rangers as the first player in NHL history to wear double-zero. He went 14-13-8 with a 3.18 goals-against average in the second of Jean-Guy Talbot‘s two seasons behind the bench. With Freddie Shero running the show in ’78-79 — and a more conventional No. 30 on his back — JD led the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Final. Martin Biron wore No. 00 as a rookie with Buffalo in 1995-96 before switching to No. 43.0 — Neil Sheehy
When Calgary sent Sheehy, a rugged defenseman, to Hartford during the 1987-88 season, he switched from the No. 5 he wore in Calgary to No. 0 for his 26 games with the Whalers. Sheehy went back to a more conventional No. 15 when he was dealt to Washington during the offseason.1 — Terry Sawchuk
The owner of the NHL records for wins and shutouts until Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur came along wins a close race with a number of Hall of Famers. Sawchuk wore No. 1 from the time he broke into the League with Detroit in 1949-50 until he went to Toronto in 1964-65 and took No. 30 because his old number was owned by Johnny Bower.
Runner-up: Jacques Plante
Also in the mix: Georges Vezina, Glenn Hall, Johnny Bower, Ed Giacomin, Bernie Parent2 — Doug Harvey
Few defensemen have been as good at controlling the tempo of a game as Harvey, who won the Norris Trophy seven times (six with Montreal, once with the Rangers) in an eight-year span. His offensive numbers soon paled before the totals piled up during the expansion era, but he was the quarterback of the great Canadiens teams that won five consecutive Stanley Cups from 1956-60.
Runner-up: Brian Leetch
Also in the mix: Al MacInnis, Mark Howe, Jacques Laperriere, Eddie Shore3 — Pierre Pilote
Pilote succeeded Harvey as the NHL’s best defenseman, winning the Norris Trophy from 1963-65 and making the postseason All-Star team eight years in a row, including five straight as First-Team All-Star from 1963-67. He put up as many as 59 points in a season — huge numbers for a defenseman in the Original Six era.
Runner-up: Marcel Pronovost
Also in the mix: Harry Howell, Butch Bouchard, J.C. Tremblay4 — Bobby Orr
The argument about whether Orr is the greatest defenseman (or player) in NHL history likely will go on as long as there’s hockey. But perhaps no player in history had a bigger impact on the way the game is played — No. 4 rushed the puck like no defenseman before, and only a couple after. He put up offensive numbers that seemed incredible at the time and still do today.
Runner-up: Jean Beliveau
Also in the mix: Red Kelly, Bill Gadsby, Scott Stevens, Vincent Lecavalier5 — Nicklas Lidstrom
Lidstrom has been the NHL’s best defenseman over the past 15 years, winning the Norris Trophy six times in seven seasons and becoming the first European-born and -trained player to captain a Stanley Cup winner, one of the four he’s played on. Few players have been so good for so long — he’s still among the NHL’s best at age 40.
Runner-up: Denis Potvin
Also in the mix: Dit Clapper, Bernie Geoffrion, Guy Lapointe, Rod Langway6 — Phil Housley
Housley is the highest-scoring U.S.-born defenseman in NHL history, putting up as many as 31 goals and 97 points during a single season on the way to 1,232 points in 1,495 games — all but one played while wearing No. 6 (he wore No. 96 in his lone game with Toronto, the last of his 21-year career). Only one team (Toronto) has retired No. 6.
Runner-up: Ace Bailey
Also in the mix: Ken Morrow, Ron Ellis, Ted Green, Ralph Backstrom7 — Phil Esposito
Espo’s No. 7 was a big seller at Boston Garden during the late 1960s and early ’70s, when he shattered NHL scoring marks and helped the Bruins set records that lasted until the Wayne Gretzky-led Oilers surpassed them. Esposito wasn’t especially swift, but few players were better at getting position in the slot and snapping shots past defenseless goaltenders.
Runner-up: Howie Morenz
Also in the mix: Tim Horton, Rod Gilbert, Bill Barber, Ted Lindsay, King Clancy8 — Alex Ovechkin
He’s only been in the NHL for five seasons, but look at what he’s already accomplished: four 50-goal seasons, two Hart Trophies, 269 goals and 529 points in 396 games. He’s also been a First-Team All-Star five times — and doesn’t turn 25 until Sept. 17. Ovi generates the kind of excitement that few players in any sport ever have produced.
Runner-up: Teemu Selanne
Also in the mix: Cam Neely, Bill Mosienko, Igor Larionov. Mark Recchi9– Gordie Howe
Mr. Hockey outlasted a class of immortals as the best No. 9 (arguably the most talented number in NHL history). Perhaps the most remarkable stat about Howe’s career: He finished in the top five in scoring for 20 consecutive seasons, a mark that’s as unbreakable as any in sports. He has brought talent, class and dignity to everyone associated with the NHL for more than 60 years.
Runner-up: Maurice Richard
Also in the mix: Bobby Hull, Andy Bathgate, Johnny Bucyk, Lanny McDonald, Clark Gillies10 — Ron Francis
Quick — who’s the fourth-highest scorer in NHL history? That would be Francis, who finished his career with 1,798 points — including 1,249 assists, the most by anyone not named Gretzky. Though he won both of his Cups in Pittsburgh, Francis earned his nickname of “Ronny Franchise” with the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes, for whom he’s now an assistant coach.
Runner-up: Guy Lafleur
Also in the mix: Alex Delvecchio, Tom Johnson, George Armstrong, Syl Apps11 — Mark Messier
Messier is so renowned for his leadership skills that it’s easy to forget he put up 1,887 points, the second-highest total behind longtime teammate Wayne Gretzky. He also scored 694 goals despite reaching the 50-goal mark just once in his career. He’s beloved in two cities — Edmonton, where he helped the Oilers to five Stanley Cups, and New York, where he appropriately scored the goal that ended the Rangers’ 54-year championship drought in 1994.
Runner-up: Mike Gartner
Also in the mix: Daniel Alfredsson, Gilbert Perreault, Bill Quackenbush, Brian Sutter12 — Jarome Iginla
The Flames dealt Joe Nieuwendyk, a likely Hall of Famer, to Dallas to get Iginla, the Stars’ first pick in the 1995 Entry Draft. While Nieuwendyk helped the Stars to the only Cup in franchise history, Iginla has become the face of the franchise, the highest scorer in Flames history, a three-time First-Team All-Star — and a likely Hall of Famer in his own right.Runner-up: Yvan Cournoyer
Also in the mix: Dickie Moore, Peter Bondra, Sid Abel13 — Mats Sundin
He never led his team to a Stanley Cup Final or scored 50 goals, but Sundin was an awfully productive player for a very long time. The former Toronto captain is the highest-scoring player in the Leafs’ long history and finished his career with 1,349 points in 1,346 games — in an era that saw very few players average a point per game.
Runner-up: Pavel Datsyuk
Also in the mix: Bill Guerin, Slava Kozlov, Ken Linseman14 — Brendan Shanahan
Shanahan already was a star when he arrived in Detroit in 1997, but he moved his game up to another level when he became a Wing — becoming a big part of Detroit’s three Cup-winning teams from 1997-2002. He had the last of his six 40-goal seasons at age 37 and finished his career with 656 goals and 1,354 points.
Runner-up: Dave Keon
Also in the mix: Woody Dumart, Fern Flaman, Theo Fleury15 — Milt Schmidt
Schmidt’s career numbers (229 goals, 575 points) might not seem like a lot today, but he was regarded as one of the greatest players of his era. He became an NHL regular at 18, something almost unheard of at the time; led the League in scoring at age 21; was a three-time First-Team All-Star; won the Hart Trophy as MVP in 1950-51 at age 32; and lasted until he was 36.
Runner-up: Bobby Smith
Also in the mix: John MacLean, Bert Olmstead, Jim Nielson16 — Brett Hull
It’s not easy to outscore your father when dad was a 600-goal man, but Brett Hull did just that, finishing his career with 741 goals, the third-highest total in NHL history. That includes 226 goals in a three-year span with St. Louis and 86 in 1990-91, the most by anyone not named Wayne Gretzky. Brett didn’t have his father’s booming slapper, but he had a knack for finding the open spot on the ice and getting his shot off in the blink of an eye.
Runner-up: Marcel Dionne
Also in the mix: Pat LaFontaine, Bobby Clarke, Henri Richard, Michel Goulet17 — Jari Kurri
Wayne Gretzky‘s longtime linemate in Edmonton was surpassed as the highest-scoring Finn in NHL history by Teemu Selanne, but Kurri finished his Hall of Fame career with 601 goals, 1,398 points and four Stanley Cup rings. Though he was the perfect wingman for Gretzky, Kurri was a lot more than just a guy who prospered by having No. 99 as a linemate.
Runner-up: Ilya Kovalchuk
Also in the mix: Gerard Gallant, Wendel Clark, Mike Foligno18 — Denis Savard
The Canadiens spent years regretting that they didn’t take the Montreal native with the top pick in the 1980 Entry Draft. Instead, he went to Chicago with the third pick and lit up scoreboards for more than a decade. He may or may not have invented the spin-o-rama, but no one is more associated with the move than Savard, who finished his career with 473 goals and 1,338 points.
Runner-up: Serge Savard
Also in the mix: Dave Taylor, Mike Ricci, Walt Tkaczuk
19 — Steve Yzerman
Rare is the player who’s willing to sacrifice offensively to become a more complete player after years of dominating. But that’s exactly what Yzerman did — and the result was three Stanley Cups for the Detroit Red Wings in a six-year span, after a 42-year drought. With 1,715 points in 22 seasons and the longest run as a team captain in NHL history, Yzerman is the greatest Red Wing not named Gordie Howe.
Runner-up: Joe Sakic
Also in the mix: Bryan Trottier, Larry Robinson, Jean Ratelle20 — Luc Robitaille
Talk about a star basically walking in off the street: The Kings took Robitaille in the ninth round in 1984 and saw him become the highest-scoring left wing in NHL history, with 668 goals. Robitaille scored 40 or more goals in his first eight seasons, surpassed 50 goals three times (and 60 once), and broke the 100-point barrier four times. Not bad for someone taken 171st — well behind a future Hall of Famer in a different sport, Tom Glavine.
Runner-up: Dino Ciccarelli
Also in the mix: Evgeni Nabokov, Ed Belfour, Bob Pulford21 — Stan Mikita
Mikita went from a star to an elite player in Chicago as he learned the virtues of staying out of the penalty box. He won four scoring titles in a five-year span, was a first-team All-Star six times, won the Hart Trophy as League MVP twice — and even earned a pair of Lady Byng trophies for his skill and gentlemanly play after realizing that you can’t put the puck in the net while you’re sitting in the box. With 541 goals and 1,467 points, he’s the greatest scorer in Hawks history.
Runner-up: Peter Forsberg
Also in the mix: Borje Salming, Brent Sutter, Camille Henry22 — Mike Bossy
How great was Bossy? All he did was become the first rookie to score 50 goals — and then score at least 50 in each of his next eight seasons. A bad back that forced him to retire at age 30 with 573 goals likely kept him from breaking Gordie Howe‘s record for goals before Gretzky. Bossy was one of the four pillars on which the New York Islanders‘ dynasty was built, and may have had the quickest release of any player in history.
Runner-up: Brad Park
Also in the mix: Steve Shutt, Rick Vaive, Tiger Williams23 — Bob Gainey
Gainey scored 239 goals in his 16 NHL seasons, but he’s in the Hall of Fame for all the goals he helped prevent while helping the Montreal Canadiens win five Stanley Cups, including four in a row in the late 1970s. He was the prototypical checking forward, a four-time winner of the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best checking forward, and the 1979 Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP.
Runner-up: Brian Bellows
Also in the mix: Milan Hejduk, Bob Nystrom, Eddie Shack24 — Chris Chelios
The newly retired future Hall of Famer had three NHL careers — one with Montreal, another with Chicago and a third after he was dealt to Detroit at age 37, only to play for another 10 years and add two more Stanley Cups to the one he won with the Canadiens in 1986. Chelios finally retired at age 48 after having earned 948 points in 1,651 games, earned three Norris Trophies and five First-Team All-Star berths, including one at age 38.
Runner-up: Bernie Federko
Also in the mix: Terry O’Reilly, Doug Wilson25 — Dave Andreychuk
Andreychuk began his career as a big scorer and ended it as a checker, leader and power-play specialist — and as captain of the 2004 Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning after ending the longest active Cup drought in NHL history. Andreychuk put up 640 goals and 1,338 points in 1,639 games during his 23 NHL seasons, and is No. 1 on the all-time list with 274 power-play goals.
Runner-up: Joe Nieuwendyk
Also in the mix: Jacques Lemaire, Kevin Stevens, John Ogrodnick26 — Peter Stastny
Stastny and brother Anton defected from Czechoslovakia in 1980, and Peter, age 24, became an instant star, winning the Calder Trophy in 1980-81 by breaking the 100-point mark for the first of six years in a row. Stastny, the greatest player in the history of the Quebec Nordiques, finished his career with 450 goals and 1,239 points in only 977 games.
Runner-up: Patrik Elias
Also in the mix: Mats Naslund, Brian Propp, Jere Lehtinen27 — Scott Niedermayer
Niedermayer never put up huge offensive numbers, largely because he played most of his career in New Jersey’s defense-first system. The trade-off was success: Niedermayer was part of three Cup-winning teams in New Jersey. He added a fourth ring as captain of the 2007 Anaheim Ducks. One of the best skaters in NHL history from the day he arrived until his retirement after the 2009-10 season.
Runner-up: Frank Mahovlich
Also in the mix: Darryl Sittler, Gilles Meloche, John Tonelli28 — Steve Larmer
All Larmer did was show up for work every night and make life miserable for the opposition. He played every game for 11 seasons in a row and had his consecutive-games streak snapped only by a contract dispute that saw Chicago trade him to the Rangers — where he was a key member of New York’s 1994 Cup-winner. He retired at age 33 with 441 goals and 1,012 points in 1,006 games.
Runner-up: Brian Rafalski
Also in the mix: Steve Duchesne, Reed Larson29 — Ken Dryden
No goaltender in NHL history can match Dryden’s record of success — he played just a little over seven NHL seasons and led the Montreal Canadiens to six Stanley Cups, including four in a row from 1976-79. Dryden won 258 of his 397 NHL appearances and finished with a 2.24 goals-against average and 46 shutouts, as well as 80 victories in 112 playoff games. He led the NHL in wins four times and was the First-Team All-Star goaltender five times, including each of his last four seasons, before retiring at age 31.
Runner-up: Joel Otto
Also in the mix: Felix Potvin, Mike Palmateer, Tomas Vokoun30 — Martin Brodeur
It’s hard to believe now that not only wasn’t Brodeur the first player selected in the 1990 Entry Draft, he wasn’t even the first goaltender (Calgary took Trevor Kidd at No. 11, before New Jersey tabbed Brodeur with the 20th pick). Brodeur owns the marks for regular-season wins and shutouts and could put those records beyond reach depending on how long he plays. He’s led the Devils to three Stanley Cups and is arguably the greatest goaltender of all time.
Runner-up: Chris Osgood
Also in the mix: Rogie Vachon, Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan Miller31 — Billy Smith
Little did the Los Angeles Kings know when they allowed a young goaltender named Billy Smith to go to the expansion New York Islanders in 1972 that they were letting a future Hall of Famer walk out the door. Smith took his lumps with the expansion Isles, but became one of the NHL’s great money goaltenders while leading the club to four consecutive Stanley Cups in the early 1980s.
Runner-up: Grant Fuhr
Also in the mix: Curtis Joseph, Pelle Lindbergh32 — Dale Hunter
Hunter has a unique daily double — he’s the only player in NHL history to score 1,000 points (1,020) in his career while piling up more than 3,500 penalty minutes (3,565). Despite spending the equivalent of nearly 60 full games in the box, Hunter scored 323 goals and added 697 assists with Quebec and Washington, for which he served as captain for five seasons.
Runner-up: Steve Thomas
Also in the mix: Claude Lemieux, Rob Ray33 — Patrick Roy
Roy had two careers and was brilliant in both of them. He spent 10-plus seasons with Montreal, winning two Stanley Cups, three Vezina trophies and a pair of Conn Smyth trophies as playoff MVP. After being dealt to Colorado during the 1995-96 season, Roy won two more Stanley Cups and his third Conn Smythe Trophy during his time with the Avs. His 551 wins were a record until Martin Brodeur broke it; his mark of 151 playoff victories may never be broken.
Runner-up: Henrik Sedin
Also in the mix: Benoit Hogue, Fredrik Modin, Al Iafrate34 — John Vanbiesbrouck
“Beezer” had several fine seasons with the Rangers, winning the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender in 1985-86, but really came into his own after being taken by the Florida Panthers in the 1993 expansion draft. He went on to win more than 300 games, but his best work came when he led the third-year Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final.
Runner-up: Miikka Kiprusoff
Also in the mix: Jamie Macoun35 — Tony Esposito
“Tony O” had one of the great debut seasons in NHL history, winning the Calder and Vezina Trophies in 1969-70 while leading Chicago to first place with 15 shutouts — a total no one has come close to matching since then. Esposito had 30 or more wins in each of his first seven full NHL seasons and finished with 423 victories, a 2.92 goals-against average and 76 shutouts.
Runner-up: Mike Richter
Also in the mix: Tom Barrasso, Marty Turco, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Andy Moog36 — Matthew Barnaby
While scorers such as Glenn Anderson, Brian Propp and Bobby Clarke wore No. 36 for a season, Barnaby spent his whole career wearing it — often while scrumming with an opponent. Barnaby had 113 goals, 300 points and 2,562 penalty minutes while driving opponents crazy during his 843 NHL games.
Runner-up: Jussi Jokinen
Also in the mix: Dmitry Yushkevich37 — Olaf Kolzig
“Olie the Goalie” led the Washington Capitals to their only appearance in the Stanley Cup Final (in 1998), and won 301 games with the Caps, by far the most in franchise history. He was the NHL’s best goalie in 1999-2000, earning the Vezina Trophy and First-Team All-Star honors, and finished his career with 35 shutouts and a 2.71 goals-against average.
Runner-up: Eric Desjardins
Also in the mix: Mark Parrish38 — Pavol Demitra
Demitra, a 1993 ninth-round pick by Ottawa, didn’t establish himself as an NHL player for five years. But once he did, he was one of the League’s most consistently productive players. He had as many as 37 goals and 93 points during eight seasons with St. Louis and has put up 304 goals and 768 points in 847 games — as well as leading all players in scoring at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Runner-up: Dave Scatchard
Also in the mix: Jan Hrdina39 — Dominik Hasek
With Ed Belfour ensconced as their No. 1 goaltender, the Chicago Blackhawks had no qualms about trading Hasek, then a 27-year-old backup, to Buffalo. The rest is history: Hasek became one of the great goaltenders in NHL history, winning six Vezina trophies, back-to-back Hart trophies, and piling up 389 victories despite not becoming an NHL regular until he was 29. His flipping and flopping style of play was unique, but he did the one thing all goalies are paid to do — keep the puck out of the net by any means necessary.
Runner-up: Doug Weight
Also in the mix: Rick DiPietro, Travis Green40 — Henrik Zetterberg
Another of Detroit’s late-round draft gems — he was chosen in the seventh round in 1999 — Zetterberg has been a key part of the Wings’ continued excellence since the early 1990s. He’s averaged more than a point a game for the past five seasons, put up as many as 43 goals and 92 points in a season and earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP by powering the Wings to the 2008 Stanley Cup.
Runner-up: Patrick Lalime
Also in the mix: Alex Tanguay, Marek Svatos41 — Jocelyn Thibault
He may be remembered best for being the goalie who went from Colorado to Montreal in the deal that sent Patrick Roy to the Avs, but Thibault was a solid NHL goaltender who finished his career with 238 victories, 39 shutouts and a 2.75 goals-against average in 586 games — most of them with teams that were nowhere near winning the Stanley Cup.
Runner-up: Brent Gilchrist
Also in the mix: Jason Allison42 — Richard Smehlik
Despite knee problems, Smehlik had a solid 10-year NHL career — a pretty good showing for a player drafted in the fifth round by Buffalo in 1990. He had 14 goals and 41 points for the Sabres in 1993-94; though he never approached those numbers again after missing 1995-96 while recovering from knee surgery, he returned as a solid player who finished with 195 points and was plus-62 in 644 games.
Runner-up: Sergei Makarov
Also in the mix: Bob Sweeney, Robert Esche43 — Martin Biron
After wearing No. 00 as a rookie with Buffalo, Biron switched to his more familiar No. 43 and has gone on to a solid career. He takes his 208 victories and 2.63 goals-against average to the New York Rangers, where he’s expected to back up Henrik Lundqvist this season after spending 2009-10 with the archrival Islanders.
Runner-up: Philippe Boucher
Also in the mix: Patrice Brisebois44 — Stephane Richer
Few players in NHL history were more talented than Richer, who became an NHL regular at age 19 and was a two-time 50-goal scorer before he turned 24. Richer never hit those heights again, but finished his career with 421 goals and 819 points in 1,054 games. He was a key contributor on a pair of Stanley Cup champions — Montreal in 1986 and New Jersey nine years later.
Runner-up: Dave Babych
Also in the mix: Todd Bertuzzi, Rob Niedermayer, Kimmo Timonen45 — Arron Asham
The first player (alphabetically) to wear No. 45 also is the best. Asham has been a useful player no matter where he’s been. Though he’s never had more than 15 goals or 34 points, Asham is a player who always has been willing to do the dirty work, works hard and stands up for his teammates. His offensive numbers could go up in 2010-11 after signing with Pittsburgh.
Runner-up: Jody Shelley
Also in the mix: Dmitri Kalinin46 — Andrei Kostitsyn
The older of the Kostitsyn brothers has worn No. 46 more than anyone in NHL history (245 games). The Belarus native, taken by Montreal with the 10th pick in the 2003 Entry Draft, already has a pair of 20-goal seasons and likely would have had a third had he not missed 23 games with injuries this past season.
Runner-up: David Krejci
Also in the mix: Roman Polak47 — Marc-Andre Bergeron
Bergeron’s struggles in his own zone may have kept him from becoming a star, but his big shot on the power play should keep him in the NHL for a long time. Bergeron has had at least 13 goals in four of his six full NHL seasons, and 43 of the 75 goals he’s scored (in only 399 career games) have come on the power play.
Runner-up: John Grahame
Also in the mix: Stephan Lebeau, Rich Pilon48 — Danny Briere
Briere has three 30-goal seasons and put up 95 points for Buffalo in 2006-07, earning him a big contract from the Flyers. Briere hasn’t come close to matching his big season as a Flyer, but did lead all scorers in last spring’s playoffs with 30 points. At age 32, he has 230 goals and 526 points in 666 NHL games.
Runner-up: Scott Young
Also in the mix: J.J. Daigneault49 — Brian Savage
An eighth-round pick by the Canadiens in the 1991 Entry Draft, Savage became a solid NHL regular, scoring 192 goals and reaching the 20-goal mark four times during a 12-year career. He also won a silver medal with Canada in the 1994 Olympics.
Runner-up: Michael Leighton50 — Chris Mason
Mason switched to No. 50 when he signed with St. Louis as a free agent in 2008. Don’t be surprised if he keeps it with his new team, the Atlanta Thrashers. Mason is coming off the two best seasons of his career — he rallied the Blues to a playoff berth in 2008-09 and nearly did it again last season while reaching the 30-win mark for the first time.
Runner-up: Antoine Vermette51 — Brian Campbell
Buffalo took Campbell almost as an afterthought — he was a sixth-round pick in the 1997 Entry Draft — but he’s blossomed into one of the NHL’s best defensemen. Campbell was a Second-Team All-Star in 2007-08 and played a vital role in Chicago’s Stanley Cup victory this past spring.
Runner-up: Francis Bouillon
Also in the mix: Fedor Tyutin52 — Adam Foote
Few players have worn any number as long as Foote has carried No. 52 on his back — he’s done it for 18 seasons and 1,107 games, most of them with the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche franchise, for which he now wears the “C.” Foote doesn’t score much (66 goals), but he’s always been a solid defender and was a contributor on the Avs’ Stanley Cup-winning teams.
Runner-up: Mike Green
Also in the mix: Craig Rivet53 — Derek Morris
Morris, now 32, has worn No. 53 more than anyone else — for all but 14 of the 869 games he’s played in the NHL. The veteran defenseman, who re-signed with Phoenix this summer, has 80 goals and 369 points in his 12 NHL seasons; the 29 points he put up last season were the most he’s had since 2003-04.
Runner-up: Brett MacLean54 — Paul Ranger
The 2002 sixth-round pick by Tampa Bay had three solid seasons for the Lightning, including a 10-goal, 31-point performance in 2007-08. He missed much of last season with personal issues and hasn’t said whether he’ll be back for the 2010-11 season.
Runner-up: David Jones55 — Larry Murphy
The Hall of Fame defenseman had the most successful seasons of his career wearing No. 55, first for the Pittsburgh Penguins and later for the Detroit Red Wings. Murphy’s 1,615 games played are third among NHL defensemen, and his 1,216 points are fifth. He was a key to Pittsburgh’s back-to-back Cups in 1991 and ’92, as well as Detroit’s consecutive championships in 1997 and ’98.
Runner-up: Sergei Gonchar
Also in the mix: Ed Jovanovski, Keith Primeau, Jason Blake56 — Sergei Zubov
Zubov started his career with a bang, leading the 1993-94 New York Rangers in scoring and helping the Blueshirts end their 54-year Cup drought. But he’s best known for his time in Dallas, where he was one of the NHL’s best puck-moving defensemen for 12 seasons, helped the Stars win the only Stanley Cup in franchise history in 1999 and holds most of the club’s scoring marks for defensemen.57 — David Perron
Perron, a first-round pick by St. Louis in the 2007 Entry Draft, is off to a solid start. He made it as an NHL regular before his 20th birthday and has 48 goals and 124 points in 225 games entering his age-22 season. He’s coming off the first 20-goal season of his career.
Runner-up: Blake Comeau58 — Kris Letang
Sidney Crosby wasn’t all the Pittsburgh Penguins got from the 2005 Entry Draft. Two rounds after taking Crosby, the Penguins nabbed Letang, a Montreal native who’s on his way to a solid NHL career. He had a career-high 24 assists last season and added 5 playoff goals. At 23, he’s already got a Stanley Cup ring after helping the Penguins win in 2009.
Runner-up: Robert Kron59 — Chad LaRose
Carolina signed LaRose as a free agent in 2003 after he scored 61 goals for Plymouth in his final junior season. Three years later, LaRose was a member of the franchise’s first Stanley Cup-winning team. He’s never been a big scorer, but LaRose has become a useful third-line forward who can contribute offensively.
Runner-up: David Karpa60 — Jose Theodore
Theodore never has matched the career season he had in 2001-02, when he won the Vezina and Hart trophies by going 30-24-10 with a 2.11 goals-against average and .931 save percentage for Montreal. He turns 34 this month and has 245 career wins, but is looking for a job despite going 30-7-7 for Washington last season.
Runner-up: Vladimir Sobotka61 — Rick Nash
The Columbus Blue Jackets made Nash the first pick in the 2002 Entry Draft, and he’s by far the greatest player in the franchise’s short history. By age 25, he already had scored 227 goals and 422 points, had a pair of 40-goal seasons and owned virtually every Jackets offensive record. He also owns a gold medal after playing for Canada at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in February.
Runner-up: Cory Stillman
Also in the mix: Maxim Afinogenov62 — Paul Stastny
The son of Hall of Famer Peter Stastny wore his dad’s number reversed as a rookie in 2006-07 — and made his father proud with 28 goals and 78 points in 82 games for Colorado, which had retired Peter’s number in honor of his days when the franchise was based in Quebec. He switched to No. 26 in his second season and has worn it ever since.
Runner-up: Olli Jokinen
In the mix: Andrei Nazarov
63 — Mike Ribeiro
Ribeiro blossomed when he was sent to Dallas by Montreal in 2006 and switched from No. 71 to No. 63. He’s averaged more than 21 goals and 68 points in his four seasons with the Stars, and had 17 points in 18 playoff games in 2008.
Runner-up: Josef Vasicek64 — Jamie McGinn
This number hasn’t gotten a lot of use in NHL history. McGinn, who’s played for San Jose in each of the last two seasons, has 14 goals — the most by any player who’s ever worn No. 64.65 — Mark Napier
Napier, a two-time 40-goal scorer while wearing No. 31 with Montreal, took No. 65 in Edmonton in 1987 and kept it when he was sent to Buffalo, his fourth NHL stop. He finished his career with 235 goals in 767 NHL games.
Runner-up: Erik Karlsson
66 — Mario Lemieux
Four players have worn No. 66, but the number is identified solely with Lemieux, perhaps the most physically talented player ever to take the ice in the NHL. He scored on his first shot as a rookie in 1984, went on to win six scoring titles and three MVP awards, led Pittsburgh to the first two Stanley Cups in franchise history despite numerous injuries, survived a bout with Hodgkin’s disease — then came back to become the third player ever to skate in an NHL game after being named to the Hockey Hall of Fame. He’s now an owner of Penguins and watched the team he’s spent his entire career with win a third Cup in 2009.
67 — Michael Frolik
Of the 11 players who have worn No. 67, the best has been Frolik, Florida’s first-round pick (No. 10) in the 2006 Entry Draft. The Czech native made the Panthers as a 20-year-old and has put up back-to-back 21-goal seasons despite averaging just 16:10 in ice time in 161 games.
Runner-up: Gilbert Brule
68 — Jaromir Jagr
The Penguins’ consolation prize for missing the 1990 Stanley Cup Playoffs on the final day of the season turned out to be Jagr, who stepped right in that fall and played a key supporting role on the Penguins’ first Stanley Cup team. He went on to win five scoring titles, the Hart Trophy as MVP in 1998-99, make the First All-Star Team seven times and leave the NHL with 646 goals and 1,599 points in 1,273 games. He’s the highest-scoring European-born player in League history.
Runner-up: Zigmund Palffy69 — Melvin Angelstad
Angelstad, a career minor-leaguer, was 32 when the Washington Capitals called him up for two games in 2003-04. He’s the only NHL player to wear this number.
70 — Oleg Tverdovsky
Tverdovsky wore No. 70 for only one season, with Carolina in 2005-06. But it turned out to be a lucky number — in that one season, the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup. Tverdovsky also earned a ring as No. 10 on the 2003 New Jersey Devils.71 — Evgeni Malkin
He’s the second-best player on his own team and (arguably) the second-best Russian player in the NHL. Malkin, who turned 24 this summer, already owns a scoring title, a Stanley Cup ring and a Conn Smythe Trophy, as well as 381 points in 309 NHL games — and he’s still just scratching the surface of what he can do.
Runner-up: J.P. Dumont
Also in the mix: Nick Foligno, Jiri Slegr72 — Mathieu Schneider
A productive offensive defenseman for a very long time, Schneider wore No. 72 in the 1990s for Montreal, the Islanders and Toronto — one of 11 different uniform numbers he’s worn during a career that’s lasted 21 seasons.73 — Michael Ryder
Of the seven players who have worn No. 73, Ryder is by far the most accomplished. He was a two-time 30-goal scorer with Montreal and has had 27 and 18 goals in two seasons with Boston, giving him 144 in 470 NHL games during his six-year career.
Runner-up: Pavel Kubina74 — Jay McKee
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.
Runner-up: T.J. Oshie75 — Walt Poddubny
Poddubny wore No. 75 in his one season with the Quebec Nordiques (1988-89), during which he put up 38 goals and 75 points. That earned him a trade to New Jersey, where he spent his final three NHL seasons as a part-time player.
Runner-up: Hal Gill76 — Andrew Peters
Peters is the only player to see any extensive NHL playing time while wearing No. 76, which he did for four seasons with the Buffalo Sabres. Montreal rookie P.K. Subban (14) has more playoff appearances than any other No. 76.77 — Ray Bourque
Bourque started his career in Boston wearing No. 7, but changed to No. 77 on one of the most memorable nights in the history of the old Boston Garden — he peeled off No. 7 and handed it to Phil Esposito, revealing the new jersey underneath. Bourque was a great player from the moment he stepped onto the ice in 1979 to the day he retired as (finally) a Stanley Cup champion in 2001.
Runner-up: Paul Coffey
Also in the mix: Pierre Turgeon, Adam Oates, Chris Gratton78 — Marc Pouliot
Pavol Demitra wore No. 78 during his time in Ottawa before blossoming in St. Louis. Pouliot, Edmonton’s first-round pick in 2003, has 21 goals in 176 NHL games and is the best of the five players who’ve worn this number.79 — Andrei Markov
Markov is the only one of the three players who have worn No. 79 to do it for his entire career. The 31-year-old has emerged as one of the NHL’s best defensemen, putting up 80 goals and 363 points in 616 games during nine seasons with the Montreal Canadiens — a pretty good return from a sixth-round pick.
Runner-up: Alexei Yashin80 — Nik Antropov
Antropov, who has worn No. 80 with Toronto, the Rangers and now with Atlanta, appears to be getting better as he gets older. The 30-year-old is coming off a career-best 67-point season, and has been a 20-goal scorer in each of the last three seasons.
Runner-up: Kevin Weekes
Also in the mix: Geoff Sanderson81 — Miroslav Satan
Satan, who showed during last spring’s playoffs that he still has some scoring touch, is by far the highest-scoring player ever to wear No. 81. He has 363 goals in 1,050 games, most recently with Boston, and has 10 seasons with 20 or more goals.
Runner-up: Marian Hossa
Also in the mix: Phil Kessel82 — Martin Straka
He’s the only player ever to wear only No. 82 in a career of any length. Straka had a pair of 30-goal seasons with Pittsburgh and a pair of 70-point seasons playing on Jaromir Jagr‘s line with the Rangers, leaving the NHL with 257 goals and 717 points in 954 games.
Runner-up: Donald Audette83 — Ales Hemsky
Hemsky, Edmonton’s first-round pick in 2001, has been solid but never has matched the 77 points he put up in 2005-06. He also had 17 points in 24 games during the 2006 playoffs, when he helped lead the Oilers’ stunning run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.84 — Guillaume Latendresse
When Latendresse was given No. 84 by Montreal in 2007, he became the first player in NHL history to wear the last unused double-digit number in League history. After three seasons of 16, 16 and 14 goals, he was dealt to Minnesota last season, flipped the digits of his uniform to No. 48 — and scored 25 goals in 55 games.
Runner-up: Mikhail Grabovski
85 — Petr Klima
The first No. 85 in NHL history remains the best. Klima started his career with three 30-goal seasons for Detroit, scored the triple-overtime winner for Edmonton in Game 1 of the 1990 Stanley Cup Final, reached the 40-goal mark in 1990-91, and finished his career with 313 goals in 786 games.
Runner-up: Rostislav Olesz86 — Wojtek Wolski
Wolski became the best No. 86 ever almost by default when he put it on after being dealt to Phoenix at the trade deadline in March: The only previous wearer was Jonathan Ferland, who played seven games for Montreal in 2005-06. Wolski, who wore No. 8 in Colorado, was a point-a-game player in his new number with the Coyotes.87 — Sidney Crosby
Perhaps the most amazing thing about Crosby is that he’s been as good as, if not better, than he was touted to be. He already has a Stanley Cup ring (as the youngest captain in NHL history), a scoring title, an MVP award — and he just turned 23. He may or may not break Wayne Gretzky‘s scoring records, as Gretzky once said he might, but Crosby is everything the Pittsburgh Penguins could have asked for when they won the lottery to draft him No. 1 in 2005.88 — Eric Lindros
Controversy and injuries dogged Lindros from the day he was drafted No. 1 in 1991 — he wouldn’t go to Quebec, two teams thought they’d traded for him a year later, and he wound up retiring young because of a series of concussions. But he did put up 372 goals and 865 points in 760 games, won an MVP award and helped the Flyers dig out of their early 1990s malaise to make the 1997 Stanley Cup Final.
Runner-up: Patrick Kane
89 — Alexander Mogilny
Mogilny’s defection from the Soviet Union in 1989 was one of the events that helped pave the way for a deal that allowed Soviet players to play in the NHL. He finished with 473 goals in just 990 games and had some seasons for the ages — most notably a 76-goal, 127-point performance for Buffalo in 1992-93, 55 goals and 107 points with Vancouver three seasons later and a 43-goal effort with New Jersey in 2000-01 after helping the Devils win the Cup the previous spring.
Runner-up: Mike Comrie
Also in the mix: Sam Gagner90 — Joe Juneau
Juneau, a college star at RPI, started his career with a bang — he had 32 goals and 102 points for Boston in 1992-93, his second NHL season. He never came close to those numbers again, but finished with 156 goals and 572 points in 828 games. Juneau is one of only three players to wear No. 90 (Mike Modano will be the fourth with Detroit this season), and the only one to do so for more than one season.91 — Sergei Fedorov
Like Mogilny, his linemate in Russia, he defected to North America and became a star. Fedorov could score (he went 56-64-120 in 1993-94, when he won the Hart Trophy), but he was more than just a one-way player — he won the Selke Trophy twice, including in his 120-point season. Fedorov was part of three Cup-winners in Detroit and mentored Alex Ovechkin for a couple of seasons in Washington before leaving the NHL with 483 goals and 1,179 points in 1,248 games.
Runner-up: Butch Goring
Also in the mix: Brad Richards, Steven Stamkos, John Tavares92 — Michael Nylander
Nylander wore No. 92 for most of an NHL career that saw him total 209 goals and 679 points in 920 games. His best seasons came in his early 30s, when he put up 79 and 83 points with the Rangers while centering a line that included Jaromir Jagr and Martin Straka.
Runner-up: Jeff O’Neill93 — Doug Gilmour
Gilmour switched from No. 39 to No. 93 when he was dealt to Toronto from Calgary in January 1992 — and promptly put up back-to-back seasons of 127 and 111 points in his first two full seasons with the Leafs. He never matched those numbers again, but was among the NHL’s most intense players for another decade before retiring with 450 goals and 1,414 points in 1,474 games.
Runner-up: Petr Nedved
Also in the mix: Johan Franzen94 — Ryan Smyth
Smyth has worn his draft year since breaking into the NHL with Edmonton — and he’s spent 15 seasons making life as miserable as possible for opposing goaltenders. He’s never matched the 39 goals he scored in 1996-97, his first full NHL season, but he’s connected for 332 goals — most of them scored from right in front of the net.
Runner-up: Yanic Perreault95 — Aleksey Morozov
Pittsburgh took Morozov in the first round of the 1995 Entry Draft and had him in the NHL in 1997 at age 20. His talent was apparent from the start, but despite scoring 20 goals in 2001-02 and 50 points in 2003-04 at age 26, he went back to Russia during the work stoppage and has opted to stay there. Morozov is one of only five players to wear No. 95, and the only one to do so in more than one season.96 — Tomas Holmstrom
Two players with far better career numbers than Holmstrom — Pavel Bure (three seasons) and Phil Housley (one) — both had encounters with No. 96. But no one who’s worn it full-time has ever been better than Holmstrom, who has earned each and every one of the 214 goals he’s scored by getting in the face of opposing goaltenders. He’s got the bruises to prove it, though his four Stanley Cup rings are plenty of consolation.
Runner-up: Pierre-Marc Bouchard
97 — Jeremy Roenick
Roenick never was the offensive force wearing No. 97 that he’d been wearing No. 27 — the number he sported for his first eight NHL seasons with Chicago. He made the switch after being dealt to Phoenix in 1996 and kept it through stints with Philadelphia and Los Angeles before going back to No. 27 in his last two seasons with San Jose. He never was a 50-goal man in his new number, but Roenick did have seven consecutive 20-goal seasons wearing it.
Runner-up: Rostislav Klesla98 — Brian Lawton
Lawton, the first U.S. high school player ever taken with the No. 1 pick in the draft, wore No. 98 for his first two seasons with the Minnesota North Stars before downsizing to No. 8. The change helped his game — he went from 5 goals to scoring 18, 21 and 17 in the next three seasons. But that was as good as it got for Lawton, whose NHL playing career ended at age 27 — though he’s gone on to be an agent and general manager. He’s the only player to wear No. 98.99 — Wayne Gretzky
There actually have been three other players (Wilf Paiement and Rick Dudley in the early 1980s, and Joe Lamb with the Montreal Canadiens in the 1930s) who also wore No. 99. But Gretzky, who idolized Gordie Howe but couldn’t get No. 9 when he started playing junior hockey because a teammate had it, has turned No. 99 into the most recognizable number in hockey. No player in hockey, and maybe in any sport, is as identified with a number as Gretzky is with No. 99 — and with his number retired throughout the League, The Great One and the NHL’s last two-digit number figure to stay that way for a long time.
