Montreal Canadiens jersey number

[danyhabsfan]

Gustafsson always wore 56 and now he has the Folin #32.

Pretty sure they are limited in their choice.


Caufield 44/22 is kinda weird too.


13 is available I think. He wore that for USA. (or 59)

 

[ahmedou]

Jersey # < Pts

 

[Hins77]

. I'm not a big fan of retired numbers. Retire and hang the jersey is plenty to honor players........To many stupid high football numbers in hockey.......Call me traditionalist I suppose

And if you want my opinion. Maybe 5 on that list deserve their retired number. To me beliveau/richard/lafleur/roy/robinson. All of them are franchise player, from another league. The rest... many good player i would say. No all of them were franchise player

 

[JC Superstar]

And if you want my opinion. Maybe 5 on that list deserve their retired number. To me beliveau/richard/lafleur/roy/robinson. All of them are franchise player, from another league. The rest... many good player i would say. No all of them were franchise player

Howie Morenz was.

 

[Habssince89]

-Players who come from other orgs and have an established number I have no problem with.
-I don't mind the idea of asking players to choose from lower numbers, but they should get to choose. Forcing a number sucks post-rookie status.

 

[Censored Toad]

We have so many "good" numbers retired it's hard to get a "good" number. Like the following are all retired

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 16, 18, 19, 23, 29, 33

That's a ton of commonly worn numbers.

Esp when your a young hockey fan growing up, you start choosing your number at young age. You idolize all the best players, who's numbers are way more likely going to retire when you reach age to play in the NHL.

When I was a kid, even though I wasn't a goalie I always wanted 33 for Patty Roy cause I loved him so that was my number if I ever could choose.

 

[Deebs]

I don't believe in retiring numbers period. You can "retire" the number and put it in the rafters to honor the former great but I don't believe in not allowing future players to wear that number. I get that a really great player wore the number before but eventually the team will run out of numbers if you keep doing it. Plus, typically if a player chooses the number for that team it is to honor the previous great not disrespect him.

I agree. Do the ring of honour thing or whatever is needed to put the former player in the spotlight but keep the numbers available for future use.

 

[Captain97]

Esp when your a young hockey fan growing up, you start choosing your number at young age. You idolize all the best players, who's numbers are way more likely going to retire when you reach age to play in the NHL.

When I was a kid, even though I wasn't a goalie I always wanted 33 for Patty Roy cause I loved him so that was my number if I ever could choose.

I was a dman and I wore number 9, hell I even wore it in baseball.

 

[Le Tricolore]

It is not a coincidence and the Habs believe that choosing your number breeds individuality which is a detriment to team culture. It's ridiculous and just another attempt to squeeze any fun out of the game.

This is just dumb. Players have changed their numbers one from season to another (Alzner for one, Suzuki wore #88 in training camp and then #14 when he joined the team). I know it's popular to shit on management, but you're just making stuff up now.

 

[peate]

I also think all numbers should be available, with special considerations given to 4, 9 and 10. Can you imagine the pressure on a young rookie who gets saddled with one of those three?

 

[sampollock]

I know it's probably not thread worthy but I didn't know where to post it.

Am I the only one who noticed that the new players don't seem to choose the jersey number they want. It seems that their choice are limited to what they have in stock.

I think it even applies to AHL.

Caufield got the 44 in the AHL which was weird since he always had a low number (8 or 13)
Well Noah Juulsen had #44.

Caufield took #22 in the NHL which was wore by Weise

(cost related? quicker to bring into the lineup? culture?)

Romanov got 27 like Alzner
Staal got 21 like Cousins, Schlemko
Merrill got 28 like Scandella, Reilly, Beaulieu
Edmundson got 44 like Thompson
Anderson got 17 like Kovalchuk
Gustafsson got 32 like Folin
Suzuki got 14 like Plekanec

That can't be all coincidence?

dale wiese...

that is Steve shutt's number 22

 

[1909]

I know it's probably not thread worthy but I didn't know where to post it.

Am I the only one who noticed that the new players don't seem to choose the jersey number they want. It seems that their choice are limited to what they have in stock.

I think it even applies to AHL.

Caufield got the 44 in the AHL which was weird since he always had a low number (8 or 13)
Well Noah Juulsen had #44.

Caufield took #22 in the NHL which was wore by Weise

(cost related? quicker to bring into the lineup? culture?)

Romanov got 27 like Alzner
Staal got 21 like Cousins, Schlemko
Merrill got 28 like Scandella, Reilly, Beaulieu
Edmundson got 44 like Thompson
Anderson got 17 like Kovalchuk
Gustafsson got 32 like Folin
Suzuki got 14 like Plekanec

That can't be all coincidence?

What do you mean ? Only superstars choose their #

Is #8 available to Caufield ? No.

27 has been worned before by guys like Kovalev, Mahovlich....
21 by Carbonneau
28 by Desjardins
44 by Richer
17 by Ludwig
22 by Steve Shutt.

In a recent past, some GM did not want their players to wear numbers over #30
Why no more goalies are wearing #1 nowadays ? A real goalie #

 

[peate]

Why no more goalies are wearing #1 nowadays ? A real goalie #

Boston's new goalie Swayman wears #1

 

[Weztex]

And if you want my opinion. Maybe 5 on that list deserve their retired number. To me beliveau/richard/lafleur/roy/robinson. All of them are franchise player, from another league. The rest... many good player i would say. No all of them were franchise player

At the time of their retirement, Howie Morenz, Doug Harvey and Jacques Plante were arguably the greatest forward, defenseman and goalie that ever had play. Morenz died mid-season on top on that. If those are not deserving to have their number retired then I don’t know who is.

 

[GigaMike]

This is just dumb. Players have changed their numbers one from season to another (Alzner for one, Suzuki wore #88 in training camp and then #14 when he joined the team). I know it's popular to shit on management, but you're just making stuff up now.

Suzuki didn't choose to switch numbers, they changed it for him

In fact that's my problem with the number thing. I would prefer they give rookies at camp random high numbers and they could choose what they want when they make the team but what they do instead is they do give random high number to prospect but the "better" prospect are given lower number

Prospect like Galchenyuk (27), Beaulieu(28), Kotkaniemi(15), Sergachev(22), Poehling(25), Romanov(27), even De La Rose(25) and now Caufield(22), all of them were given by management low numbers at camp while the other prospect get random high numbers. And like i said, in his first training camp, Suzuki was just another prospect so he had 88. But after his big season when his stock rise, then they decide to give him 14

 

[Le Tricolore]

Suzuki didn't choose to switch numbers, they changed it for him

In fact that's my problem with the number thing. I would prefer they give rookies at camp random high numbers and they could choose what they want when they make the team but what they do instead is they do give random high number to prospect but the "better" prospect are given lower number

Prospect like Galchenyuk (27), Beaulieu(28), Kotkaniemi(15), Sergachev(22), Poehling(25), Romanov(27), even De La Rose(25) and now Caufield(22), all of them were given by management low numbers at camp while the other prospect get random high numbers. And like i said, in his first training camp, Suzuki was just another prospect so he had 88. But after his big season when his stock rise, then they decide to give him 14

I remember Galchenyuk being asked about his number and he said he didn't care. I assume this is the case for most players. If they really wanted a number change, it'd happen. Look at Plekanec many years ago. He went from #35 to #14 after Bonk left.

Fans care waaaaaaay more about numbers than most players do.

 

[GigaMike]

I remember what you're saying for Galchenyuk, it's true and after leaving the habs he never took 94. And i never said they couldn't switch, I remember Plekanek saying he switch because 35 was a goalie number. Tinordi switch from 42 to 24 and of course, Gallagher from 73 to 11 after Ryder coming and Gomez was gone. Like i said, i don't say they can't choose. But, Sergachev did take 98 in Tampa, Mete too. And i i'm pretty sure that given the choice Suzuki would be wearing 37 for example. I know there is no way KK would have 31 or Romanov 26 but my point is at least let them make the team then make them choose. You shouldn't attribute number base of what you think of prospect. Is number 25 taken right now? I mean it's the number they gave Poehling.

Like you said, fan probably care way more. But, given the choice, players would prefer choosing the number but they won't argue because they are rookies and just don't want to argue. I think that in most of the teams, they ask...the habs...they give you a number...i do know that some players do keep their camp numbers and make them their own (Subban, Pacioretty, etc for example)
I just think they should decide

 

[17thRoundPick]

Players not getting to choose their numbers is ridiculous. Another reason dislike this franchise...

 

[CoopersFalls]

Players not getting to choose their numbers is ridiculous. Another reason dislike BERGEVIN...

Fixed

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

And if you want my opinion. Maybe 5 on that list deserve their retired number. To me beliveau/richard/lafleur/roy/robinson. All of them are franchise player, from another league. The rest... many good player i would say. No all of them were franchise player

You need to learn your history better. Morenz, Plante, Harvey, Dryden... legendary players. Doug Harvey might just be the best player this organization ever produced.

In fact, there are quite a few oldtimers who to this day, will swear that Harvey is the best player in the history of the league. Only reason he doesn't have nine Norris trophies is because it hadn't been invented when he would've won his first two. 7x Norris winner (would've been 9 had the award existed previously) 5 x top 5 for Hart voting. One of the best players ever and arguably better than Beliveau or Rocket.

Howie Morenz was considered the best player of all-time along with Eddie Shore when he passed away and was the league's all time leading scorer. It doesn't get any bigger than that. 3xHart winner, one time runner up. 6x in top ten. If he doesn't get his jersey retired, nobody should.

Jacques Plante not only dominated but revolutionized the position just as Doug Harvey did. And before you write it off as being a product of the team, he won the Vezina at age 40 with St Louis and finished 5th in Hart voting two years later. Every bit as deserving as Roy is if not more. 6 cups, 7 Vezinas (1 not with us) and a Hart trophy. Was the first goalie to play the puck and brought in the mask. Legendary player and huge part of the dynasty.

Ken Dryden? Almost as many shutouts as he has losses (it might be the most mindblowing stat of all time.) Came in and took a borderline team in '71 and led them to victory over one of the best teams ever assembled. Won the Conn Smythe BEFORE he won the Calder. Only played 7 years. Won the cup six times. In four of them he finishes top 10 for the Hart (3 times in top five.) When he "retired" the team didn't win. He comes back and they win four straight. He retires again and they don't win again until Roy shows up. And for all the talk about Roy being great, he never, ever beat an overwhelming favourite the way Dryden did. 258-57 with 46 shutouts. 6 cups, Smythe, 5x Vezina in 7 full seasons plus a playoff. Incredible.