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 28. Keep up to date with the series everyday until the start of the 2023-24 NHL season.
Behind the Sweater Number: 28
The First 28s
According to Hockey Reference, 490 players have worn sweater number 28 since since jersey records were kept in the 1950-51 season. However, it does not list any players before then that may have taken the number. Hockey Reference lists Ron Murphy of the Boston Bruins as the first player to don the digits. Murphy had the number from 1965 through 1970 with the club. His best season was when he got 16 goals in the 1968-69 season with the Bruins. He’d finish with 54 points in his second-t0-last season in the league.
Defenceman Mike Pelyk would be the next player to wear the number in the 1967-68 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He’d wear the number off and on throughout his career that would end in 1977. However, he’d switch to four and 20. His best seasons were in the World Hockey Association where he’d score 14 goals for the Vancouver Blazers in the World Hockey Association.
Cameos
There are always a number of players that wore sweater number 28 that would go onto have decent to good careers. However, these were with other numbers. Craig Adams wore the number for a couple of seasons of his 951-game NHL career. Philippe Boucher carried the number for a pair of seasons with the Los Angeles Kings. Current Calgary Flames general manager Craig Conroy started his career with the Montreal Canadiens as number 28. Ted Donato, the current Harvard head coach, was 28 for a season with the Ottawa Senators. Defenceman Justin Faulk started his career with sweater number 28. Derian Hatcher also started off life with number 28.
Enforcer Joe Kocur had the number with the Vancouver Canucks. Martin Lapointe had the number for the final two seasons of his carer. Felix Potvin wore the number for a pair of seasons with the New York Islanders. Hall of Famer Mark Recchi wore 28 for the final part of his career in Boston. P.J. Stock wore the number with the New York Rangers as did John Scott.
Steve Larmer
The rise of Claude Giroux could unseat Larmer eventually, but we went with Larmer. He came into the league for a total of seven games across two seasons starting in 1980. However, he would earn the Calder Trophy in the 1982-83 season with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Peterborough, Ontario native was a consistent 30-to-40 goal scorer with the Blackhawks for the majority of his career. However, the Stanley Cup eluded Larmer, who was also a standout forward in his end of the ice.
Larmer was traded to the Rangers in their run to break the 1940 curse. His numbers would go down from his time in Chicago, but he would help the Blueshirts lift that long-desired Stanley Cup. He would retire at the end of the 1994-95 season. The former sixth-round pick in the 1980 NHL Draft actually started off with number 31. However, he would end up with 28. The man who played 884 straight games was just given the number and he kept it.
Other 28s and the Future
Giroux just crossed the 1,100-game threshold at the end of the last season. Donald Audette scored 260 career goals and was part of the dynamic Buffalo Sabres teams of the 1990s. Steve Duchesne has also played 1,100 career NHL games and has a championship ring. Noted enforcer Tie Domi gained a following with the Leafs and his son, Max Domi, will suit up for the club this season. Reed Larson played 904 career games and was one of the first standout American players. Eric Desjardins was 28 for his Canadiens career before moving to Philadelphia.
Younger players like Timo Meier have worn sweater number 28. William Carrier is wearing the number at the moment for the Vegas Golden Knights.
Main photo by: Colin McConnell/Toronto Star via Getty Images
