Who wore number 52 in NHL?

Choosing a jersey number sometimes has a philosophy of its own. Each NHL player has his own number logic and usually keeps this number for the rest of his career if possible.

Jonathan Ericsson

Jonathan Ericsson is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman. He played for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Ericsson was drafted in the ninth round, 291st overall, in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, the final pick of the draft. He has played his entire NHL career with the Red Wings organization.

Adam Foote

Adam David Vernon Foote is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman, and the former head coach of the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League. He was best known for his physical presence and gritty play as a stay-at-home defenceman.

Foote was drafted out of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) 22nd overall in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques. He began his National Hockey League (NHL) career with the Nordiques in 1991–92 before relocating with the franchise to Colorado, where he won two Stanley Cups in 1996 and 2001. In 2005, Foote signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he served as team captain for three seasons. He then returned to the Avalanche in 2008 via trade, where he would eventually complete his playing career. Foote was the last active NHL player from the Quebec Nordiques.

Internationally, Foote won a gold medal in 2002 Winter Olympics and a World Cup championship in 2004 with Team Canada.

After his playing career, he began coaching with the Avalanche. He was named the head coach of the Kelowna Rockets in 2018. He was subsequently fired as head coach in February 2020.

Craig Rivet

Anthony Craig Rivet is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey defenceman who played 16 seasons in the NHL, including 12 with the Montreal Canadiens. He later played for the San Jose Sharks, Buffalo Sabres, and Columbus Blue Jackets before finishing his career with the Elmira Jackals of the ECHL.

Ryan Barnes

Ryan Donald Barnes is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger.

Barnes was drafted in the second round, fifty-fifth overall in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft by the Detroit Red Wings. Barnes played his junior career for three teams in the OHL; the Sudbury Wolves, the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors and finally the Barrie Colts. On October 3, 1999, he was suspended from the OHL for 25 games for a stick-swinging incident in a game against Oshawa Generals. At the end of that season, he played with the Barrie Colts in the Memorial Cup Championship final.

He has played two career games in the National Hockey League, as a member of the Detroit Red Wings. He tested his coaching abilities for the first time during the 2007-2008 season with the Port Colborne Sailors, now known as the Port Colborne Pirates, in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League. Ryan was hired to work as an assistant coach with the Peterborough Petes for the 2008-09 season.

David Emma

David Anaclethe Emma is an American former ice hockey player. Emma won the Hobey Baker Award in 1991 playing for Boston College. Emma would go on to play professionally in the National Hockey League for the New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins, and Florida Panthers. As of 2011, he is a wealth management advisor for Masterson, Emma & Associates.

Emma attended Bishop Hendricken High School. He later attended Boston College where he was named an All-American and selected for All-Hockey East Teams during his four year career.

Internationally, Emma has represented the United States at the 1992 Winter Olympics and Ice Hockey World Championships.

Mark Friedman

Mark Isaac Friedman is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman known for playing with the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the 3rd round the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers, the 86th overall pick of the draft. Prior to turning professional, Friedman played for the Bowling Green Falcons for three seasons where he was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team and First Team All-WCHA.

Jason Garrison

Jason John Maxwell Garrison is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenseman known for playing with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL). Garrison played two years of Junior A with the Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), during which time he earned a scholarship to play college hockey with the University of Minnesota Duluth. Following his third NCAA year, he signed with the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL) as an undrafted free agent in 2008. Garrison spent four years with the Panthers organization, setting franchise records for single-season goals and power play goals by a defenceman in 2011–12.

Petr Prajsler

Petr Prajsler is a retired Czech ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League for the Los Angeles Kings between 1987 and 1990 and the Boston Bruins in 1991. He also played several seasons in the Czech Republic. Internationally Prajsler played for the Czechoslovak national junior team at the 1985 World Junior Championships, winning a silver medal.

Prajsler began his career with Tesla Pardubice in 1984 where he spent three seasons. He was drafted 93rd overall by Los Angeles in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft and played 43 regular season games for the Kings over three seasons, scoring three goals and ten assists. In 1990, Prajsler moved to the International Hockey League and joined the Phoenix Roadrunners where in 77 games, he scored 13 goals and 47 points, his most productive season.

He was signed by the Boston Bruins as a free-agent the next year, but only managed to play three more NHL games, going pointless. He did though have another highly productive season, this time for the Maine Mariners where he scored 12 goals and 45 points in just 61 games.

He returned to his homeland in 1992, playing for his hometown team Stadion Hradec Králové, who were playing in the Czechoslovakian Second Division. The team won promotion to the newly formed Czech Extraliga which was formed after the breakup of Czechoslovakia in 1993, but only managed to play 17 games in a season which saw them relegated. It was his final season as he retired shortly afterwards.

Alexander Karpovtsev

Alexander Georgievich Karpovtsev was a Russian ice hockey player and an assistant coach for Ak Bars Kazan and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). In the National Hockey League (NHL), he played for the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Islanders, and Florida Panthers. He, Alexei Kovalev, Sergei Zubov and Sergei Nemchinov were the first Russian players to have their names engraved on the Stanley Cup, winning it in 1994 with the Rangers.

Karpovtsev was an assistant coach for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, and died in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash on September 7, 2011.

Peter Leboutillier

Peter Leboutillier is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who played 35 games in the National Hockey League for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. ‘Pete’ played for the Western Hockey League for the Red Deer Rebels, where he was captain in 1994–95. He also played in the American Hockey League for the Baltimore Bandits, Cincinnati Mighty Ducks and the Lowell Lock Monsters. He also had a spell in England for the Sheffield Steelers before retiring due to knee injury.

Leboutillier’s career is profiled in the book, “Journeymen: 24 Bittersweet Tales of Short Major League Sports Careers”.

Luke Schenn

Luke Schenn is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman known for playing with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Schenn played junior hockey with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL). In his final WHL season, Schenn was named to the League’s Second All-Star Team. He was a highly touted prospect heading into the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, where he was selected in the first round, fifth overall, by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Schenn began his professional career in the NHL during the 2008–09 season and played with the Maple Leafs until being traded to Philadelphia following the 2011–12 season. After his rookie season, Schenn’s play was recognized when he was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team. In 2020, he won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Lightning. He has represented Canada internationally, winning a gold medal at the 2008 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and a silver medal at the 2009 World Ice Hockey Championships.

Schenn is a stay-at-home defenceman whose main focus is preventing goals rather than scoring. With a physical style of play, he is usually among NHL leaders in hits. When he played in Toronto his charity “Luke’s Troops” helped military families attend Maple Leafs home games. His younger brother Brayden is known for playing with the St. Louis Blues. Schenn won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021.

Schenn is a defensive defenceman who plays a physical game while attempting to prevent opponents from scoring. Since his rookie season, he has been among the NHL leaders in hits. He believes he is at his best when he is playing a tough game, while staying responsible: “You just want to be physical and play with a bit of an edge, but you don’t want to put your team down short-handed.” Growing up, Schenn patterned his play after fellow defencemen Chris Pronger and Rob Blake.

Kerby Rychel

Kerby Rychel is an American-born Canadian professional ice hockey forward. He played under contract with the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL). He was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round (19th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He was born in Torrance, California, but grew up in Tecumseh, Ontario. His father is 1996 Stanley Cup winner Warren Rychel.

Nate Thompson

Nathan Scott Thompson is an American professional ice hockey player known for playing with the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets. The Bruins drafted him in the sixth round (183rd overall) at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

Radek Smoleňák

Radek Smoleňák is a Czech professional ice hockey winger. He is known for playing with the SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers of the National League (NL). He was contract to HC Slovan Bratislava of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Smolenak was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 3rd round (73rd overall) of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Smoleňák played briefly with the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2009–10 season when he was claimed off waivers by the team late in the pre-season. He played in only one regular season game with the Blackhawks, in which he registered a five-minute major for fighting. He also participated in the 2009 pre-season with Chicago while they played in Zürich, Switzerland and registered one goal in one game. After being placed back on waivers by the Blackhawks, he was quickly re-claimed by the Tampa Bay Lightning on October 11, 2009.

Smoleňák signed a contract with Pelicans Lahti from the Finnish elite league SM-liiga on January 30, 2012.

In 2009, Smoleňák received significant fan support in the NHL voting for the 57th National Hockey League All-Star Game compiling 10,471 fan votes as a write-in candidate.