Sweater enumeration stories

[DannyG]

Just to share, we find that everybody in hockey has their uniform number, and that there is a specific reason/story as to why...usually these make fascinating reading...

Okay, everybody, with the pro and college leagues out of season, the nationals (all of 'em) still 1-2 months away, and comparatively little posting going on, let's tell some stories...

Tell us about why you have your sweater number...

My girls Polar Bears have dozens of these, but the best one is...Kelsi, (our 8's goalie) all 7 years of her, has her birthday on, get this: 9-6-96, so her number is "96." She came up with that when she was 5 years old.

<font color=purple>DannyG</font color=purple>

[DannyG]

I wear number 5 in the house sweaters, in honor of my daughter. Caitlin wears number 55 exclusively, she started playing when she was five, and then got tired of fighting the boys for the number 5 house sweaters. If I make the over-50 USA national team (you listening, Brennan?) I will ask for 55 in her honor.

<font color=purple>DannyG</font color=purple>

[RichardGraham]

Hi Danny,

Being the intellectual I am [img]/wtimages/icons/shocked.gif[/img], I do not believe in superstitions or the power of certain numbers. Being the humanitarian I am [img]/wtimages/icons/smile.gif[/img], I try to please as many people as possible. So....

My first number (in soccer) was 13.

A few years back, when I started playing in inline hockey leagues instead of at the beach, I started using the number of the year. So, my first number was 98. Instead of being looked on as a complete moron and taking 99 in 1999, I took 97. I now have jerseys with 96 and 95.

I took some time off playing inline and played ice. I took 20 in honor of Luc Robitaille, my favorite NHL player since Davey Keon. Currently, I'm number 7 on my ice hockey team. I just like the number.

My goal is to eventually have used every number from 1-99. I've got a few years left [img]/wtimages/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Sincerely,

Richard Graham
Editor
Inline Hockey Central

[missionhockey21]

On my sweater, 66. Why? Because of the great Super Mario, I have worn it since I was 3 ^_^

[John_S_Osborne]

I wear the rather unique jersey number of #95, as 1995 was the last year I played organized tournament street hockey. It's sorta a homage to those finer days of youth. It was also adapted to have some sort of relation with I-95, as I'm about as wide as a four lane highway.

- john

[NLane]

My son seems to change his number every other year. I guess it's so no one would recognize him. We stopped the names on the backs when they were kids for safety reasons. Like (many years ago) the "lime green" skates or the "pink" tape wouldn't have pegged him anyway.

[WCRHL]

My first year of college hockey I took number 95, for the year I graduated high school (1995). Then sometime that year, we got jerseys printed and the printer put 96 instead of 95. So I "evolved" into 96 and that is what I wear today.

My brother wore 17 in honor of his then-favorite (remember this was the 90s) Pat Falloon of the San Jose Sharks. Then one summer in house league, an older guy already chose 17. So he became 71, and that has stuck.

-----------------------------
Brennan Edwards
League Director
Western Collegiate Roller Hockey League

[TXGoalieMom]

My daughter chose the # 35 when she started playing goal last year because Marty Turco is her inspiration. She aspires to handle the puck as well and as fearlessly as him. If only she had biceps his size!

FYI Danny, I have her playing with a heavy goal stick right now and I plan on replacing it with a very light stick at Nationals. Working on those biceps!!

[columbus_RHstar]

#20, Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic were my favorite players at that time (I still like them), and I couldn't decide on 19 or 21 so I took 20.

When Mario retired I wanted to get 66 in honor of him, and planned on retiring #20, but what was to be my last game happened to be one of my better games that I had played, at that point, so I stuck with it, now it seems when I wear another number I just don't feel right.

[seyone]

i wore the number 9 from the time I was about 6 yrs old playing soccer because it was the # they gave me. It was the number i wore for about 18 years. About 2 years ago I had to switch beacuase somebody on my team already had my #. So now I am #90 and it just feels right.

[missionhockey21]

I also wear 21 if I cant get 66, in honor of Forsberg.

[Superstar9]

I've worn # 9 as long as Ive been playing sports, my 1st coach gave it to me because he said he saw rocket richard tendancies in me. I've worn it every game since w/ the exception of 2 games.. one game in 2002 I wore a jersey #15 for a mens league team I was substituting for and we had to have all matching jerseys, 2 periods later... broken wrist from a slash which sadly ended my mlrh season for the fairfax falcons (dc area) when I happened to be tied for 1st in the league in goals. The 2nd time I didnt wear # 9 was for the AZ Stallions in the MLRH early this past season, I was expected to have a great season and lead the team... we started the season on a road trip in souther california.. they gave me # 57 (someone else had #9 who wasn't the "new guy" like myself).. well anyway.. my first shift of my 2nd game w/ the team in anaheim..got hit from behing and boarded head-first, splatted like ketchup (#57) got a seperated shoulder, season over.. so, the jersey # is crucial. its been the only dark side to my otherwise promising MLRH career. If I wear # 9 Im a top contender to lead the league.. if I can stay healthy, I always take off in the stats early but have gotten hurt the last 2 years just because of bad luck in the jersey # department.

[SpiderRat]

Hey John, who did you play DekHockey with and did you ever make the trips to Leominster, Ma. for the Nationals.

[SpiderRat]

In honor of the great Tony Esposito, I picked number 35. I've had it ever since I was a little one playing sock hockey with my brothers in the basement of my parents house. Oops, did I just give my age away? :0

[DannyG]

yeah, you did...for the uninitiated, Tony Esposito, Phil's younger brother, was the NHL goalie largley credited with inventing the butterfly method of goalkeeping. Tony, unlike Phil, went to college (a promise to his mother), gaining NCAA titles in the early sixties with Michigan Tech, before joining the Chicago Blackhawks for a sensational rookie season and a great career.

In the late sixties, Tony kept that promise to his mother, going back to Tech to finish his degreee over a couple of summers. I got to play softball against Tony in the the local men's league for a couple of go-arounds (I attended high school in Houghton, Michigan). I played with the team sponsored by the office supply store, and Tony played center field (good hitter) for the team sponsored by the local beer distributor.

You're just not quite old enough to play over-50 with us yet, but keep it up, and you'll get there some day...

<font color=purple>DannyG</font color=purple>