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 70. Keep up to date with the series everyday until the start of the 2023-24 NHL season.
Behind the Sweater Number: 70
The First 70s
According to Hockey Reference, 39 players have worn sweater number 70. The first player to wear the number was Matt DelGuidice in the 1990-91 for one game with the Boston Bruins. He’d switch over to 33 for the last 10 games that he would ever play in his career in the next season.
Kevin Sawyer would be the next player to take the number for three games with the Phoenix Coyotes in the 1999-2000 season. Tim Thomas would briefly wear the number with the Bruins in the 2002-03 season. Thomas would only have the number for four games before the lockout stopped everything and he would switch over to 30 for the rest of his time with the Bruins.
Great 70s
A goaltending contemporary of Thomas is the current choice for the best to wear sweater number 70. Braden Holtby first broke in with the Washington Capitals in the 2010-11 season. The Lloydminster, Saskatchewan native had 70 because all goalie prospects had a 0 for a sweater number. Semyon Varlamov was wearing 40 and that meant Holtby would wear 70. Holtby just kept the number and rolled with it.
He would switch to 49 for his short stint with the Vancouver Canucks. However, he’d go back to 70 with his one season with the Dallas Stars in 2021-22. Holtby is still technically active and has won a Vezina and Jennings Trophy along with a Stanley Cup.
Other Known 70s
Sweater number 70 seems to be a good goalie number. Joonas Korpisalo has taken the number for his entire career with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Los Angeles Kings and Ottawa Senators. Louis Domingue has taken the number in his numerous stops around the league. Malcolm Subban took the digits for his parts of two seasons in Boston.
However, goalies don’t have a monopoly on sweater number 70. Tanner Pearson had the number with the Kings and the Canucks. The recently retired Patric Hornqvist had the number as well in his final stop with the Florida Panthers. Oskar Sudqvist has worn the number for his entire career and will get it back with the St. Louis Blues.
The Future of 70
Sweater number 70 doesn’t have a ton of history like some of the other higher numbers. There are some good young players like Karel Vejmelka with the Coyotes. However, no one has really taken the number and made it their own.
The future is wide open with any of these sweater numbers. All it takes is one good player to take the number and make themselves a known factor to the rest of the league. However, people are still talking about Holtby’s amazing save in the Stanley Cup Final.
Main photo by: Marc Sanchez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
