Sweaters numbers are synonymous with players. Most hockey fans can instantly tell you a great player by the number they wear on their back. There are many different stories about how players became associated with the famous numbers. Many odd and interesting facts surround these numbers as well. As we count down the start of the 2023-24 NHL season, we take a look at the story behind the numbers. Today we continue with sweater number 93. Keep up to date with the series everyday until the start of the 2023-24 NHL season.
Behind the Sweater Number: 93
Early 93s
There have been a total of 21 players that have worn sweater number 93 in NHL history. The first player to wear the number was Alexander Godynyuk in the 1990-91 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He’d wear the jersey for a total of 49 games before being shipped to the Calgary Flames for a different player that would wear 93.
A few other players would take sweater number 93 in the decade. This includes goalie Daren Puppa, Anatoli Semenov and Petr Nedved. The latter carved out a 15-year NHL career and netted 310 goals. However, the Czech forward would switch between 10 and 93 during his long career.
A Great 93
Doug Gilmour has most goals of any player that was worn sweater number 93. The Kingston, Ontario native had worn nine, 18 and 39 in stops with the St. Louis Blues and Calgary. However, he decided to switch to 93 when he got dealt to Toronto. Gimour joked that Godynyuk better be ready to hand over the 93 when he gets Toronto. However, that would not be an issue. This was in Scott Morrison’s book By the Numbers, which gives details on jersey number histories.
Gilmour would be the main cog of a Leafs team that found its way out of the wilderness. Toronto wouldn’t win the Stanley Cup, but Gilmour became a beloved fan favourite. The sweater number 93 would stick with him and he’d wear it for the rest of his career. Then New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello tried to get Gilmour to take nine, but Gilmour said 93 was his number. This was a famous wager among the Devils that only Martin Brodeur won.
A knee injury would end the former seventh-round pick’s career. However, he would score 450 goals and 1,414 points before in was all said and done. He’d would get elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.
Quality 93s
There have been other talented players to wear the sweater number 93. New York Rangers Mika Zibanejad is closing in on 300 goals while Johan Franzen was a beloved Detroit Red Wings forward. The Edmonton Oilers Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has established himself as a valuable member of a dynamic Oilers roster. Jakub Vorcaek has played over 1,000 games and has 223 goals in a long career in his own right.
There have been other talented players that have worn 93 for a short time. Former iron man Keith Yandle had the number with the Rangers prior to Zibanejad. Doug Weight pulled a Gilmour and wore 93 after donning 39 for a number of years. Weight had the number in his final seasons with the New York Islanders.
The Future of 93
Zibanejad and Nugent-Hopkins continue to be valuable parts of contending teams. Kristian Vesalainen and Jean-Luc Foudy are the other current active 93s in the league. Both Zibanejad and Nugent-Hopkins posted 30-plus goal seasons with their respective clubs. They are both slated to keep up their production for a number of seasons.
There haven’t been a lot of 93s in the league, but there have been some very good to great players to wear it. This is certainly a case of quality over quantity at this point.
Main photo by: Graig Abel/Getty Images
