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 58. Keep up to date with the series everyday until the start of the 2023-24 NHL season.
Behind the Sweater Number: 58
The First 58s
According to Hockey Reference, 65 players have donned sweater number 58. The first player to wear the number according to the site is Bill Berg. He did this in the 1988-89 season with the New York Islanders. However, he wouldn’t keep the number long because he switched to four the next season.
Three players in the 1990-91 season would be the next to take number. Bill Armstrong was one of the many players to only appear in one career NHL game. Armstrong would appear in one game for the Philadelphia Flyers. However, he found his way in hockey as the Arizona Coyotes general manager.
Mario Doyon would stick around for the final 12 games of his career with the number for the Quebec Nordiques. However, he was another player with a short career.
Robert Kron actually played 76 games with sweater number 58 in that season for the Vancouver Canucks. Kron kept the number for being traded to the Hartford Whalers, where he’d switch to 38 and then 18. The Czech forward did manage to play in 771 career games.
The Letang Clan
The best player to wear the number is arguably Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Kris Letang. He came into the league in the 2006-07, where he played seven games. However, the Montreal native would rise his way up the ranks in the next few seasons. Letang became a force in the 2010-11 season and cemented himself as one of the best puck-moving defencemen in the league.
The story of Letang wearing sweater number 58 comes from his time in major junior. Letang didn’t have many options to pick from with Val-d’Or of the QMJHL. The young player took 58 because no one else had the number. He would do well in the number and ask for it when he made his way to the Penguins.
The rest is history as Letang is a three-time Stanley Cup champion and an inspiring player. Letnag has battled back from two strokes and won the Masterton Trophy for perseverance. He’s just another Penguins player with a higher number that is successeful.
Other 58s and the Future
There have been some other good players that have worn sweater number 58. David Savard of the Montreal Canadiens has played in 735 career games with the number. Michael Bunting is making the number his own and has grown into an effective goal-scorer. Oliver Kylington was sorely missed by the Calgary Flames last season, but he will be ready to go for the 2023-24 campaign.
Pittsburgh always seems to find a way to have great players with higher-than-normal number. The early part of this countdown is littered with Penguins’ players that have made a strong impact on the game. Letang is just another one of those players.
Main photo by: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
