Why goalies wear 30

Through much of the Original Six era, the expansion to 12 teams in and the increase to 21 teams by , there are more goalies listed as wearing No. Back when teams only carried one goalie, that player was given No. When rosters expanded in the s to include two goalies, the second goalie was most often given No.

But No. In some cases, it may have to do with No. When the Panthers retire the number for Luongo, they will be eighth team to take No.

The Minnesota Wild retired No. It's a bit more fun. Sergei Bobrovsky wears No. Just as some goalies wear a number to honor their heroes growing up Cam Talbot of the Calgary Flames wears No. Thatcher Demko of the Vancouver Canucks wears No. Juuse Saros was given No. Ice Hockey. Study now. See Answer. Best Answer. Study guides. Q: Why do most NHL goalies wear number 30?

Write your answer Related questions. Which nhl players wear number 1? How many goalies are on an NHL team? What percentage of NHL goalies have brown eyes? What players wear jersey number 30 in the NHL? How many NHL goaltenders are from Quebec? Do NHL players wear 00? What is the average reaction time of NHL goalies? How many left handed goalies are in the NHL? Are face masks optional in NHL?

Is roburto louongo the best goalie in NHL? Who are the 3 youngest goalies in the nhl today? How many NHL players were born in Massachusetts? How many goaltenders can be on an NHL roster? What number did he wear for first NHL goal? Are helmets optional in the NHL? Numbers were traditionally for defense, and traditionally for forwards. Higher numbers were for players further down the depth chart, with one of the highest numbers often 20, 29 or 30 for the backup goaltender.

On many teams, a lower number implied status, as this would allow for better hotel or sleeping car accommodations when traveling. Today, 1 is still reserved for goalies and are almost exclusively for defense with the notable exception of Charlie Coyle of the Wild. There was a time when 29 was also very common among goalies, but that has changed. Out of the 13 rostered NHL players wearing 29 now, 8 are forwards, four are defense and only one is a goalie.

Almost nobody ever wears 66 or 99 in the NHL due to Lemieux and Gretzky, with 66 being unofficially retired and 99 being officially retired. Higher numbers are becoming more common every year, although presently the only number higher than 50 that is worn by more than 10 players is Numbers 0 and 00 have been worn in the past mostly by goalies including John Davidson and Bernie Parent but are no longer allowed by the NHL.

In beer league hockey, these traditions filter down but are often exceptions. If a beer league forward chooses number 1 or a goalie chooses number 2, it would look weird but nobody would really care. Players could even choose 00 or three-digit numbers. The only number choice that will get a beer league player ridiculed is if they chose to wear 66 or 99 and 8 if they also have the requisite mirrored visor. In some sports, a specific uniform number is worth so much to a player that they will pay big money to buy it off of a teammate.

A young player unless a superstar themselves would always give a veteran their number without even being asked, because that is what hockey players do. Duncan Keith wears 2 because it was hanging in his locker when he reached the minor leagues. Now on the Golden Knights, it has become attached to his career. Rookies star players aside are generally given little to no choice over which high jersey number they want.

Players often come up with interesting substitutions when their preferred number is taken. Wayne Gretzky chose 99 because the number he wanted 9 was already taken on the Sault Ste.

Marie Greyhounds in the OHL. Alexei Yashin had 19 in Ottawa for this same reason but when that number was unavailable on the Islanders he chose to turn 19 into 79 instead of reversing the digits. Doubling up a number is also common, which explains why numbers such as 44 and 55 are so popular. He did this out of respect he would have been allowed to keep 7 until he left the Bruins , complete with a dramatic reveal of him pulling off his 7 jersey only to have the 77 already on underneath watch here.

For star players, the number chosen is a big part of their identity and marketing for the NHL. This started when Gretzky organically came about using Lemieux had previously worn 28 because that is what his brother wore. The next superstar to do this was Eric Lindros with