Hurricanes By The Jersey Numbers

What’s in a number?

Howe and Richard wore #9. Lemieux had #66. Lindros was #88. And of course, #99 was synonymous with Gretzky.

I’m not sure why, but many Western Hockey League teams don’t have a lot of players wearing digits over #35. If they have retired a number or two, they will likely bump it up to #40. But it seems pretty rare to see players donning non-standard numbers.

How about the Lethbridge Hurricanes?

They are definitely in the same boat. The goaltenders typically get #1 or anything in the #30’s, although Logan Koopmans did wear #29 for a season. The skaters get everything else.

But there have been a few exceptions to the rule.

Defenseman Andy Thompson wore #39 for the 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 seasons. The tough guy picked up 39 points and 291 penalty minutes in 107 games.

Many Canes This Week listeners will remember Stuart Skinner. I’m not exactly sure why, but the netminder wore #74 in junior. I thought it’d be cool if he kept that number all the way up to pro. Instead, he’s worn #34 in Bakersfield and is listed as #50 with the Edmonton Oilers.

When Chris Phillips landed in Lethbridge after that massivetrade with Prince Albert, he had to change his number. It appears he wore #7 with the Raiders, but when he was moved to Lethbridge, that number was taken by Kirby Law. So just like Paul Coffey when he went to Pittsburgh, Phillips added another 7 and became #77.

And finally, Jeremy Jackson channeled his inner-Connor McDavid in his time with the Hurricanes. Wearing #97, Jackson picked up 150 points in 100 games for the Hurricanes over two seasons.

Interestingly, a couple of other jersey numbers stand out as you go through the all-time list.

Only one player has worn #34 for the Hurricanes and that was Kevin Opsahl. The netminder played in 35 games for the Hurricanes in 2005-2006.

And only one player also suited up with the #13 on the back and arms of the jersey. Ivan Vologzaninov was a pure point-getter for the Hurricanes between 1992 and 1994, picking up 198 points in 136 games. A draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets, he went overseas after a couple of seasons in the ECHL.

All this talk about jersey numbers has me wondering a bit: will we ever see a day where oddball numbers become just as frequent in the WHL as they are in the NHL?

For a full rundown of all Lethbridge Hurricanes by jersey number, you can click this link.