Least-Worn Numbers in NHL History
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When one watches a Montreal Canadiens game, it is very noticeable that most of the players wear rare high numbers. This is because the Canadiens have retired almost everybody's number throughout their history, and their current playershave to take on high numbers as a result.
However, it's not just Montreal Canadiens that wear high numbers. Many of the greats in the game have worn rare numbers, like Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby.
Here's a quick glance at the least worn numbers in NHL history and some of the players (famous and unknown) that have worn them.
No. 00
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Two players have donned the double-zero.
Martin Biron wore it in 1996 for the Buffalo Sabres and current NHL executive, and former goaltender John Davidson wore it in 1978 for the New York Rangers.
No skater has ever worn this number.
No. 0
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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. Neil Sheehy wore the No. 0 in 1988 with the Hartford Whalers.
No. 66
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This number is synonymous with one man.
In 915 games, Mario Lemieux scored 690 goals and 1,723 points wearing the No. 66 for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He also saved the team from bankruptcy twice and is currently the owner of the team.
Other than Lemieux, four other players have worn the No. 66. Yanick Dupre, Milan Novy and Gino Odjick all wore it for a year. This past season, T.J. Brodie of the Calgary Flames wore the number as well.
No. 70
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Before the year 2000, nobody had ever worn the No. 70. Since then, seven players have worn it.
Kevin Sawyer was the first to wear it in 2000 with the Phoenix Coyotes. Braden Holtby and David Steckel of Washington, Greg Stewart of Montreal, Tim Thomas in 2003 for Boston, Oleg Tverdovsky of Carolina and Jeremy Yablonski of St. Louis are others who have sported the No. 70.
No. 79
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Four players have worn the No. 79. Two of them are notable.
Alexei Yashin, who once was a feared scorer in the NHL, wore the number for the New York Islanders as his career dwindled away. Andrei Markov of the Montreal Canadiens is another notable player who currently wears the number.
Adam Cracknell for St. Louis also wore the number this year. The only other player to wear No. 79 is Vladimir Vujtek in 1998 for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
No. 82
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The No. 82 has been worn by some solid players.
It's only been worn four times, but guys like Martin Straka and Marian Gaborik have worn it. Gaborik only wore it for a year in 2001, but he's one of the more prolific scorers in the game. Straka wore it for his whole career, and he was once one of the fastest skaters in the game.
Donald Audette wore the number when he played for the Canadiens from 2002-2004.
Currently, Tomas Kopecky has been wearing the number for the past four seasons.
No. 84
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This number had never been worn until Guillaume Latendresse wore it in 2007. Since then, two other players have worn it including Corey Locke of the New York Rangers and Mikhail Grabovski of Toronto.
No. 85
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Three players currently wear this number, but prior to 2006, only Petr Klima had worn the No. 85.
Right now, Liam Reddox of Edmonton, Mathieu Perreault of Washington, and Rostislav Olesz of Florida are the only ones wearing the No. 85.
No. 86
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Nobody had worn this number until 2006 when Jonathon Ferland of Montreal wore it. Wojtek Wolski and Jeremy Williams of the New York Rangers both have worn the number as well.
No. 87
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Perhaps the most identifiable number in the NHL today, the No. 87 has not been worn by many. In fact, other than Sidney Crosby, only Pierre Turgeon and Donald Brashear have worn it.
The way things are going it wouldn't be surprising if the No. 87 is retired league-wide one day.
No. 98
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Only one man has worn the No. 98. He wore it for two seasons in the mid-80s for the Minnesota North Stars and his name was Brian Lawton. That's your bar trivia for the day.
No. 99
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What do Wilf Paiement and Rick Dudley have in common with Wayne Gretzky? They will be the only players to have ever worn the No. 99.
Wayne Gretzky is the greatest name in hockey and shattered every record during his heyday. Because of this, his number is retired league wide and will never be worn again!
As someone deeply immersed in hockey history and statistics, let's break down the intriguing details in the article about the least-worn numbers in NHL history.
Starting with zero, it's an extremely rare number in the NHL. Neil Sheehy was the lone player to wear the single zero in 1988 for the Hartford Whalers. Moving to double zero, Martin Biron and John Davidson took this number, with Davidson doing so in 1978 for the New York Rangers.
Now, jumping to the notable No. 66, synonymous with Mario Lemieux, who not only left an indelible mark with his impressive stats for the Pittsburgh Penguins but also played a pivotal role in saving the team from financial turmoil, becoming the owner in the process. A few others, like Yanick Dupre, Milan Novy, Gino Odjick, and more recently, T.J. Brodie, have also worn this number.
Exploring other less-worn numbers like 70, 79, 82, 84, 85, 86, 87, 98, and the iconic 99, we see a handful of players who dared to sport these less conventional numbers, with some being worn only by a single player, like No. 98, which was worn by Brian Lawton for the Minnesota North Stars.
But the most renowned number among them all is 99, belonging to Wayne Gretzky, the maestro of hockey. Gretzky's unparalleled career and record-breaking feats have led to the retirement of his number league-wide, ensuring it will never grace the back of another NHL player.
This compilation of unique numbers and the select few who wore them showcases both the tradition and occasional deviation from the norm in NHL jersey numbering, with each number holding its own anecdotal significance in the league's vast history.
