In continuing our “Best Dallas Stars by Sweater Number” series, we look at those who wore numbers 21 through 30. Here are the best Dallas Stars by jersey number in that range.
#21 – Guy Carbonneau (Forward)
Danny Grant, Jason Robertson, and a couple others earned consideration for this spot, but Carbonneau has the most complete NHL resume of Dallas Stars to wear No. 21. The Hall-of-Famer spent his final five seasons in Dallas and was part of the 1999 Stanley Cup Championship team.
Overall, Carbonneau played 19 seasons, won three Stanley Cups, and three Selke Trophies as the league’s best defensive forward. He is also 15th in NHL history with 33 career shorthanded goals.
#22 – Brett Hull (Forward)
Hull could have been on this list at No. 16, but his best moments in Dallas came while wearing No. 22. It’s the number he was wearing when he scored the famed Stanley Cup-winning goal on Buffalo’s Dominik Hasek in Game 6 of the 1999 Stanley Cup Final.
Hull and his father Bobby are one of only a few father-son pairs to make the Hockey Hall of Fame. Brett joined the Stars after 11 years with the St. Louis Blues and spent three years in Dallas, helping the team win the Stanley Cup in his first season. He tallied 196 points in 218 games for Dallas and was consistently one of the league’s best goal-scorers throughout his career.
#23 – Brian Bellows (Forward)
Bellows played for the Minnesota North Stars from 1982 through 1992 and became one of the franchise’s best players. He finished fourth for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie in 1982 and tallied over 1,000 points for his career.
To this day, the three-time All-Star sits third in franchise history in goals, fifth in assists, and fourth in total points behind Mike Modano, Jamie Benn, and Neal Broten. Bellows also scored the 52nd-most goals and collected the 91st-most points of any player in NHL history.
#24 – Richard Matvichuk (Defenceman)
Roope Hintz may eventually take this spot, but it remains Matvichuk’s for now. The defenceman spent the majority of his 14-year NHL career with Dallas/Minnesota, winning the 1999 Stanley Cup. He played 733 games with the franchise and tallied 167 points.
#25 – Joe Nieuwendyk (Forward)
Another Hall-of-Famer makes the list. Nieuwendyk was already well-established when he joined the Stars following a nine year stint with Calgary that included a Stanley Cup championship. He spent seven years with Dallas, playing in 442 games and scoring 178 goals to go with 162 assists.
Nieuwendyk came up with 21 points (11 goals and 10 assists) in 23 playoff games during the Stars’ 1999 Stanley Cup run and took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. He ranks among the top nine in franchise history in game-winning goals, shooting percentage, and goals per game, and ranks among the league’s best in power play goals (13th), goals (25th), and points (63rd) for his career. Niewendyuk was also a member of the NHL’s 100th Anniversary team.
#26 – Jere Lehtinen (Forward)
Lehtinen is one of the six players to have his jersey number retired by the Dallas Stars. He spent his entire 14-year NHL career with the franchise, helping win the Stanley Cup and reaching an All-Star Game. He played in 875 games and accumulated 514 points.
Lehtinen won three Selke Trophies as the NHL’s best defensive forward and finished in the top-six for the award an additional three times. He ended his career fourth in games played for the Stars behind Modano, Benn, and Broten, and among the top ten in franchise history in goals, plus-minus, even-strength goals, power play goals, shorthanded goals, and game-winning goals.
#27 – Brian MacLellan (Forward)
MacLellan began his career with the Los Angeles Kings before joining the North Stars. In three years in Minnesota, he put up almost as many points as he did during four seasons with LA, and he scored a career-best 32 goals during the 1986-87 season.
MacLellan played ten years in the NHL with five franchises and won a Stanley Cup in the late 1980s. However, his most significant contributions came as a North Star, making him the choice for the best “Star” by jersey number 27.
#28 – Craig Cameron (Forward)
Conceivably, Derian Hatcher could’ve made a second appearance here, but for variety’s sake, we chose Cameron. There are not many options at No. 28, but he had a decent NHL career.
Cameron was not a big point-producer, only surpassing 30 points in one of his nine NHL seasons. Still, he stuck around the NHL for nine years, three with the Minnesota North Stars, and played in 552 games. That’s a much better resume than most others who have worn No. 28 for the Stars.
#29 – Dean Prentice (Forward)
Prentice played 168 games for the North Stars near the end of his career in the 1970s and tallied 94 points. He was a five-time All-Star and appeared in over 1,300 NHL games, finishing among the league’s top-ten goal scorers twice.
#30 – Ben Bishop (Goaltender)
Bishop is best known for his days in Tampa Bay, where he spent the majority of his career. However, he had a quite successful three-year stint in Dallas. Therefore, Bishop gets the honour of being the best No. 30 to have a jersey for the Dallas Stars. As a Star, Bishop went 74-48-11 with a .923 save percentage and a 2.33 goals-against average. He was also nominated for the Hart Trophy and the Vezina Trophy in Dallas. He is among the franchise’s leaders in save percentage, wins, goals-against average, shutouts, saves above average, and adjusted goals-against average.
Overall, Bishop played 11 NHL seasons and was a two-time All-Star. He finished his career 82nd in league history in wins, 64th in shutouts, 14th in goals-against average, and fifth in save percentage.
Main photo: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
