Who wore number 77 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.

Victor Hedman

Victor Erik Olof Hedman is a Swedish professional ice hockey player known as the defenceman and alternate captain for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Hedman was selected second overall by the Lightning in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Widely considered to be one of the best defencemen in the NHL, Hedman is a five-time James Norris Memorial Trophy finalist, winning the award in 2018. Hedman won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021, and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the 2020 playoffs.

Ray Bourque

Raymond Jean Bourque is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player.

He is known as one of the leading defencemen in career goals, assists, and points in the National Hockey League (NHL). He won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s best defenceman five times, while finishing second for that trophy a further six times. He also twice finished second in the voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy, a rarity for a defenceman. He was named to the end-of-season All-Star teams 19 times, 13 on the first-team and six on the second-team.

Bourque was also an Olympian with Canada and became nearly synonymous with the Boston Bruins franchise, for which he played 21 seasons and became Boston’s longest-serving captain. Bourque finished his career with the Colorado Avalanche, with whom he won his only Stanley Cup in his final NHL game. In 2017, he was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players.

For a majority of his NHL career, Bourque wore jersey number 77. After he retired following the 2000-2001 season, both the Bruins and the Avalanche honored him by retiring number 77.

When he was initially called up to the Bruins, Bourque was assigned the number 7, which had been worn by former Bruins star forward Phil Esposito from the time he was acquired by the team in 1967 until he departed in 1976 via trade. Bourque was the third player to be issued the number following Esposito’s departure, following Sean Shanahan and Bill Bennett.

In 1987, six years after Esposito’s retirement, and three years after he was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, the Bruins decided to retire number 7 in his honor. Bourque was permitted to continue wearing the number 7 as long as he desired, and began the season still doing so. Esposito’s number retirement ceremony was held on December 3, 1987. As the ceremony concluded, Bourque skated over toward Esposito, and in a symbolic gesture removed his own #7 jersey and handed it to the Hall of Famer, “surrendering” the number and revealing to the crowd that he had changed his jersey number to 77, which he would wear from then on.

Pierre Turgeon

Pierre Julien Turgeon is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player. Turgeon is known as the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Selected first overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, Turgeon played in the NHL for the Sabres, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche. He is the younger brother of former NHL player Sylvain Turgeon. They are the first two brothers in NHL history to be selected in the No. 1 and 2 slots of the draft (in separate years).

Adam Oates

Adam Robert Oates is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, former co-head coach for the New Jersey Devils and former head coach for the Washington Capitals. He played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and Edmonton Oilers. Known as an elite playmaker, Oates’ career total of 1,079 assists was the fifth-highest total in NHL history at the time of his 2004 retirement.

After retiring as a player, Oates served as an assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning and New Jersey Devils prior to joining the Capitals as their head coach for two seasons, from 2012 to 2014. In 2017, Oates was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history.

As a college player, Oates was a standout forward for the RPI Engineers. He set single-season school records for assists and points and was named an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) all-star and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) All-American in both 1984 and 1985. Oates was named a tournament all-star in helping RPI win the 1985 national championship, and in 1990–91, the NHL included him in its Second All-Star Team; he played in five All-Star Games. He is one of the leading NHL players in points who also played NCAA Hockey. Oates was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 12, 2012.

Oates was one of the NHL’s great playmakers, a style that he credits his father as encouraging: “It was just kind of our family talks: ‘If you can be unselfish, your teammates will always like you.’ And it just kind of became my role, where I was obviously trying to please my dad, growing up and becoming a playmaker out of that.” Oates’ father, a British immigrant, idolized Stanley Matthews, considered one of the greatest association football (soccer) players of all-time and hoped that his son would adopt a pass-first mentality similar to Matthews.

Oates led the NHL in assists three times – 1992–93, 2000–01 and 2001–02 – and finished in the top ten on 12 occasions. Oates finished third in league scoring three times; 1990-91, 1992-93, and 1993-94. He is also the first player in NHL history to centre three 50-goal scorers, helping Brett Hull, Cam Neely and Peter Bondra reach the mark. His teammates praised his consistency, noting Oates continued to score points at an elite level when he did not have star players as linemates. Oates was able to score himself, reaching the 20 goal mark seven times, including a career high 45 in 1992–93, a season in which he led the league with 11 game-winning goals.

Boston teammate Ray Bourque suggested in 1994 that Oates was underrated, saying, “I think a lot of people take what he does for granted. He does it in a quiet way. He’s not a flashy guy. He’s not looking for attention, he just goes out and does it. He’s the best centerman I’ve been around. I never knew he was this good playing against him because I didn’t see him this much.” Others have concurred, noted that Oates never received the attention nor honors of the other players on the NHL’s top all-time assists list.

At the time of Oates’ retirement, his 1,420 points was the 13th highest total in NHL history, and his 1,079 assists ranked 5th. He played in a total of five NHL All-Star Games and was a six-time finalist for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct on the ice (Oates has described himself as the Susan Lucci for the Lady Byng.) The Markham Waxers retired his jersey number 10 in 1999. Oates was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as part of its 2012 class.

Chris Gratton

Christopher Allan Gratton is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who last played with the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is the cousin of Josh Gratton, who had also briefly played in the NHL as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers and the Phoenix Coyotes.

Jeff Carter

Jeffrey J. Carter is a Canadian professional ice hockey player known as the centre for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Los Angeles Kings. He was drafted 11th overall by the Flyers in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

During his NHL career, he has won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014 (both with Los Angeles), has appeared in two All-Star Games in 2009 and 2017, and led the Philadelphia Flyers – for whom he played six seasons – in scoring during their 2008–09 campaign; his 46 goals during that season were good for second overall in the NHL. Carter also played 39 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2011–12 season before being traded to Los Angeles.

Carter played junior hockey for the Soo Greyhounds in the Ontario Hockey League. He was a First Team All-Star, William Hanley Trophy and CHL Sportsman of the Year honors in his final year. Joining the Flyers’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms, immediately after his junior career, he helped the team win the Calder Cup in 2005.

Internationally, Carter has won gold medals with Team Canada at the under-18, under-20 levels and at the Olympics. During his under-20 career, he tied as Canada’s all-time leading scorer at the World Juniors and was named to back-to-back Tournament All-Star Teams. He has also represented Canada at the 2006 IIHF World Championship. Carter represented Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, where he won a gold medal.

Anson Carter

Anson Horace Carter is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for eight different teams, most notably with the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks. He was last active as a player with HC Lugano in the Swiss Nationalliga A, and was a hockey analyst for NBC Sports, then becoming an analyst for NHL on TNT and MSG Network.

Carter is also the founder of Big Up Entertainment, a record label specializing in hip hop music. He attended high school at Agincourt Collegiate Institute and attended college and played collegiately at Michigan State University. He is of Bajan descent.

Anton Belov

Anton Sergeyevich Belov is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman. He played with SKA St. Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He has also previously played with CSKA Moscow and Avangard Omsk and played one season in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Edmonton Oilers.

Jesse Blacker

Jesse Blacker is a Canadian-Kazakhstani professional ice hockey defenceman. He is known for playing with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Blacker was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round (58th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He also once played for the Anaheim Ducks in the National Hockey League (NHL) in 2014.