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Oil Stain · 04-13-2014, 01:51 AM

I never really got the "team over the individual" angle. Certain numbers were always popular back in the 50's for the best players.

1 for goalies. 2 and 4 for defence. 9 for forwards, etc.

I did some internet digging and it turns out (according to random guy on the internet) that certain numbers were awarded to certain players based on getting the best accommodations on the TRAIN when travelling to and from away games.

"The train answer is the right one. Your sleeping berth on the train matched your jersey number. The goalie got #1, defensemen from #2 up, and forwards generally from #7 on up. Lower numbers meant lower berths - higher numbers put you on the 'top bunk' which was less comfortable.

Rookies were given higher numbers and had to 'earn' a lower number - Gordie Howe wore #17 as a rookie, and was advised to take #9 when it came open to get better accomodations on the train. Ditto for Bobby Hull, who wore #16 as a rookie.

Eventually, plane travel made the practice unnecessary, but it had become tradition by then. Teams routinely assigned lower numbers to their best players, and higher numbers to the lesser players. When a backup goalie was required, teams gave him the highest number available, generally #30, since they never envisioned using more than 30 players (or buying more than 30 jerseys) in a season. If a third goalie came in, he was usually given #31

A few, such as Tony Esposito, ended up with #35.

Kids have always wanted the same numbers as their heros, so #9 was very popular. (Hull, Howe, Richard). Because of Belliveau, half of Quebec kids wanted #4 (Lafleur wore #4 in juniors)

When Gretzky couldn't get #9 in juniors, he resorted to #99

When Phil Esposito was traded to the Rangers, he couldn't wear #7, so he got #77 and convinced Ken Hodge to go from #8 to #88.

When Lemieuz was getting hyped in junior as the next Gretzky, he wore #66 as a response. For similar reasons, Lindros wore #88.

High numbers became accepted, and desired, due to the influence of the later stars, just as lower numbers were desired by those who admired the older stars.

As for goalies, They were routinely assigned numbers in the mid 30's during their rookie camps - they either switched to a different (a more traditional or 'favorite') number when they "made it" the next year, or they kept the old one and made it their own, like Roy, Hasek, and previously, Esposito. As a result, those numbers became the desirable numbers to get for the next generation.

#1 has faded as a favorite - it's been retired by some teams, and a lot of the young goalies grew up watching guys who didn't wear it.
On the other hand, due to Roy's influence, #33 has practically become a 'traditional' number, just as Esposito's did for #35. "
-BC30

http://goaliestore.com/board/forum/t...-shirt-numbers

Its pretty funny that while low numbers were originally used to favour the best players on a team, they are now used by some managers/coaches as a way of trying to make everyone feel equal.

04-13-2014, 01:51 AM	#169
Oil Stain Franchise Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Exp:	I never really got the "team over the individual" angle. Certain numbers were always popular back in the 50's for the best players. 1 for goalies. 2 and 4 for defence. 9 for forwards, etc. I did some internet digging and it turns out (according to random guy on the internet) that certain numbers were awarded to certain players based on getting the best accommodations on the TRAIN when travelling to and from away games. "The train answer is the right one. Your sleeping berth on the train matched your jersey number. The goalie got #1, defensemen from #2 up, and forwards generally from #7 on up. Lower numbers meant lower berths - higher numbers put you on the 'top bunk' which was less comfortable. Rookies were given higher numbers and had to 'earn' a lower number - Gordie Howe wore #17 as a rookie, and was advised to take #9 when it came open to get better accomodations on the train. Ditto for Bobby Hull, who wore #16 as a rookie. Eventually, plane travel made the practice unnecessary, but it had become tradition by then. Teams routinely assigned lower numbers to their best players, and higher numbers to the lesser players. When a backup goalie was required, teams gave him the highest number available, generally #30, since they never envisioned using more than 30 players (or buying more than 30 jerseys) in a season. If a third goalie came in, he was usually given #31 A few, such as Tony Esposito, ended up with #35. Kids have always wanted the same numbers as their heros, so #9 was very popular. (Hull, Howe, Richard). Because of Belliveau, half of Quebec kids wanted #4 (Lafleur wore #4 in juniors) When Gretzky couldn't get #9 in juniors, he resorted to #99 When Phil Esposito was traded to the Rangers, he couldn't wear #7, so he got #77 and convinced Ken Hodge to go from #8 to #88. When Lemieuz was getting hyped in junior as the next Gretzky, he wore #66 as a response. For similar reasons, Lindros wore #88. High numbers became accepted, and desired, due to the influence of the later stars, just as lower numbers were desired by those who admired the older stars. As for goalies, They were routinely assigned numbers in the mid 30's during their rookie camps - they either switched to a different (a more traditional or 'favorite') number when they "made it" the next year, or they kept the old one and made it their own, like Roy, Hasek, and previously, Esposito. As a result, those numbers became the desirable numbers to get for the next generation. #1 has faded as a favorite - it's been retired by some teams, and a lot of the young goalies grew up watching guys who didn't wear it. On the other hand, due to Roy's influence, #33 has practically become a 'traditional' number, just as Esposito's did for #35. " -BC30 http://goaliestore.com/board/forum/t...-shirt-numbers Its pretty funny that while low numbers were originally used to favour the best players on a team, they are now used by some managers/coaches as a way of trying to make everyone feel equal. Last edited by Oil Stain; 04-13-2014 at 01:55 AM.