Sporting News

NHL jersey retirements: Who's next in the Atlantic Division?


We'll go by the new divisions, starting today with the Atlantic, or Flortheast, or whatever.

Serge Federov and Dominik Hasek should both have their numbers set aside. (Dilip Vishwanat/Bob Leverone, Sporting News)

Boston Bruins: None, but wait a few years.

The Bruins don't retire a ton of jerseys and have already taken care of Cam Neely and Ray Bourque. Some other relatively recent Hall of Famers have rolled through Boston, but they're more associated with other teams—Paul Coffey, Brian Leetch, Joe Mullen, etc.

At this point, though, Zdeno Chara (33) and Patrice Bergeron (37) seem close to locks. It's almost weird to imagine Chara as a Senator at this point, and Bergeron should wind up 20 seasons or so with the B's. This is also the spot where a Phil Kessel joke would've gone a year or so ago. Not anymore, though.

Retirees: Eddie Shore (2), Lionel Hitchman (3), Bobby Orr (4), Aubrey "Dit" Clapper (5), Phil Esposito (7), Cam Neely (8), Johnny Bucyk (9), Milt Schmidt (15), Terry O'Reilly (24), Ray Bourque (77).

Buffalo Sabres: Dominik Hasek, No. 39

Hasek's relationship with the team is good enough that he called them last season about a potential comeback at age 48. That, thankfully, didn't happen, but whenever Hasek is done for good, this should be a lock. He won six Vezina Trophies with the team and came within a Crease Rule (plus one game) of a Stanley Cup. Yes, he played for the Blackhawks and Red Wings too, but who cares.

Retirees: Tim Horton (2), Rick Martin (7), Gilbert Perrault (11), Rene Robert (14), Pat Lafontaine (16), Danny Gare (18)

Detroit Red Wings: Sergei Fedorov, No. 91

That would initially bother a lot of people, and it's out of step with the franchise's last two honorees. Both were long-time captains who only played for the Red Wings, but there has to be a chance that No. 91 is headed to the rafters at some point. Fedorov was one of the absolute best players of his era, and time has a way of smoothing things over. Even protracted contract disputes that involve rejected $50 million offers.

Retirees: Terry Sawchuk (1), Nicklas Lidstrom (5), Ted Lindsay (7), Alex Delvecchio (10), Gordie Howe (9), Sid Abel (12), Steve Yzerman (19).

Future candidates: Pavel Datsyuk (13), Henrik Zetterberg (40)

Note: Larry Aurie's No. 6 and Vladimir Konstantinov's No. 16 aren't in circulation. They're also not officially retired.

Florida Panthers: None

The closest Florida has to a retired legend is Scott Mellanby, who scored the franchise's first goal, started the rat phenomenon in 1996, captained the team from 1997-2001 and scored 27 or more goals in three of his seven full seasons.

Retirees: Former president and GM Bill Torrey (93).

Future candidates: Jonathan Huberdeau (11), Ed Jovanovski (55).

Montreal Canadiens: Steve Shutt, No. 22

This one's a stretch, because the Canadiens might already have too many retired numbers—they're at 15, most in NHL history and third-most in North American professional sports. But Shutt is a five-time Cup winner, fifth in franchise history with 408 goals and eighth in points with 776. If Montreal needs an excuse for a another hour-long pregame ceremony, Shutt's the guy.

Retirees: Jacques Plante (1), Doug Harvey (2), Emile 'Butch' Bouchard (3), Jean Beliveau (4), Bernie Geoffrion (5), Howie Morenz (7), Maurice Richard (9), Guy Lafleur (10), Dickie Moore/Yvan Cournoyer (12), Henri Richard/Elmer Lach (16), Serge Savard (18), Larry Robinson (19), Bob Gainey (23), Ken Dryden (29), Patrick Roy (33).

Future candidates: Carey Price (31), P.K. Subban (76).

Ottawa Senators: Daniel Alfredsson, No. 11

And Dany Heatley and Alexei Yashin. Seriously, the Alfie-related pain will subside someday.

Retirees: Frank Finnigan (8).

Future candidates: Chris Phillips (4), Jason Spezza (19).

Tampa Bay Lightning: None—for now

Dave Andreychuk captained the 2004 Stanley Cup-winning team, but his No. 25 probably would've been retired already. He also played for five other teams. Vincent Lecavalier (4) and Martin St. Louis (26) should be locks for whenever they decide to retire and Steven Stamkos (91) is close enough. He's also 23 years old.

Retirees: None.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Hopefully nobody

Toronto has only retired the numbers of players whose careers ended tragically. The standard move is to honor jersey numbers, then, in most cases, mothball them—or reverse the numbers and continue feeding unrealistic expectations about the player in question. Plus, new MLSE president Tim Leiweke hates pregame ceremonies and nostalgia, which is cool.

Retirees: Bill Barilko (5), Ace Bailey (6).

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