98: Mikhail Sergachev 98 is the rarest number in NHL history. Only three players have worn it – Brian Lawton, Jesse Puljujarvi, and Mikhail Sergachev.
Wayne Gretzky all-time leader in goals, points
98, joining Brian Lawton and Jesse Puljujarvi.
99 – The Great One
Unless you are the Great One, this number is completely off limits to any hockey player anywhere in the known universe. It is retired in the NHL, and pretty much around any hockey leagues in North America, and quite likely in the whole world.
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.
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.
3, 2011, and played seven seasons in the League, including winning the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015 (wearing No. 11). 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.
The NFL joins the NBA, WNBA and MLB as major American sports leagues to let players wear No. 0. The NHL used to permit the number on the ice, but it banned the number starting with the 1996-97 season since Nos. 0 and 00 confused the league's digital database.
0 — with Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Calvin Ridley announcing shortly thereafter that he would switch to the number. The NHL formerly allowed players to wear both No. 0 and 00, but nobody has worn either since Marty Biron suited up for the Buffalo Sabres in 1995–96 with the double-zero on his back.
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.
Today, if a player did wear number 66, it would feel like 66 tons of weight on his back. It's a number they would have to live up to. It's a number they know they couldn't live up to. No player has worn number 66 full-time since Vancouver's Gino Odjick in 1991.
Out of the 13 players who wear it, four are forwards, six are defense and only three are goalies. 19, 25, 36, 41, 45, 50, 70, 72, 74 and 88 are all worn by at least one player at each position. Of course, 66, 69 and 99 are not worn by anybody.
No, the NFL has not banned the number 69. However, the NBA apparently does not issue the number.
Wayne Gretzky started wearing the No. 99 when numbers higher than 30 were almost unheard of for pro hockey players. Gretzky, while playing for the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League in 1977-78, wanted No. 9 in honor of his idol, Gordie Howe.
It was during that 1977-1978 OHA season that Gretzky started wearing his now-iconic '99', after his usual Gordie Howe-inspired '9' was taken by another player. Next came the pros.
The number 00 has only been worn twice in NHL history. Martin Biron wore 00 for the 1996 season with the Buffalo Sabres, but only appeared in three games and had an 0-2 record. The only other time the number appeared on an NHL surface was by goaltender John Davidson in his 1977-78 campaign with the New York Rangers.
Seattle Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke addressed the crowd before the game, congratulating them for their 32,000 ticket deposits made in a single day at the birth of the franchise. "You did it. And we will never, ever forget," Leiweke said. "And tonight, we will retire the number 32.
Numbers in the thirties were seen as "safe" for goaltenders, since most numbers below thirty were already spoken for by forwards and defensemen (remember that "high numbers" were essentially-unheard of at this time).
In 2004, Angelstad played his only two NHL games and did so wearing No. 69, becoming the first NHL player to do so.
1 – Johnny Bower. Many goalies wore the number one but the late Johnny Bower takes the top spot. As a four-time Stanley Cup Champion, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner, an all-star and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Bower will forever remain a symbol of excellence for the Toronto Maple Leafs organization.
Pierre-Olivier Joseph Bio.
The longest such game in history came in 1936 between the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Maroons. After three shutout periods, the two teams entered overtime. Five periods later, the score was still 0-0. After a whopping 116 minutes of overtime, Mud Bruneteau won the game for the Red Wings in the sixth extra period.
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