As a consequence, we decided to look at the six most-worn jersey numbers in the NHL right now, and the findings may surprise you. With 30 points, Sean Couturier leads all players wearing No. 14 this season. He's the only player who has more than one-half of his teams' games left to play.
Couturier is one of three players with more than 10 goals this season (the other two are Jonathan Huberdeau with 11 and Alexander Ovechkin with 12). There have been only eight other seasons in NHL history where there were more than two players with more than 10 goals after nine games: 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, and 2017-18.
In fact, there have been just four other seasons where there were more than two players with more than 10 goals after 16 games: 2003-04 (three), 2004-05 (three), 2005-06 (three), and 2006-07 (two).
The most common jersey number in the NHL is currently 13, followed by 24, 99, 93, and 21.
The most often worn NHL jersey number is 21. It is reserved for members of the Hall of Fame, and was last worn by Wayne Gretzky in 1983. Number 99 is second, with three players wearing that number.
NHL teams only use numbers between 0 and 99, so many players do not have their own unique identifier other than their number. These "blank" jerseys are usually given out as awards or during special events such as goal celebrations.
In addition to these three most common numbers, there are several others that have been used at some point by at least one player in the league. These include: 00, which is not currently being used; 08, which is retired worldwide in honor of Paul Henderson's goal in game seven of the 1980 Stanley Cup Finals; and 17, which is the highest number ever issued by the Montreal Canadiens.
There were also two unissued numbers at one time. One was planned to be issued to a player but was instead placed on sale by the NHL team owners. This number, 70, has never been taken back up because no one else has been granted permission to wear it.
This article is about the best players in NHL history to wear the number 27, and a related post on MLB will be released soon. Alex Kovalev (Russia): Teams include the New York Rangers, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Montreal Canadiens, the Ottawa Senators, and the Florida Panthers.
Players were switched in position and wore the number given to that position, especially before squad numbers were assigned (1993 in England). Even after 1993, so many excellent players have worn many numbers. Nonetheless, to a player, it's only one number. So Cristiano Ronaldo will not be able to wear numbers 7 and 17.
87: When it comes to high numbers, double-digits are always preferable, so 77 is a safe bet. Just presume that the NHL media will regard this number as 66 in a few years and spare yourself the trouble. It also stops you from having to sign ridiculous contract amounts to show how much you like your club.
Angelstad was 32 years old when the Washington Capitals brought him up for two games in 2003-04. He is the only player in the NHL to wear this number. Tverdovsky wore No. 70 for one season, in 2005-06, with Carolina. But it turned out to be a lucky number, as the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in that one season.
Those days are long gone. There are at least three prospective Hockey Hall of Fame members now wearing No. 19, but with all due respect to Joe Thornton and Nicklas Backstrom (both world-class centers), Toews is the option. Suter isn't getting any younger, but his contributions are still worthy of a Norris Trophy.
Alexei Yashin, a once-feared NHL scorer, wore the number for the New York Islanders as his career waned. Another noteworthy player who presently wears the number is Andrei Markov of the Montreal Canadiens. This year's number was also worn by Adam Cracknell of St. Louis.
Because there aren't many players wearing the 00 jersey nowadays, it took some research into the past to discover the person who would fill this place. Linemen often have numbers in the 60s and 70s, thus Jim Otto is the only one on this list.
Jersey numbers are sometimes an afterthought, assigned indiscriminately to a player with no rhyme or reason. For the game's greats, though, those figures become a part of their personality, as distinct as a running style or a throwing motion.
13 is possibly the most daring of the various jersey numbers. It necessitates that the wearer set aside superstition and laugh in the face of Lady Luck. The disadvantage of No. 13 is that fewer men have worn it, making a search for the "best ever" in any specific sport harder.
The first recorded use of the number was by Willie Mays on April 17, 1955. He wore #13 for the San Francisco Giants during their inaugural season in the National League. Before that time, the number had been unassigned for several years. However, it is believed that many players used to wear numbers in the high 20's or low 30's when they were with other teams before being released by those teams and signing with the Giants in 1955.
In addition to Mays, only three other players have won the MVP award while wearing #13: Joe DiMaggio in 1936, Carl Yastrzemski in 1967, and Mike Schmidt in 1980. DiMaggio and Schmidt both played their entire careers with the San Francisco Giants.
Joe D's son Vince also wore #13 when he played in Major League Baseball from 1969-1979. He spent his final season with the Philadelphia Phillies.
A total of 14 men have won the Triple Crown while wearing #13 including two-time winner Joe DiMaggio and 1947 champion Bill Dobson of the New York Yankees.
87. The No. 87, maybe the most recognizable number in the NHL today, has not been worn by many. Only Pierre Turgeon and Donald Brashear have worn it other than Sidney Crosby. The only current player who could be considered a contender is Patrick Kane (although he's not played yet this season). He wore No. 88 during his time at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but that number is currently occupied by Tyler Johnson of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Crosby chose this number when he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2005. There were no available numbers at the time, so he just picked one at random. The last time it was used in the NHL was by Turgeon in 1999-00. After that, it has remained vacant until now.
There are two reasons why nobody has worn No. 87 in such a long time. First of all, it is because it is a very difficult number to find on players' helmets. It has only been worn by defensemen in the past, but that will probably change now that someone else has taken over the role of best defenseman in the world. Secondly, there just aren't that many teams left in the NHL anymore. Over half of the teams still exist, but only eight of them have ever had their captain wear that number.
Numbers on a jersey may characterize a player, like number 23 does for Michael Jordan. If you're watching the NBA this season, you might be wondering what jersey numbers each player has. As a result, we've gone through all of the NBA players' jersey numbers and listed them here.
Smith, the 36th overall choice in the 2006 NBA draft, is the only player in league history to wear the number 83. Smith wore the number in 47 games for Portland during the 2011-12 season.
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