Who wore number 8 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.

Alexander Ovechkin

Alexander Mikhailovich Ovechkin is a Russian professional ice hockey player known as a left winger and captain of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed “Ovi” (alternatively spelled “Ovie”) and “the Great Eight”, Ovechkin is widely considered to be one of the greatest goal scorers of all time.

Ovechkin began his professional career with Dynamo Moscow of the Russian Superleague, playing there for four seasons from 2001 until 2005 and returning briefly during the 2012–13 NHL lockout. A highly touted prospect, Ovechkin was selected by the Capitals first overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. However, he would remain in Russia until 2005 due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout. In the 2005–06 NHL season, Ovechkin’s first with the Capitals, he scored 52 goals and 54 assists to lead all rookies in points, capturing the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year and finishing third overall in league scoring.

He has won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL’s leading goal scorer, first doing so in 2007–08, when his 65 goals and 112 points also earned him the Art Ross Trophy for most points scored, the Hart Memorial Trophy for most valuable player, and the Lester B. Pearson Award for best player as voted on by the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA). Ovechkin would again win the Richard Trophy, Hart Trophy, and Pearson Award in 2009; he won the Ted Lindsay Award (the renamed Pearson Award) for a third consecutive year in 2010, also the fifth straight year Ovechkin was named to the First All-Star Team.

After some years of decreased scoring, Ovechkin reclaimed the goal-scoring title in 2013, earning the Richard Trophy and his third Hart Trophy. He would repeat as the Richard Trophy winner in 2014, 2015, and 2016, scoring at least 50 goals each season and becoming only the third player to score 50 goals in seven different seasons. Ovechkin is the first player in NHL history to lead the league in goal-scoring 8 or more times. In 2017, Ovechkin was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players of all time. After ten playoff runs with the Washington Capitals, Ovechkin won his first Stanley Cup in 2018 over the Vegas Golden Knights, as well as the Conn Smythe Trophy for most valuable player in the 2018 playoffs. In 2020, Ovechkin scored his 700th career NHL goal, the eighth player to reach that mark.

Internationally, Ovechkin has represented Russia in multiple tournaments. His first IIHF tournament was the 2002 World U18 Championship. The following year he made his debut at the World Junior Championship, helping Russia win the gold medal. He played two more years at the World Juniors, as well as once more at the World U18 Championships. Ovechkin’s first senior tournament was the 2004 World Championship, and he also played in the World Cup that year. Ovechkin has also played for Russia at the Winter Olympics in 2006, 2010, and 2014. Ovechkin won the World Championship multiple times.

Teemu Selanne

Teemu Ilmari Selänne is a Finnish former professional ice hockey winger. He began his professional career in 1989–90 with Jokerit of the SM-liiga and played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Winnipeg Jets, Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche. Nicknamed “the Finnish Flash”, Selänne is one of the highest scoring Finns in NHL history, and one of the highest overall; he retired in 2014 11th all-time with 684 goals and 15th with 1,457 points.

He holds numerous team scoring records for both the Winnipeg/Arizona franchise and the Anaheim Ducks. His jersey number 8 was retired by the Ducks in 2015. In 2017 Selänne was named one of the ‘100 Greatest NHL Players’ in history. On June 26, 2017, Selänne was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame as the second Finn after Jari Kurri.

Selänne was a first-round selection of the Jets, tenth overall, at the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, but initially remained in Finland. He led the SM-liiga in scoring as part of Jokerit’s Kanada-malja winning team in 1991–92 before moving to North America. He broke into the NHL by scoring 76 goals in 1992–93. It earned him the Calder Memorial Trophy as the top first-year player in the NHL. He has scored 50 goals in a season three times and topped 100 points on four occasions. He played in 10 NHL All-Star Games, was named to four post-season All-Star Teams and won the inaugural Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy in 1998–99 as the league’s leading goal scorer. He was named recipient of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2005–06 for perseverance and dedication to the game and was a member of the Ducks’ 2007 Stanley Cup championship team.

Internationally, Selänne was a long-time member of the Finnish National Team. He played in five World Championships, winning a silver and bronze medal, and in three Canada Cup/World Cup of Hockey tournaments. A six-time Olympian, Selänne helped Finland win three bronze medals and, in 2006, a silver medal. A national star in his native country, Selänne is the subject of a top-grossing biographical documentary in Finland.

Selänne’s primary attribute is his skating speed. Nicknamed the “Finnish Flash”, he uses his speed to evade opposition defenders. According to defenceman Nicklas Lidström, “He’s one of those snipers that can put the puck on net because he finds openings and he knows where to be on the ice. Former teammate Jean-Sébastien Giguère added, “He’s just a very elegant player. He’s got a very nice stride to his skating, he plays with a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm … with the skill he has, it just makes for a heck of a great player.”

An elite offensive player, Selänne is one of the highest scoring Finnish-born players in NHL history. He ended his career with 684 goals, 12th all-time in NHL history, and 1,457 points, 15th best. His 110 game-winning goals tied him with Brett Hull. Selänne is one of the few players to score 70 or more goals in one season.

Even before his playing career had ended, the Ducks announced that Selänne’s number 8 would be the first number retired by the franchise. The team formally retired his number on January 11, 2015, prior to a game against the Jets.

Cam Neely

Cameron Michael Neely is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. Neely played right wing for the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1983 to 1996. Neely was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2005. He is also known as the president of the Bruins.

Drew Doughty

Drew Doughty is a Canadian professional ice hockey player known as the defenceman and alternate captain for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected second overall by the Kings in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft from the Guelph Storm of the OHL, where he was twice voted the league’s top offensive defenceman.

Doughty made his NHL debut in 2008 as an 18-year-old and was named to the All-Rookie Team. He is a Stanley Cup champion with the Kings in the 2011–12 NHL season and the 2013–14 NHL season, Olympic gold medallist with the Canadian national team at Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014, 2009 World Championship silver medallist, 2008 World Junior Championship gold medalist, and a Norris Trophy finalist from the 2009–10, 2014–15, 2015–16 and 2017–18 seasons, winning the trophy in 2015–16.

Justin Abdelkader

Justin Abdelkader is an American professional ice hockey player known as the left winger for EV Zug of the National League (NL). He was selected by the Detroit Red Wings, 42nd overall, in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Gene Achtymichuk

Eugene Edward Achtymichuk is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey centre in the National Hockey League. Achtymichuk was born in Lamont, Alberta.

Greg Adams

Gregory Daren Adams is a Canadian former ice hockey winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1984 to 2001.

Ken Baumgartner

Kenneth James Baumgartner is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played in the National Hockey League for twelve seasons.

Jordie Benn

Phillip Jordan Ellis “Jordie” Benn is a Canadian professional ice hockey player known as the defenceman for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). An undrafted player, Benn has previously played for the Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets. He is the older brother of Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn.

Bill Mosienko

William Mosienko was a Ukrainian Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Black Hawks. He is best noted for recording one of the fastest hat tricks in NHL history. In a 1952 game against the New York Rangers, Mosienko scored three goals in 21 seconds.

In the NHL, Mosienko won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 1945 as the most gentlemanly player in the league, played in five All-Star Games and was twice named to the second All-Star Team. He left the league in 1955 to help bring professional hockey to his hometown of Winnipeg. He helped create the Winnipeg Warriors of the Western Hockey League and was a three-time All-Star in his four years of play in the league. He won the league championship in 1956.

Mosienko was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965 and into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 1980.

Igor Larionov

Igor Nikolayevich Larionov is a Russian ice hockey coach, sports agent and former professional ice hockey player, known as “the Professor”. Along with Viacheslav Fetisov, he was instrumental in forcing the Soviet government to let Soviet players compete in the National Hockey League (NHL). He primarily played the centre position.

Larionov won three Stanley Cup championships with the Detroit Red Wings (1997, 1998, 2002) and was inducted as a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame on 10 November 2008. He was also a member of Detroit’s famed Russian Five line.

Mark Recchi

Mark Louis Recchi is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, also known as an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). Recchi played 22 years in the NHL, winning three Stanley Cups: in 1991 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes and in 2011 with the Boston Bruins. In Game 2 of the 2011 Finals, at the age of 43, Recchi became one of the oldest players ever to score in a Stanley Cup Finals series.

On June 26, 2017, in his fourth year of eligibility, Recchi was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame.