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

[Craft Beer Lover]

Brian Propp’s #26 with the Flyers should be retired. He’s never made the HOF, but is arguably deserving, and is the second best left wing in team history behind HOFer Bill Barber.

 

[PaulD]

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.

and choked in the finals. Out played by Thomas and blown out in atleast two of the seven games.

Skilled goaltender for sure, like Price and Lunquist....all three got to finals once and lost.
Being the best goalie on your team for an extended period of time .......worthy of retiring the number ? Nah.

Didn't see Brad Park mentioned


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

Parks number 2 should be retired.

 

[PaulD]

Did anyone retire LaFontaines number ?

 

[Satoru Gojo]

A little surprised that Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Federov and Shanahan don't have their numbers retired by Detroit

If Luongo had won that cup in 2011 I think his number would be with Vancouver and not Florida but alas

 

[PaulD]

Rich Tochett

Mark Reichi

Mark Howe ?

 

[Three On Zero]

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

Gretzky

 

[Craft Beer Lover]

and choked in the finals. Out played by Thomas and blown out in atleast two of the seven games.

Skilled goaltender for sure, like Price and Lunquist....all three got to finals once and lost.
Being the best goalie on your team for an extended period of time .......worthy of retiring the number ? Nah.


Parks number 2 should be retired.

The only problem is that was also Brian Leetch’s number, who was debatably even better than Park.

 

[EpochLink]

For Luongo, him going to the ring of honour is fine. The Sedins, Bure are retired but they were embraced by the community and they gave back.

Luongo, for all his good years with Vancouver always felt his heart was in Florida. When the season was over, his foot was out the door and didn’t come back until training camp.

Maybe some day his number will be retired but that’s always up for debate.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

A little surprised that Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Federov and Shanahan don't have their numbers retired by Detroit

If Luongo had won that cup in 2011 I think his number would be with Vancouver and not Florida but alas

Fedorov's number should absolutely be retired already. I think there's a few old timers left in the organization that still have hard feelings about the hold out and offer sheet (likely Devellano).

If Dats and Z get in the hall I could see their numbers hanging from the rafters. Though again, Datsyuk's departure may have rankled some people in the organization.

 

[MarkusKetterer]

Did anyone retire LaFontaines number ?

The Sabres did in 2006

 

[Sasha Orlov]

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

Kevin Lowe

 

[Nucks2001]

and choked in the finals. Out played by Thomas and blown out in atleast two of the seven games.

Skilled goaltender for sure, like Price and Lunquist....all three got to finals once and lost.
Being the best goalie on your team for an extended period of time .......worthy of retiring the number ? Nah.


Parks number 2 should be retired.

Might have gotten outplayed by Thomas and definitely could have played better in Games 3 and 6, but he was the only reason the Canucks got to a game 7.

Only allowed 2 goals in their 3 Wins including 2 shutouts. In those 3 wins, he stopped 98/100 shots in 12 periods.

I’m sure Montréal and New York will retire both of their numbers. I do get the argument though as to why Luongo’s number shouldn’t be retired.

 

[McShogun99]

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

Will be hard to beat.

He’ll be a first ballot hall of famer when he retires in 2052.

 

[Avs2022]

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

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

Even as an Avs fan, I was like , "Wait, what" when they announced they would retire #77.

 

[Pukboy5kroner]

At this point, I'd go a player with a great career who played for 3 or more teams: Mogilny, Nieuwendyk types.

 

[Bandit]

I love Kopitar but Charlie Simmer’s 11 should have already been in the rafters.

 

[DaveG]

Chris Neil

definitely up there, gotta think this guy takes it though:

Yvon Labre - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Satoru Gojo]

Fedorov's number should absolutely be retired already. I think there's a few old timers left in the organization that still have hard feelings about the hold out and offer sheet (likely Devellano).

If Dats and Z get in the hall I could see their numbers hanging from the rafters. Though again, Datsyuk's departure may have rankled some people in the organization.

Was that a greasy split? I can't remember

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Was that a greasy split? I can't remember

He signed a 3 year contract and then said he wanted to return home to Russia. Holland and the Wings got him to stick around for the 2nd year of his contract by saying if he stayed that long they wouldn't fight him playing in the KHL. He agreed, played the 2nd year and then returned to Russia, bailing on the 3rd year of his contract and leaving the Wings stuck with his cap hit.

Holland traded down in the draft to get rid of Datsyuk's cap hit. He traded with, you guessed it, Arizona. Adding to the list of great players who have "played" for that historic franchise.

 

[The Panther]

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.

Yeah, I don't get the Rangers at all. Like, they've celebrated every trainer and stick-boy associated with the 1994 team, but they can't find time to celebrate two of their all time top five forwards?

Also, Bathgate was about 20 years overdue.

 

[ForsbergForever]

An old school pick, but Toe Blake's #6 for Montreal.

 

[Salsa Shark]

The only problem is that was also Brian Leetch’s number, who was debatably even better than Park.

But on a similar note they retired graves number 9 before they did bathgate, and bathgate is approximately 20x the player graves is

 

[guyzeur]

What about Dale Hunter?

• GP G A Tot PM
• 1407 323 697 1020 3563

 

[Lunatik]

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

#32 in Seattle.... For the fans

Talk about stupid.

 

[Craft Beer Lover]

Rich Tochett

Mark Reichi

Mark Howe ?

Mark Howe’s number #2 is already hanging from the rafters of the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.