Best NHL Players to never have their number retired by any team

[MadLuke]

Adam Oates

Not sure about best, but greatest career ? If we assume Jagr will be retired at some point after he retire (apparently he is the one refusing to travel for a ceremony now) and get in the HOF, now that Chelios jersey have been retired.

 

[EddieTheEagle]

Me. Dallas probably should do it, just for funzies.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

I find retired numbers kind of stupid. More teams need to be like the Leafs and honour numbers, unless it’s a really obvious choice

I've never been a fan of retiring numbers. Nothing wrong with honoring them but retiring them is a bit meh to me. As to the question in the OP it's Jagr. He probably ends up geting his jersey retired by Pittsburgh though.

No retiring numbers thanks, it also becomes less and less practical as time drags on.

Honouring I like. I wouldn’t even mind seeing something like a very small patch go on the jerseys of players who wear an honoured players jersey number as a nod to the team’s history.

What these folks said. I think it’s cooler if the honored player gives the go-ahead to a current guy. Make people remember the OG more imo, and it creates a cool link. Say Tuch really liked old Lafontaine tape or somethin, him wearing #16 would just add to the story. Ah well.

Oh, and the answer is Taylor Pyatt. No questions.

 

[Mark Stones Spleen]

Jaromir Jagr (at least he is not on that list):
List of National Hockey League retired numbers - Wikipedia

Will be hard to beat.

Maybe in another 10 years when he finally retires.

 

[FriendlyGhost92]

One day, Pavel Datsyuk's number is going to hang in a college arena.

 

[Oddbob]

Jaromir Jagr (at least he is not on that list):
List of National Hockey League retired numbers - Wikipedia

Will be hard to beat.

He is still playing so of course not. Teams generally don't retire numbers until players are actually done playing and since he is playing until 75 he won't be retired for awhile.

Fedorov and Datsyuk.

Zetterberg

 

[NVious]

Me. Dallas probably should do it, just for funzies.

Try bribing them, I think even a few 100 million should do it.

 

[blundluntman]

Counter question: who is the worst player to have his number retired?

11 year old Timmy (fan of the Minnesota Wild) would get wrecked in the NHL. Kid better keep his head up.

 

[Ace Card Bedard]

I like how this thread was from 4 years ago and Jagr still hasn't retired.

Also, Chelios will have his #7 retired in Chicago on Feb. 25th.

 

[guyzeur]

1 of the best: Jean Claude Tremblay

 

[Crazy Cizikas]

Turgeon should have stayed an Islander. Instead we traded him for the worst Islander ever. Malcontent POS.

 

[Salsa Shark]

Didn't see Brad Park mentioned

I don't think the average fan understands just what an extreme disgrace it is that the Rangers haven't retired Frank Boucher or Bill Cook.

Frank Boucher
Hockey Hall of Fame
13 seasons as a Ranger as a player, 11 as a coach/GM, 4 seasons as just GM
Won 2 Cups with the Rangers as a player. Coached the Rangers to the Cup in 1940, the last time they would win it for 54 years.
Still 3rd all time in games as a Rangers coach
Scored 4 GWG in 9 games in the '28 playoffs.
Voted best center in the league 3 times
7 times either 1st or 2nd in assists
7-time Lady Byng winner in 8 years (the other time he was runner-up). They finally GAVE him the trophy and got another one which has been used since.
Led the playoffs in scoring twice
To this day, is still 15th on the Rangers' all time scoring list, despite playing a fraction of the games of anyone ranked higher.
To this day, still 2nd in playoff GWG, tied with Cook, and only 1 behind Messier.
THN ranked him 61st all-time in 1998. HF ranked him 48th in 2009 and 42nd in 2018. HF ranked him 16th among centers in 2014.
For 60 years the NY Rangers Fan Club called its Most Popular Player award the "Frank Boucher Trophy".

Bill Cook
Hockey Hall of Fame
11 seasons as a Ranger as a player, 2 as a coach.
Two-time Hart runner-up
Won 2 Cups with the Rangers. Scored the OT Cup-winning goal in 1928.
Scored the first goal in franchise history, which was the GWG in a 1-0 game
4 times either 1st or 2nd in goals
2 times 1st in points
Voted best RW in the league 3 times, was runner up a fourth time
Ceremonially scored the first goal at the new MSG
To this day, still holds the Rangers' hat trick record.
To this day, is still top-10 on the Rangers' all time goals list.
To this day, still holds the Rangers' record for points in a period.
To this day, still 2nd in playoff GWG, tied with Boucher, and only 1 behind Messier.
THN ranked him 44th all-time in 1998. HF ranked him 40th in 2008 and 34th in 2018. HF ranked him the 7th best winger of all time in 2014!

In the first 9 seasons that the Rangers existed, either Boucher (5) or Cook (4) led the team in points. In the first 7 seasons, Cook (6) or Boucher (1) led the team in goals. In the first 9 seasons, Boucher led the team in assists 8 times.

Andy Bathgate is the only other player to lead the Rangers in points 5 times or in assists 8 times. His number is retired (though disgracefully not until 2009, three weeks after Adam Graves).
No other player has led the team in goals 6 times.

There are bad omissions and then there are "oh my god, what are you DOING???" omissions. Bill Cook is inexcusable. Frank Boucher is beyond inexcusable, the equivalent of the Habs not retiring Jean Beliveau or the Hawks not retiring Stan Mikita. This is an ongoing stain on the organization that should have been rectified when they first decided to begin retiring numbers 40 years ago.

Rangers do a horrible job with their history outside of endless 1994 stuff

 

[Invalid cuz QoC]

Bondra is an easy one.

 

[Henry Miller]

Personally I think that less numbers should be retired and there are already too many. I believe it should be the highest honor possible in sports and retiring a number should be more than a great player winning a cup or two and playing in the same city for a long time. It should be reserved for very very few

 

[PaulD]

I find retired numbers kind of stupid. More teams need to be like the Leafs and honour numbers, unless it’s a really obvious choice

"more teams need to be like the leafs"

Now there is something I haven't heard since......... ever. ( ;

Personally I think that less numbers should be retired and there are already too many. I believe it should be the highest honor possible in sports and retiring a number should be more than a great player winning a cup or two and playing in the same city for a long time. It should be reserved for very very fewh

I would say it already is just that.

(with a few of desperate exceptions)

 

[MikeyMike01]

No retiring numbers thanks, it also becomes less and less practical as time drags on.

Honouring I like. I wouldn’t even mind seeing something like a very small patch go on the jerseys of players who wear an honoured players jersey number as a nod to the team’s history.

Every NHL team could retire 50 numbers and still comfortably ice a team.

 

[LaCarriere]

Ray Bourque in Colorado. NINETY FOUR GAMES (Plus 34 playoffs).

I get they won the cup with him, but seriously?

That's not really the question though. He's not the worst player to have his number retired.

It would fall under the category of worst / most questionable / silliest retirement.

Slight difference, but yeah, he's by far not the worst player to have his number retired, even if it didn't make a ton of sense for the avs to retire his number.

It's kind of a silly retirement, but i think it was almost more I think a tribute to Boston for thinking Colorado was his best shot to win a cup.

 

[Henry Miller]

"more teams need to be like the leafs"

Now there is something I haven't heard since......... ever. ( ;


I would say it already is just that.

(with a few of desperate exceptions)

If I had my way it would be even more exclusive

 

[Markster]

Ray Bourque in Colorado. NINETY FOUR GAMES (Plus 34 playoffs).

I get they won the cup with him, but seriously?

It's all part of a side scheme to convince legendary but Cup-less players to waive their NMCs to accept a deadline trade the Avs. Win a cup with us, get your jersey in the rafters.

Wait another 10 years to see #97 up there.

 

[BigEezyE22]

Counter question: who is the worst player to have his number retired?

Adam Graves.

 

[Strangle]

Agreed. I find retiring numbers to be one of my least favorite practices of this sport.

If you’re not Gretzky or gretzky-esk, I agree.

Too many numbers get retired. Very good players, mind you, but way too many numbers

 

[Nucks2001]

Not sure if he’s the best player or if it’s applicable since a team has already retired his number, but the Canucks should retire Luongo’s number.

He’s the Franchise leader in practically every goalie stat, was the face of the franchise in the late 2000s and CARRIED some horrendous Canucks teams to the playoffs. Not to mention that he was the main goalie for the Franchise’s best season.

 

[PositiveCashFlow]

Smitty

For worst - #32 in Seattle

 

[Squiffy]

Doesn't quite fit this thread, but Peter Statsny not having #26 retired by the Av's is weird to me. Nord's retired it apparently, but Av's put it back in circulation. Statsny was phenomenal.

 

[Fire Sweeney]

Counter question: who is the worst player to have his number retired?

Chris Neil