Lawless: Behind the Jersey Numbers

It’s one of the most personal things a hockey player displays. In many ways it’s a signature and an indelible image. It may simply be a number but it’s far more than just a number.

Say 99 and the hockey world knows Wayne Gretzky is being referenced. With 66 it can only be The Magnificent One – Mario Lemieux.

Other numbers mean different things to different generations and fan bases. In Detroit – No. 9 is Gordie Howe. But here in Vegas that number means Jack Eichel.

For me, No. 10 is Montreal Canadiens legend Guy Lafleur. But for Toronto Maple Leafs fans it’s George Armstrong.

My older brother wore 16. So that’s what I picked. When my daughter was given her choice of numbers, she asked for 16 too. For us, it’s a family thing.

What about you? If you’re reading this story and want to share your number in your sport, please respond to the tweet posting this story on X.

We took some time after practice on Thursday and asked some of our VGK players and staffers.

Jack Eichel, 9: I wore 9 as a kid growing up. I always thought it was a good hockey number. A lot of historical and great hockey players have worn the number. I wore it at Boston University and didn’t have the chance to first pick it when I got to the NHL, so when it became available in Buffalo, I jumped on the chance to wear it again. I just think 9 is a cool number. Single digit. A lot of great players: Gordie Howe and Rocket Richard. You think of some of these guys who have worn number 9. I just think it’s a great number.

Adin Hill, 33: There was a goalie back in the day that played for the Calgary Hitmen, his name was Barry Brust. He played a couple of NHL games, played in the KHL for a while, and he’s an AHL guy. I was a big Calgary Hitmen fan growing up. I’d go to the games all the time. My dad was friends with one of the security guards for the Hitmen at the time, so he kind of hooked it up where a few times after some of the Hitmen games, I actually went to dinner with Barry Brust at Boston Pizza in Calgary. Kind of a funny little thing. I had dinner with him a couple times growing up, and he wore number 33 so that’s when I adapted it as my number and started using it any chance I could from when I was 8 and up.

Alex Pietrangelo, 7: I wore 88 as a kid because I liked Eric Lindros. I used to play forward. Then I switched to 10 which I got for a while in juniors. Then I came to the NHL it was 21 and 27. Patrik Berglund went to 21 so I took 27, I didn’t really have much of an option. At that time they wanted the players under 30. Then when I came here, I always tell people I called [Shea] Theodore and he said he wasn’t giving me the number, but that’s not the true story. I wish I could go with that one. I just figured, “I’m not going to take his number, it’s not really in my nature.” So I just went with 7 which was the closest thing. It’s good, it’s a number. It didn’t really change a whole lot for me. In hockey, one kid usually wears 7 and the other wears 27. Then in baseball, we switched it so they each can wear 7 and 27.

Tanner Pearson, 70: 70 was a camp number, right from the get-go. That’s what I was given. Then I got called up the first year and went with it. I tried changing it once, and it didn’t really work out, so I went back to it. I was 14 all my life other than junior leagues, so I tried that out and got to 70. I tried 14 in Pittsburgh. It was a quick 3 months, a cup of coffee there, and then I got traded again. Then when I got to Vancouver [14] was kind of an honorary number so it made the decision easier. Now that I’ve had it for a long time, I like it. I was offered a change after we won in LA, but didn’t do that. I wanted to stay with the old faithful.

Keegan Kolesar, 55: I wasn’t given any other option. It is what I was stuck with right from the start. I like it. I wore 28 in juniors. It was the number I was given. I’m not one of those guys that gets to pick their number. I wore 9 as a kid. I was the last one to come to tryouts that day so I didn’t get to pick 9 either. There weren't many options for me. It’s a running trend that I don’t get to pick my number.

Brayden McNabb, 3: I always have worn number 3. Ever since I was younger, I liked it. I just like the look of it, I guess. In Buffalo I was 81 and 44.

Zach Whitecloud, 2: They (VGK) gave 2 to me. I wore 3 and 29 as a kid. I wore 32 in college because I didn’t have a choice. Every level I’ve gone to, I’ve been the youngest or the last in the alphabet, so I’ve never been able to pick. It never worked out (youngest birthday and last in alphabet). I signed out of college and got to join the Golden Knights in Buffalo and I was number 2. I don’t really like it now that I have it. I don’t know what number I would like to wear. I don’t think number 2 is my thing but oh well.

Bruce Cassidy, 6 & 32 & 34: When I was a kid I wore number 4, I played defense, I love Bobby Orr, that’s about as straightforward as it gets. I got drafted to the Ottawa 67’s, and Brad Shaw wore number 4 and he was the captain so I wasn’t getting 4. They gave me number 6, I hated it because I always equated the number with an offensive defenseman. No disrespect to Ken Morrow and the guys he was a great champion, but I wanted an offensive number. 6 worked out pretty well for me, so no complaints there. Then in pro, I tried to get back to 4. When I got to Chicago, I took whatever the hell they gave me because I wasn’t around that long. I wore 3, 34, 32. I thought I might have that (32) but they traded for Steve Thomas. So, I lost 32. I was channeling my future Shane Hnidy so I took 34. Then they gave me 37. The highest goalie was 35, so 37 was really not a number you wanted. But I told (Patrice Bergeron) Bergy all the time that I made it famous and that was it. That’s how I picked mine. I didn’t really pick them. Just when I was a kid. I’ll be third in the group of NHLers who wore 34 between me, (Shane) Hnidy, and Auston Matthews. I’ll let you dictate who’s first and second.

Shane Hnidy, 21 & 34: In the NHL I wore 34. The first number I got to choose was 21. We didn’t have high numbers back in my time through minor hockey. Then when I played in the Western Hockey League (WHL) I wore 21. When I played in the American Hockey League (AHL) and the IHL and the East Coast League (ECHL), I wore number 21. When I went to NHL camps, they couldn’t get me in the hundreds, but I usually got like 93, 79, 63, it was always high numbers. So usually it was a pretty good indication that I wasn’t high on their list in camp. Then my rights got traded to Ottawa when I was 24 years old. I went to that camp, they gave me number 34, and I was like “wow this is the lowest number I’ve ever received in a camp.” I made the team with that number (34), I was like “well must have a little luck to it” so that became my NHL number. My son does wear the same number. He did 91, for Stamkos, but then changed with some kind of incentive from dad & mom, he didn’t have a choice. Number 34 got cool when Auston Matthews came in the league, so I think that helped. I picked 21 originally because it was the highest number that Neepawa, Manitoba had. Like you had numbers 2-21 and the other guy that was a really good player had 20 so it was like 20 & 21.