Two wrongs don't make a right...
And it's wrong to retire numbers of all good players.
I am just not a fan, and would rather commemorate former players for what they are, people, not a number. I'd like to see far more players respected - maybe 20 players jerseys up in the rafters, in a raft of honor. The number, stripped off and replaced with the years with the team.
Sure, we as fans associate players with their number, but it's not about what us fans think.
The Great 8 - nope, that was actually
Bob Rouse Alexander Ovechkin. IIRC he actually preferred #32, and may still be his fav for all we know.