The New York Rangers are going to retire goaltender Henrik Lundqvist’s No. 30.
Lundqvist played 15 seasons. He never won a Stanley Cup. He played in just one Stanley Cup final. He won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender once.
If Lundqvist had played for Buffalo, he’d be in witness protection. No one would know who he is.
But Lundqvist played in the Big Apple. He was very good and charismatic. So he gets his number hung in the rafters of Madison Square Garden.
Heck, Phish has a banner hung at MSG for playing there 13 straight nights. It doesn’t take much.
That’s the problem: It’s too easy to get your number retired.
The Rangers have retired eight numbers honoring 10 players. That’s despite winning just one Stanley Cup since 1940. Only three of those honored won Stanley Cups.
The whole process gives Phish credibility.
But when glory isn’t earned, it’s good PR to bestow it.
The Penguins have won five Stanley Cups since 1991. They have retired exactly two numbers: No. 66, which belonged to Mario Lemieux, the franchise’s (and hockey’s) greatest player, and No. 21, which was worn by Michel Briere, a promising young player who died in a car crash following his rookie season in 1969-70.
Sidney Crosby’s No. 87 will definitely follow. But given the stringency to this point, all bets are off after that. Jaromir Jagr’s No. 68 and Evgeni Malkin’s No. 71 are very likely.
But Jagr, 49, still plays in the Czech league. He won’t leave his team to attend the ceremony. Jagr being present at PPG Paints Arena is part of the bargain and non-negotiable. Jagr’s status as an active player also obstructs his entry into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
When you have legitimate history, you don’t have to create it.
Even teams with legit history don’t necessarily get it right.
The Montreal Canadiens have won 24 Stanley Cups. They have retired 15 numbers honoring 18 players. It’s hard to argue any of their choices.
But the Canadiens have retired all but two single-digit numbers. So this past season’s Canadiens wore three numbers in the 40s, one in the 50s, three in the 60s, three in the 70s, one in the 80s and one in the 90s.
It’s the most famous jersey and crest in NHL history, but the Canadiens look like a roller hockey team. It’s stupid.
The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1967. They have retired 13 numbers honoring 19 players.
Five of those players played in the Cup-less years since ’67. Wendel Clark played 15 NHL seasons and made just two All-Star Games. He never won a major award, never played in a Stanley Cup final, never scored 50 goals and never got 100 points. Clark’s career highs were 46 goals and 76 points. What, exactly, is there to honor? Yet his No. 17 got retired.
The Penguins do it right. The Penguins hang banners that honor tangible accomplishments like scoring titles and MVPs. Not “most fun crowd,” or whatever silliness Nashville indulges.
The Steelers do it right, too. They have formerly retired just two numbers, though several others are unofficially retired. That’s despite having 20 players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
You’ve got to be selective. There are just four heads on Mt. Rushmore. Not 20.
Four heads: Like Lemieux, Crosby, Jagr and Malkin.
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August 25, 2021 at 08:20PM
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Mark Madden: Some NHL teams retire numbers too frequently; the Penguins do it right - TribLIVE
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