Who wore number 20 in NHL?

Whether we’re talking about jersey numbers or using stats in sports arguments, numbers have and will always have a place in sports in a variety of different ways. Players are recognized by their numbers and they are part of a player’s legacy.

Ryan Suter

Ryan Suter is an American professional ice hockey player known as the defenseman for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild.

Ryan’s father, Bob Suter, was a member of the historic gold medal-winning 1980 United States Olympic hockey team that defeated the Soviet Union in the famous “Miracle on Ice” game. Ryan’s uncle Gary Suter was also a longtime standout in the NHL. Ryan was alternate captain for the U.S. national team, earning a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Luc Robitaille

Luc Jean-Marie Robitaille is a Canadian–American professional ice hockey executive and former player. He’s also known as president of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL).

During his 19-season NHL career, Robitaille won the Stanley Cup in 2001–02 with the Detroit Red Wings, and played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers, but is most known for his 14 seasons (over three different stints) with the Los Angeles Kings. He served as the Kings’ team captain during the 1992–93 season (while Wayne Gretzky was injured) and for the final two games of the 2005–06 season. Robitaille retired after the 2005–06 season as one the highest-scoring left wingers in NHL history and the holder of several Kings franchise records, along with numerous Kings playoff records. In 2017, Robitaille was named one of the “100 Greatest NHL Players” in history.

Dino Ciccarelli

Dino Ciccarelli is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League, primarily with the Minnesota North Stars, but also notably with the Detroit Red Wings, with whom he had his third-highest scoring season. He scored 1,200 points in his NHL career. He’s one of the leading draft-eligible players not drafted by an NHL team with his 608 career NHL goals scored. Ciccarelli was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010.

Evgeni Nabokov

Yevgeni Viktorovich Nabokov is a Kazakhstani-Russian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders, and Tampa Bay Lightning of National Hockey League (NHL) and for Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk, Dynamo Moscow, Metallurg Magnitogorsk and SKA Saint Petersburg of the Russian Super League (RSL) and Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) from 1991 to 2015.

Nicknamed “Nabby”, Nabokov, who was selected 219th overall 1994 NHL Entry Draft by San Jose, was regarded as one of the top goaltenders in the NHL, winning the Calder Memorial Trophy as the best first-year player in 2001 and was voted a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as best goaltender in 2008. He departed the NHL for the first time in 2010 to play for SKA Saint Petersburg in Russia, but returned soon after, and concluded his career in the NHL. After retiring as a player Nabokov took up a role as a development coach for the Sharks, and in 2019 was named the goaltending coach for team.

In his first nine seasons in the NHL, all with San Jose, Nabokov became the team leader in nearly every goaltending category, including games played, wins, and shutouts. At his retirement, he had the eighteenth most all-time NHL regular season wins. During a game in 2002 he scored a goal, the seventh goalie in NHL history to do so, and the first not from North America.

Born in the then-Soviet republic of Kazakhstan, Nabokov first played internationally with Kazakhstan at the 1994 World Championships Group C. However, he later joined the Russian national team, and played for them from 2006, including both the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics, winning gold at the 2008 World Championships.

Ed Belfour

Edward John Belfour is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Belfour was born in Carman, Manitoba and grew up playing hockey. He played junior hockey for the Winkler Flyers before going to the University of North Dakota where he helped the school win the NCAA championship in the 1986–87 season. The following year, Belfour signed as a free agent with the Chicago Blackhawks (after not being picked in the draft) alternating time between them and the Saginaw Hawks of the International Hockey League.

Many regard Belfour as an elite goaltender and one of the best of all-time. His 484 wins rank one of the highest all-time among NHL goaltenders. Belfour was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the 2011 class, his first year of eligibility. In addition Belfour is one of the few players to have won an NCAA championship, an Olympic Gold medal, and a Stanley Cup.

His characteristic face mask earned him the sobriquet “Eddie the Eagle”, and some of his quirks and off-ice antics earned him the nickname “Crazy Eddie”. After wearing #30 for his tenure with the Blackhawks, Belfour switched to #20 while a member of the San Jose Sharks as a tribute to Vladislav Tretiak, his goaltending coach and mentor from the Blackhawks. He would wear this for the rest of his playing career.

Bob Pulford

Robert Jesse Pulford is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings in the National Hockey League. He later served as head coach of the Kings before spending 30 years with the Chicago Blackhawks as a coach and general manager.

Pontus Aberg

Pontus Åberg is a Swedish professional ice hockey forward known for playing with Timrå IK in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He was drafted in the second round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, 37th overall, by the Nashville Predators.

Sebastian Aho

Sebastian Antero Aho is a Finnish professional ice hockey player, also known as the alternate captain for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Aho formerly played with Oulun Kärpät in the Finnish Liiga. Aho made his professional debut with Oulun Kärpät during the 2013–14 season. Drafted 35th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, he made his NHL debut during the 2016–17 season with the Hurricanes.

Ray Barry

William Raymond Barry was an American-born Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 18 games in the National Hockey League with the Boston Bruins during the 1951–52 season. Born in Revere, Massachusetts and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, spent most of his career, which lasted from 1948 to 1957 in the minor Western Hockey League, though split the 1951-52 season between the NHL and the minor American Hockey League.

Barry scored his lone NHL goal in Boston’s 4-1 loss to Toronto at Boston Garden on November 25, 1951.

He died on August 28, 2018 in Calgary.

Victor Bartley

Victor Bartley is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman known for playing with HC Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Bartley has previously played for the Nashville Predators, Montreal Canadiens, and Swedish team Örebro HK.

Magnus Arvedson

Magnus Karl Olof Arvedson is a Swedish former professional ice hockey left winger who played 7 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Ottawa Senators and Vancouver Canucks. He also competed in the men’s tournament at the 2002 Winter Olympics. He is also known as the head coach of Bofors IK in the Swedish HockeyAllsvenskan.

Keith Aucoin

Keith M. Aucoin is an American former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, New York Islanders, and St. Louis Blues.

Bob Bailey

Robert Allan “Bashin’ Bob” Bailey was an ice hockey right winger. He spent time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, and Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League. He was known for being involved with trades for over twenty players and was even traded for Bill Dineen on three separate occasions. He was inducted into the Dayton Hockey Hall of Fame on March 17, 1970 for his time with the Dayton Gems.

Earl Balfour

Earl Frederick “Spider” Balfour was a Canadian ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League from 1952 to 1961 with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Black Hawks. He was a defensive forward and penalty-killing expert. Balfour won the Stanley Cup with Chicago in 1961. He retired after 288 games, posting 30 goals, 22 assists, 52 points and just 78 penalty minutes. He died April 27, 2018 after having lived in the Cambridge, Ontario area.

Len Barrie

Leonard G. Barrie is a retired professional ice hockey forward who played 184 games in the National Hockey League. He played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, and Florida Panthers. He was a co-owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and was the president and coach of the Victoria Grizzlies of the British Columbia Hockey League.