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 0. Keep up to date with the series everyday until the start of the 2023-24 NHL season.
Behind the Sweater Number: 0
Zero My Hero
According to Hockey Reference, only four players have worn sweater number 0 or 00 since since jersey records were kept in the 1950-51 season. According to Scott Morrison’s book “By the Numbers,” Bernie Parent also wore the number 00 in the World Hockey Association. Parent wore the number with the Philadelphia Blazers during the 1972-73 season. He led the league in win with 33 and the fewest goals allowed with 220. However, he’d go back to the Philadelphia Flyers and help them win back-to-back Stanley Cups.
The league has banned players from wearing the number zero or double-zero. This is due to the NHL not being able to register anyone with the number in their database. There has been players in the NFL and college football that are currently wearing zero. This is also true in MLB and the NBA.
J.D.
The most famous player to wear sweater number 0 or 00 is John Davidson. He only carried the 00 for the 1977-78 season with the New York Rangers. Davidson joked that he should have stayed away from the number because of the fan taunting. There were jokes about zero and double zero being his IQ. The Ottawa native wore the two zeroes because Phil Esposito wore 77 and Ken Hodge had 88.
Davidson would go back to his trademark number 30 after the season and enjoyed a great career in goal. However, he’s had a great career off the ice. He was a beloved analyst for Rangers’ broadcasts with Sam Rosen. Davidson has also enjoyed front office jobs with the Rangers, St. Louis Blues and Columbus Blue Jackets.
Marty Biron
The last player to wear 0 or 00 was Martin Biron when he was the Buffalo Sabres. He had the number for a handful of games in the 1995-96 season. However, the NHL wouldn’t let Biron carry the number for the rest of his career due to the registration issue. The Lac-St-Charles, Quebec would go onto wear 43 for the rest of his career.
Biron would end up becoming an analyst on NHL Network and on Sabres’ broadcast. The former netminder is the last to wear sweater number 0 or 00 unless the league makes a change.
Other 0s
There were two other players that wore 0. One was Montreal Canadiens backup goalie Paul Bibeault. The other was the only non-goalie to wear the number is Hartford Whalers defenceman Neil Sheehy. He would also wear 5, 15 and 25 in his 379-game NHL career.
We’ve reached the end of the line in this series. It was fun to bring to you guys and we hope you learned something about the history of sweater numbers in hockey.
Main photo by: Focus on Sport/Getty Images
