Players wearing numbers because of other players

[gretzkyoilers]

Howe -> Gretzky -> Lemieux connection, right?

Gretzky: "He originally wanted to wear number 9—for his hockey hero Gordie Howe—but it was already being worn by teammate Brian Gualazzi. At coach Muzz MacPherson's suggestion, Gretzky settled on 99."

Mario: "”66 is 99 upside down, and I had the same agent as Wayne as a junior, and I wanted to have my own number,” Lemieux once told Sportsnet."

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

Ed Belfour switched to #20 while in San Jose because of his coach/mentor from Chicago, Vladislav Tretiak.

iirc belfour first wore 20 to honour tretiak at an all-star game while still in chicago

 

[Bear of Bad News]

iirc belfour first wore 20 to honour tretiak at an all-star game while still in chicago

I remember him wearing #00 in that circumstance (documentation follows) but not #20.

I could be wrong - I'm usually wrong.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

I remember him wearing #00 in that circumstance (documentation follows) but not #20.

View attachment 871723

I could be wrong - I'm usually wrong.

i think i’m probably misremembering what you describe

but i do remember some discussion of a tretiak tribute. there’s no way 00 was some oblique tretiak tribute is there? i just looked it up and belfour wore 29 at the canada cup, so it wasn’t there...