Retiring jersey numbers is a ritual in almost every sport. It is a gesture by a team or league to show appreciation to a certain player for their contributions to the club, or even the game itself.
In baseball, the New York Yankees have retired 17 numbers for greats such as Babe Ruth (#3) and Joe DiMaggio (#5). The NBA’s Boston Celtics have 22 retired numbers in all, including Larry Bird’s number 33 and Bill Russell’s number 6. Over in the NFL, the Green Bay Packers have retired five jersey numbers.
Many times current players on other teams will dawn the number of an all-time great out of respect. In baseball many hispanic ball players have worn number 21 to honor Roberto Clemente. Many say Clemente was the hispanic Jackie Robinson. The same goes for Michael Jordan’s number 23 in basketball. Lebron James was a recent example of this during his time in Cleveland.
Very seldom does a player’s number get officially retired league wide. This kind of honor is reserved only for the players that have impacted the game more than anyone. Players that transcended the sport and took the game to another level all together. The best examples of this is baseball’s Jackie Robinson (#42) and Wayne Gretzky‘s number 99.
However, Gretzky’s number isn’t the only one that players on every NHL team refuse to wear. Go to each team’s webpage and scroll down their rosters. I assure you will not find a number 66 anywhere.
Getting your jersey number retired league-wide is a huge honor, there is no doubt about that. The Globetrotters lose more often than league-wide jersey number retirements happen.
The one thing that may be rarer than a league-wide number retirement is an unofficial league-wide jersey retirement. It may also be a bigger honor too as it is born out of pure respect and carried out at the player level.
That is what has happened with Mario Lemieux’s number 66. It’s not a league mandate. It’s not something that was decided upon in a memo. It’s an unwritten rule that came about organically.
Players today grew up watching Lemieux and idolizing him. They learned to love the game by watching what he was able to do on the ice. They wanted to play like him.
Today, if a player did wear number 66, it would feel like 66 tons of weight on his back. It’s a number they would have to live up to. It’s a number they know they couldn’t live up to.
No player has worn number 66 full-time since Vancouver’s Gino Odjick in 1991. The last time a player took the NHL ice in number 66 was last season when Calgary’s T.J. Brodie played a total of three games in it until he switched to number 7.
To see the level of respect Lemieux has, one only has to look at other greats of the game.
This season 14 players are wearing Gordie Howe’s number 9, 20 players are wearing Bobby Orr’s number 4 and 17 players are wearing Patrick Roy’s number 33.
This, also, is to take nothing away from Gretzky, or Howe, or Orr or whomever. If Gretzky’s number wasn’t retired league-wide, there is no doubt it would be treated with the same respect. For the other guys, they are no doubt loved and seen as some of hockey’s greatest. Players that contributed to the game in numerous ways. It’s just that Lemieux was greater.
They are hockey greats, but Lemieux and Gretzky are hockey gods. Pure and simple.
Not wearing a certain jersey number out of respect is something that seems to be unique to the NHL when compared to the other three major North American sports leagues.
Looking at the jersey numbers of the other league’s all-time greatest players, nine players are currently wearing Jordan’s number 23. Several NFL players wear Jerry Rice’s number 80, including star wide receiver Andre Johnson. And in baseball many players since Ruth have worn number 3, some even having hall of fame careers themselves and having the number 3 retired by their own respective clubs, such as Harmon Killebrew.
Sure, the act of not wearing a certain jersey number is somewhat common on a team level in other leagues. Such is the case with the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers who don’t officially retire numbers, but also don’t give out certain numbers either. Still, that’s only on a team scale, it’s not practiced at a league level.
The Boston Bruins’ equipment manager is not handing out a #66 jersey anytime soon. Very seldom, if ever, is there a player of another franchise that sees that level of respect from all the other clubs in a given league.
Why Lemieux? Why not Howe, or Orr, or Roy? After all Howe is ‘Mr. Hockey’. Roy is considered the greatest goalie the sport of hockey has ever seen. For the answer just go to YouTube and watch Lemieux’s highlights. Even though all the aforementioned players reached a level of skill and greatness that is rarely seen, Lemieux was even better. Lemieux is the only other player that can even be mentioned in the same breath as Gretzky.
Hockey is known as being a different type of sport played by a different type of athlete. Players have a deep respect for the game and its history. Rarely will you see a hockey player giving credit to himself as you see in other sports. It’s team first. When a player scores he celebrates with his team. He doesn’t find an open spot of ice to do a “look-at-me” dance.
In baseball, the #3 was Babe Ruth’s number. In basketball, the #23 was Jordan’s number. In hockey, the number 66 is Lemieux’s number. It’s his, you can’t have it. He earned it. To wear it would be to disrespect Mario. It would be seen as trying to replace an all-time great. It’s about respect.
Hockey is different that way.
Michael writes on the business of hockey and how it impacts the fan’s enjoyment of the game. He is a PR and Marketing professional with a background in journalism and a love for hockey.
why should they respect Mario.. He didn’t respect the game as he himself said in an interview.
Mario is the shit
you obviously didn’t hear the interview he did where he said he had no respect for the game he just palyed because he was good at it and could make insane amounts of money
Great article, what can you tell me about TJ Brodie. What a douche. What was he thinking to go even 3 games in #66?
Orr’s number should be never be worn again. Niether should Howe’s. As for Lemieux, he was the greatest athlete of all time in any sport. Look at his numbers. He’s 0.04 points per game behind Gretzky (1.88 vs. 1.92) while creaming him in goals per game (0.75 vs. 0.60). He did this with a chronically bad back and he led the league in scoring in the same season he missed 1/3 of it battling CANCER! Are you kidding me?
66 should not be worn in hockey nor should 21 be in baseball
unfortunately I think you junp to conclusions without seeing the whole picture.
it has more to do with the fact that 66 is an extremely unusual number where as 4 or 9 are very common. This makes the player wearing an unusual number more associated with it because of the higher exclusivity. it also makes it more rare for players growing up wearing it.
In Lemieux´s second season only he wore number 66, in Bobby´s second season (choosen because it´s post expansion) 14 players wore number 4, among them Jean Beliveau who is another legend which would make it even more strange to retire it for Bobby.
I am quite sure that if Orr wore 44 and Lemieux wore 6 more players would wear “Lemieux´s number” and “Orr´s” would be more honoured.
I would also not say Roy is considered the greatest goalie ever. In the conversation, yes. considered, no.
I understand the sentiment, but can’t disagree more. Lemieux is one of the all-time greats. A legend even among legends – but unlike Gretzky, he didn’t transcend the game. That transcendence is as much a part of #99’s NHL-wide retirement as are his unbeatable records and game-changing talent.
Additionally, arguing that Orr wasn’t the level of ‘hockey god’ that Lemieux (or even Gretzky) was is equally ludicrous. There are many who’ll argue (even outside of Bruins’ country) that Orr exceeded them.
It’s nice that players and teams respect the gravity associated with numbers like 66… or 77, or 4 or however they show admiration and deference to the history of hockey. It’s wonderful, really.
…But retiring another number League-wide isn’t necessary – or right.
Loved the article nice to read about the respect in hockey
Interesting read Michael. Nice idea you had for this article.