Speculation: Can that number retire? Nashville edition.

[BigFatCat999]

I have MS, I got my lawn tractor stuck in a gully, and a local who works at the lumberyard got it out by pure strength by himself. Do I feel less like a man? You bet your ass. So, what CAN I do? I did an analysis of retired numbers to come up with with a guesstimate as to if a player should get his number retired. I had to pull some outliers but I have come up with a determination of just two players:

David Legwand: 1st Preds pick, 956 games played with the Preds, (average for retirement is 883.5 for the retiring team), 1136 total NHL games, 228 goals (above the minimum of 201), 390 assists (88 is the minimum for retired numbers), 618 points (Above minimum for retired forwards 398)

and

Pekka Rinne: Vezina, 567 games and climbing (average is 599), 311 wins (Average is 392), GAA 2.37 (Well above the average of 2.67), SV% .917 (Above average of .908)

A strong case could be made for Vokoun, and Weber. Now number retiring is sentimental and my heart screams for Steve Sullivan and Mike Fisher.

But something to talk about in this damned summer.

Click to read more...

 

[PredsV82]

Rinne is the only Pred who right now has the history to say they should/will have their Jersey in the rafters.

Legwands only criterion is longevity with the team. His numbers are nothing special.

Sullivan and Fisher each played less than half their career here.

Vokoun played slightly more than half his career here but was not a Pred for the final 7 seasons of his career.

Weber is someone who would qualify based on stats, but you just can do it after trading him away like we did. Maybe 10 or more years after he retires, or if he is somehow traded back to the Preds late in his career.

Now, there are a lot of current Preds who could eventually qualify, depending on how long they stay here.(Josi, FF9, Subban, Arvy)

 

[INDhockeyfan]

Rinne is the only player who is deserves to have his number retired. Winning the Vezina sealed it. Not only do you have to have the stats but be beloved by the fanbase.

 

[Armourboy]

Tend to agree, Pekka is about the only one right now. Weber maybe, depending on what happens in the future.

Some of the other guys I love, Vokoun, Fisher, etc. but just didn't have what I would consider number retiring careers.

 

[NoNecksCurse]

no to rinne right now. i know we feel like these guys might deserve it or close but we are still a young franchise. another 1-2 seasons from rinne like this past and he probably will.

i would hate to see us retiring numbers just for the sake of it. it's something that is truly special in sports and rinne doesn't cut it just yet.

also hell no to legwand.

weber was the one for sure guy to be retired for sure before the trade out of nowhere. but injuries would have done that in it seems. who knows.

 

[PredsV82]

no to rinne right now. i know we feel like these guys might deserve it or close but we are still a young franchise. another 1-2 seasons from rinne like this past and he probably will.

i would hate to see us retiring numbers just for the sake of it. it's something that is truly special in sports and rinne doesn't cut it just yet.

also hell no to legwand.

weber was the one for sure guy to be retired for sure before the trade out of nowhere. but injuries would have done that in it seems. who knows.

It's been 20 years. By the time we get around to retiring Rinnes jersey it will be around 25. Thats plenty of time to justify having a number to retire.

 

[NoNecksCurse]

It's been 20 years. By the time we get around to retiring Rinnes jersey it will be around 25. Thats plenty of time to justify having a number to retire.

i just don't think there has been anyone good enough except weber when he was here that had the numbers to deserve it. rinne isn't there yet in my opinion.

 

[PredsV82]

i just don't think there has been anyone good enough except weber when he was here that had the numbers to deserve it. rinne isn't there yet in my opinion.

We will just have to agree to disagree then.

 

[Legionnaire11]

If it were up to me, the franchise would never retire a number. Just have something like a honored player area of the arena.

If they insist on retiring numbers, reserve it for players who leave absolutely no doubt about it. Longevity, statistics, awards, championship(s) and HOF. Basically make sure that nobody could ever make an argument against it.

 

[BigFatCat999]

If it were up to me, the franchise would never retire a number. Just have something like a honored player area of the arena.

If they insist on retiring numbers, reserve it for players who leave absolutely no doubt about it. Longevity, statistics, awards, championship(s) and HOF. Basically make sure that nobody could ever make an argument against it.

I agree with you. Do you want to be remembered by your employee number or YOU?

 

[Adz]

If it were up to me, the franchise would never retire a number. Just have something like a honored player area of the arena.

If they insist on retiring numbers, reserve it for players who leave absolutely no doubt about it. Longevity, statistics, awards, championship(s) and HOF. Basically make sure that nobody could ever make an argument against it.

This is my opinion on the subject as well. Just have players of honor and leave the numbers be.

 

[PredsV82]

If it were up to me, the franchise would never retire a number. Just have something like a honored player area of the arena.

If they insist on retiring numbers, reserve it for players who leave absolutely no doubt about it. Longevity, statistics, awards, championship(s) and HOF. Basically make sure that nobody could ever make an argument against it.

Most organizations retire "jerseys" and not the actual number. It's more "let's honor the player who wore this" than "no one can ever have this number again"

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Most organizations retire "jerseys" and not the actual number. It's more "let's honor the player who wore this" than "no one can ever have this number again"

The older tradition in the NHL is to retire the number. Newer traditions are to honor it etc. I don't think Nashville needs to adhere to Ancient NHL Traditions. But flip side, it's not like taking numbers out of circulation really hurts anything either.

Anywhoo, Rinne can have his retired - assuming he finishes with us on one last contract as Saros' mentor, and all ends well.

I'm also partial to retiring Legwand, just because he was the first and the longevity and all that, but it does kind of set a low bar and maybe he wasn't always as beloved in real time as he is in nostalgia.

So okay, just Rinne. Hopefully the current lineup launches several players into the conversation a decade or more from now.

 

[triggrman]

We haven't had a player who's number should be retired. Maybe their jersey but not the number.

 

[PredsV82]

We haven't had a player who's number should be retired. Maybe their jersey but not the number.

Agreed. Numer retirement(ie no pred ever wears that number again) implies Hall of Fame type achievements and we dont have anyone on that level(yet)

 

[NoNecksCurse]

Agreed. Numer retirement(ie no pred ever wears that number again) implies Hall of Fame type achievements and we dont have anyone on that level(yet)

i was thinking we were talking about retiring rinne's number, where no one could wear 35 for my lifetime. if it's a jersey retirement or some kind of honoring of his career here then yeah let's do it.

 

[Drake744]

Rinne


Weber (can't do that anymore I wouldn't think)
Fisher
Legwand
Sullivan

Vokoun (played too long for other teams)

One guy who didn't play here forever but I'd like to see him get recognition for his post-retirement life and involvement in Nashville is JP Dumont

 

[adsfan]

Rinne is the only Pred who right now has the history to say they should/will have their Jersey in the rafters.

Legwands only criterion is longevity with the team. His numbers are nothing special.

Sullivan and Fisher each played less than half their career here.

Vokoun played slightly more than half his career here but was not a Pred for the final 7 seasons of his career.

Weber is someone who would qualify based on stats, but you just can do it after trading him away like we did. Maybe 10 or more years after he retires, or if he is somehow traded back to the Preds late in his career.

Now, there are a lot of current Preds who could eventually qualify, depending on how long they stay here.(Josi, FF9, Subban, Arvy)

I calculated Fisher's regular season games. He played 675 games for Ottawa (61.1%) and 429 for Nashville (38.9%). The difference is 246 games.

1) Rinne - A sure thing.

2) Fisher - He may not be done with Nashville. He might be coaching in the future.

3) Shea Weber - He may not be done either. If things don't work out with the Habs...

 

[101st_fan]

By all means, honor some of our players after their careers come to an end but the actual retirement of a number is nothing we've seen a player worthy of so far. None of our players to date are generational, game dominating talents.

 

[triggrman]

In fairness very few players are deserving of that type of honor. Orr, Gretzky, Lemieux, that's about it......

 

[glenngineer]

By all means, honor some of our players after their careers come to an end but the actual retirement of a number is nothing we've seen a player worthy of so far. None of our players to date are generational, game dominating talents.

In fairness very few players are deserving of that type of honor. Orr, Gretzky, Lemieux, that's about it......

I think the truth is somewhere between these two. Generational talents listed by trigg are spot on but there is a list of guys who were a level below that have had their numbers retired and deservedly so. Guys like Sakic, Yzerman, Forsberg, Bourque, Lidstrom (although he's pretty close to a generational type), Bossy, Robinson, Dionne, etc. were all dominant players in their time but not at the level of the generational types. There has been no one on this team that has played at that level for us for that extended period of time that deserves this honor. It's great to love your team and their players but it's a stretch at this point to retire anyone's number. Rinne is probably the closest. Add another Vezina and a Cup win and the conversation has changed dramatically.