Sweater 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 61. Keep up to date with the series everyday until the start of the 2023-24 NHL season.
Behind the Sweater Number: 61
The First 61s
According to Hockey Reference, a total of 49 players have worn sweater number 61. The first one on record according to the site is Pat Hickey with the St. Louis Blues. Hickey had been around the league and wore plenty of different digits. However, the Brantford, Ontario native went with 61 in his final two seasons in the league. Hickey took 61 starting in the 1983-84 season.
Sylvain Turgeon was the next to wear the number in the NHL as he had it in the 1992-93 season with the Ottawa Senators. Turgeon would wear sweater number 61 for his final three seasons in the league. Bill Huard also had the number for two games with the Boston Bruins in that season.
One of the first really good players to have the number was Maxim Afinogenov with the Buffalo Sabres. The Russian would be mum on why he wore 61, but did reveal he couldn’t have high numbers when playing in Russia. This was made public in Scott Morrison’s book By The Numbers. Afinogenov carved out a nice career of 651 NHL games and 158 goals.
Cory Stillman also had a nice run with the number starting with the Blues. Stillman started off with 20, 16 and, respectively. However, he stayed with 61 when he went with a number of different teams.
Mr. Blue Jacket
One of the most famous players to wear sweater number 61 was Rick Nash. The Brampton, Ontario native was taken first overall in the 2002 NHL Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Nash was the face of the franchise by finishing third in the Calder Trophy race and he won the Rocket Richard Trophy in his second season with 41 goals. He would get 289 career goals with the Jackets before he was dealt to the New York Rangers.
Nash did have another 40-goal season with the Rangers, but he couldn’t get his hands on the Stanley Cup. One more stop in Boston wrapped up his career in 2017-18, but he’ll be remembered for what he did in the Ohio capital. Nash finished with 1,060 games and 437 career goals.
He said he took 61 because his mother, Liz, was born that year. Nash also has his birthday on June 16, but someone else already had 16. There were also other connections to the number according to Nash.
A Stone Winner
Mark Stone is on the rise and may be making his own case to be the best player to wear sweater number 61. Stone actually started with 60 and 16 before flipping over to 61 in the 2013-14 season. The Winnipeg native switched to 61 because Clarke MacArthur got 16 after signing in 2013.
Stone kept the number and was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights. The former Brandon Wheat King reunited with the general manager Kelly McCrimmon, who gave Stone 16 in juniors. Stone decided to stick with 61 because he like the number. He’s turned himself into one of the most complete centres in the league and helped the Knights earn a championship.
The Future
Riley Stillman is carrying on his father’s number with the Vancouver Canucks. Rising Anaheim Ducks star Troy Terry had the number before flipping over to 19 in 2021. Keeping with the Ducks, sweater number 61 was actually the first one for Corey Perry before settling in with his trademark 10.
Two players have helped carry the legacy of the number and many players in Ohio and Nevada may be inspired to make the number theirs.
Main photo by: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
