Players are supposed to play for the crest on the front of their sweater, but it’s what’s on the back that makes them stand out.
Fans — not to mention referees — identify them by the number below their nameplate. It can be an important decision to make.
When it comes to those on the Oilers, reasons vary for their number choices. Some have latched onto a lucky digit or two from childhood. Others rely on family ties to make their decisions.
Not everyone is overly concerned by what’s stitched onto their jersey and simply accepted whatever’s given to them — although even a couple of them found humor in what they got.
Twenty-nine players have appeared in a game for the Oilers so far this season. This is why each and every one of them has a specific number associated with their name.
I’ve worn it growing up my whole life. On my minor hockey team, it was only Nos. 2 to 17. That was the one that was open. That’s what I got and that’s what I stuck with.
In Bakersfield I wore it. In junior I wore it. Then, they gave me 75 (in 2018 training camp). I was going to switch, but that was the year Duncs (Duncan Keith) came. I figured I might as well go back to it now.
I’m getting mixed reviews. Half the people say 2 looks weird. Half the people say it looks good. It’s a bit of a difference. But when I watch myself in highlights from last year, I think 75 looks weird.
Evan Bouchard. (Jamie Sabau/USA Today)
I was always No. 8 growing up. I liked that number. Being a defenseman, it’s more common to wear a single-digit number. I like the number 8. It was my favorite number growing up. Everywhere I seemed to go after, it was taken or retired. In junior hockey, when I got to the team, there was someone wearing 8 already.
I switched to 83. That was what I had when I got called up from minor midget to the Jr. A (Peterborough) Liftlock Stars. A coach there put 8 together with 93 — my birthyear — and made 83. When I got to the Sens, I was an emergency call-up, and they just gave me no. 5. I’ve tried to keep it since then.
It was one of the numbers I had growing up that I liked. I had 7, 10, 11. As a kid, you just have numbers that you prefer. Ten was actually my first number when I played Jr. B in Spokane. I started to be a pretty good player at that point. That’s where it stuck.
When I was very young, I did have 98. I wore 98. I did like the 9, but it’s not available here, so 98. Then, I picked 13 (after returning from Finland) because it was a new start.
I’ve never been too fixated on a number. I wore 94 growing up from age 8 through college. When I went pro, they just gave up numbers and I never changed them.
When I was in Dallas, they gave me 17. When I got traded to Anaheim, that was Ryan Kesler’s number, so I switched to 29. I wore 74 in Columbus. With 14 I just kept this tradition going where I go with a different number.
I like the number. My dad (Kyle) used to wear 14. He liked Dave Keon for the Toronto Maple Leafs. That was his number growing up, so I figured, “let’s give 14 a go.”
No. 16: Tyler Benson
No. 49 was just given to me at camp when I was first drafted. I never said anything, but Langer (head equipment manager Jeff Lang) asked if I wanted to switch to 16 (after Jujhar Khaira signed with Chicago). I said, “Sure. Why not?” I’ve worn it in Bakersfield. It just suits me better.
Who wore 11? (Laughs.) I knew right away I couldn’t have my old number. (Mark) Messier was a pretty good player and a legend here, so 11 wasn’t available. But it was kind of nice for me to go to a new place and change my number. In Toronto, I’ll be remembered for No. 11. Now, in Edmonton, it’s 18. It’s unique for me to have two different numbers in two different cities.
Eighteen — my son, Theo, was born on Dec. 18. Wearing 18 for him was a natural fit. Also, I’m Jewish and, in Judaism, 18 is a lucky number. It means “chai,” which means “life” in Hebrew. I know a bunch of people in my community are pretty happy I chose that number. But really, it was for Theo. I wanted to do something for him.
They just gave it to me. I prefer 24, but Bugsy’s (Brad Malone) got it. I got that number when I was 11 and I moved to Dynamo. I kept it for the national team and everywhere. I just like it.
But everything looks good in the NHL.
I’ve worn 4 before (with Colorado) and I wore 22 at the world juniors and I wore it at the world championships. So, it’s 22 (2+2) and 4. I like it.
No. 24: Brad Malone
They gave it to me here. They gave it to me in Carolina; they just reversed 42 from Colorado. That’s what I got. It’s easy because I’m the 24th man on the depth chart.
When I was a kid, I had a choice between 5, which was my uncle’s (Donovan McNabb) number (in the NFL); 85, which was my dad’s (Richard) number (in the CFL); and then 25 just because no one had it. I picked 25 just because I wanted to have my own path. I stuck with the 5 — everyone’s got 5 — so that was the cool part about it.
I probably would wear 13 if that wasn’t taken. It was a number that was open when I first got to Dallas. I was wearing it in Dallas and Chicago. It was taken in Vegas, but I wore 26 because 13 and 13 make 26. I also wore 26 a few of my years back home (in Sweden).
No. 7 is my favorite number. I wore 77 in Montreal, but that one’s off-limits (due to injured blueliner Oscar Klefbom). From what I remember on the sheet of available numbers when I was traded here, 27 was the nicest one that stuck out to me. I like that number.
They just offered it to me. I don’t really care that much. I wore 27 for a long time, but I didn’t really pick it. They just kept giving it to me. I wore it in junior high. I just kept showing up (different places) and they’d have it that number ready for me.
I like the number. I like how it looks. I’ve worn it for a while now. Another thing is my dad (Peter), who’s a coach in Germany, he used to have a player with 29 (and) he was my favorite player when I was younger. His name is Ben Thomson. He actually played at the U of A, so that has a little bit to do with it as well.
Leon Draisaitl celebrates a goal with his teammates. (Perry Nelson/USA Today)
No. 33: Matt Berlin
They just gave it to me.
When I was playing for the Honeybaked AAA team in Michigan, the goalie for Boston University had it. His name was John Curry. I was always a fan of Boston University. I never saw that before — I thought that was really cool — so, I started wearing it when I was 12. At the time, nobody had it. Now it’s starting to be a little more popular.
It was my number when I was in Carolina for my rookie year. I wore it in junior, too. I was drafted as 37 (the seventh pick of the third round in 2014). I used to wear 3 (at University of New Hampshire and OHL Kingston). But when I went to Erie, someone had 3 and someone else had 13, so I went with 37.
In the AHL, I couldn’t choose a number. They gave me 17, which I actually didn’t mind. I went to 13 in Carolina. When I came here, 13 was taken, so I went back to 37.
I was assigned 36 at camp (last season). It was just given to me. Soupy (Jack Campbell) wanted it, so I gave it to Soupy. I didn’t really care.
I’m a fan of single-digit numbers, but there weren’t many available here. I really like repeating numbers. I like the number 44, but that was Kass’s (Zack Kassian) number, so I didn’t really want to take that one. He’s a great guy. I could have grabbed it, but that was his number. He was one of the guys that was really, really good to me when I came in. I wasn’t going to take his number.
Fifty-five is just a cool number.
It was a training camp number, and I just never changed it. I wasn’t too sure about it the first couple of years. I was thinking about changing it. Now, a lot of fans have jerseys with 56, so there’s no point in changing it.
My dad (Russ) raced flat-track motocross. The one number I knew he raced with was 79. I was thinking about changing it to that, but I thought I might as well make it with my own number.
I would change to 17, but obviously there’s Jari Kurri and it’s retired here. That was my number in junior, but I don’t think I can take that number. If I can’t have that, I’m not as picky. I’m not too superstitious about my number. Whatever number they gave me I was fine with.
No. 57: James Hamblin
They just gave me that number. I wore 10 in junior. They just gave me that there, too. I was always 9 or 10 growing up.
I was 70 and then (Dmitry) Kulikov wanted it (when acquired at the 2021 trade deadline), so I just took 71. It’s just one more. I wore 91 in junior. It’s a little too high to wear that now. I’m not that skilled.
That’s the one they gave me. I don’t really care. I’m just happy they gave me one. When I came to camp six years ago — it was dev camp (development) — I was just happy they gave numbers. I just took it. I just kept it throughout my six years here.
Growing up, my oldest brother, Stephen, was (number) 71. My second oldest, Scott, was 72. Then Sheldon had 73. So, I took 74.
No. 80: Markus Niemelainen
There’s no reason behind that. It’s just what they gave me. I don’t really care. If they had asked, I probably wouldn’t have picked this today. They just gave me that when I was drafted.
It got picked for me. I had 5 on the (Swedish) national team, 4 in the SHL and 2 in the AHL. We’ll see.
I chose no. 91 because no. 9 is retired here in Edmonton. I went to 91 because it’s my birth year. I thought I’d join Connor and Nuge.
No. 9 wasn’t retired in Winnipeg. I talked to Bobby Hull and he said, “Go ahead. No problem.” I wore 9 since I was in junior.
The reason I wore 9 is I had always normally worn 19 — Joe Sakic was one of my favorite players — but it was taken by James Wright when I went to the (Vancouver) Giants. Gordie Howe was one of our minority owners at the time and he wore No. 9. So, I said, “I’m going to wear No. 9.” That’s what I stuck with.
Well, I would have worn 9, but it’s obviously taken here. Ninety-three I also wore when 9 was taken in bantam. I like it. It’s the year I was born. It’s not really the reason that I wear it, but I like Doug Gilmour. That’s a cool addition, too. He was a pretty feisty guy, obviously a great player and (had) a good, long career — and a successful one.
Pretty easy. I chose it when I was 7 years old. I made the 8-year-old team with the ’96-borns. I thought it would be cool to wear 97 because I was born in ’97. It’s something that’s stuck with me.
(Top photo of Connor McDavid: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
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