Who wore number 80 in NHL?

What number you wear can often be a big part of a player’s hockey identity. Some players care more than others about the number they don, but even for those who are indifferent to them, those numbers help connect players with young fans and can even have sentimental value. Like it or not, numbers are a big part of what can make this game great.

Kevin Weekes

Kevin Weekes is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 348 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). He is also known as a studio analyst for NHL Networks’ On the Fly and NHL Tonight, while also working for ESPN/ABC.

Geoff Sanderson

Geoffrey M. Sanderson is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger, most notably for the Hartford Whalers and Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Ilya Bryzgalov

Ilya Nikolayevich Bryzgalov is a Russian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Anaheim Ducks, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild. He was drafted by Anaheim in the second round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, 44th overall.

In 2006–07, Bryzgalov won the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks. Internationally, he has earned a bronze medal with Russia at the 2002 Winter Olympics, and a silver medal at the 2000 World Junior Championships. Bryzgalov also competed in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and is a three-time Olympian. As the starting goaltender, he helped Russia win back-to-back gold medals at the 2009 World Ice Hockey Championships, making them ranked number one in the world. He was also runner-up for the Vezina Trophy and a top-five finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy in the 2009–10 season.

Aaron Dell

Aaron Dell is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender known for playing with the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Undrafted, Dell has previously played for the San Jose Sharks, and the New Jersey Devils as well.

Dell played collegiate hockey at the University of North Dakota. He returned to the Allen Americans in trade from the Utah Grizzlies. While with the Worcester Sharks, Dell was signed to a one-year entry-level contract with the team’s NHL affiliate, the San Jose Sharks, for the remainder of the season.

In the 2016–17 season, he made the Sharks’ opening night roster as the team’s backup goaltender to Martin Jones. On October 18, 2016, he made his NHL debut and won against the New York Islanders. He then signed a two-year contract extension with the Sharks.

Dell signed a one-year $800,000 contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent. After attending the Maple Leafs training camp for the pandemic delayed 2020–21 season, Dell was included in the team’s taxi squad. Dell’s brief tenure with the Maple Leafs ended as he was claimed off waivers by the New Jersey Devils.

He signed as a free agent to a one-year, $750,000 contract with the Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo announced that Dell will wear jersey no. 30, a move that upset many fans as the number had not been issued since Ryan Miller’s departure from the team in 2014.

Matīss Kivlenieks

Matīss Edmunds Kivlenieks was a Latvian professional ice hockey goaltender who played for Prizma Riga of the Latvian Hockey Higher League (LHL), the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL), and the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 2012 and 2021. Kivlenieks died on 4 July 2021 after being accidentally struck by fireworks.

Despite going undrafted after his final season with the Sioux City Musketeers, Kivlenieks signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets worth $2,497,500. The following season, he was assigned to the minors, joining the Blue Jackets’ American Hockey League affiliate team, the Cleveland Monsters.

During the 2019–20 season, Kivlenieks was recalled on multiple occasions to the Blue Jackets before starting in his NHL debut, earning his first NHL win in a 2–1 victory against the New York Rangers on 19 January 2020. He stopped 31 of the 32 shots he faced and finished the night with a .969 save percentage.

Kivlenieks started the final two games of the 2020–21 Blue Jackets season, both against the Detroit Red Wings. On 7 May 2021, he made 31 saves on 34 shots in a 5-2 loss. The next night, in what would be his final NHL appearance, Kivlenieks saved 33 of 37 shots in a 5–4 overtime win. After the end of the season, Kivlenieks was considered a contender for the backup goaltender position in Columbus.

Steve McLaren

Steve McLaren is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played primarily as an enforcer and was a member of the St. Louis Blues in the National Hockey League.

He last played for the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League. Known for his physical style of play, McLaren was considered by many to be one of the toughest players in AHL history. McLaren fought and defeated some of the toughest men to play in the American Hockey League, many who went on to have substantial NHL careers. His brief career in the NHL spanned six games, but included a fight and win over Peter Worrell then of the Colorado Avalanche.

Markus Niemeläinen

Markus Niemeläinen is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman known for playing with the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the third round, 63rd overall, of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

Niemeläinen began playing hockey in the junior teams of HPK and Tappara in his native Finland. He was then drafted to play for the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League where he posted 26 assists in his first season. He was drafted 63rd overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft but was not signed to a contract and after a second season in Saginaw, Niemeläinen rejoined HPK in 2017.

On 30 April 2020, Niemeläinen signed a two-year entry level contract with the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League.

Garret Sparks

Garret Sparks is an American professional ice hockey player known as the goaltender for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Sparks was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the seventh round, 190th overall, in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. As of 2021, he is one of the few goaltenders in league history to record a shutout in his NHL debut; Sparks was also the first Maple Leafs goaltender to do so. In 2018, Sparks was awarded the Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award as the AHL goaltender with the lowest goals against average, which helped lead the Toronto Marlies to their first Calder Cup.

Sparks’ goaltender equipment are a tribute to former NHL players Trevor Kidd and Curtis Joseph, who wore similar designs during their playing careers. He originally wore Curtis Joseph’s #31 with Toronto before Frederik Andersen joined the team and claimed the number.

Chris Stewart

Chris Stewart is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Wild, Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, and Philadelphia Flyers. He played junior hockey with the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Stewart is the younger brother of Anthony Stewart, who also played in the NHL.

Matt Tennyson

Matthew Thomas Tennyson is an American professional ice hockey defenseman known for playing with the Milwaukee Admirals in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Undrafted, Tennyson attended Western Michigan University where he played three seasons of NCAA Division I college hockey with the Western Michigan Broncos men’s ice hockey team. Tennyson, a native of Pleasanton, California, signed a two-year entry-level contract with his hometown San Jose Sharks. He immediately turned professional to join the Worcester Sharks for the final games of their 2011–12 AHL season.

Tennyson was the first player from the San Jose Junior Sharks youth hockey program to play in the NHL, let alone with the Sharks.

Tennyson signed as a free agent to a one-year, two-way contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. Beginning the 2016–17 season with AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, Tennyson was recalled after recording 7 points in 9 games to remain with the Hurricanes for the remainder of the season. He appeared in a career best 45 games, collecting 6 assists.

Tennyson was on the move as a free agent, agreeing to a two-year contract with the final year on a one-way basis with the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres placed Tennyson on waivers after 14 scoreless games with the club. He went unclaimed and was reassigned to AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans.

After Tennyson left the Sabres as a free agent, he signed a two-year, two-way contract with the New Jersey Devils. In the opening stages of the 2019–20 season, he was called up from the Binghamton Devils to the New Jersey Devils in place of Andy Greene who was put on the injured reserve list with an upper body injury.

Tennyson signed as a free agent to a two-year, two-way contract with the Nashville Predators.

Daniel Vladař

Daniel Vladař is a Czech professional ice hockey player known as the goaltender for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). Selected by the Boston Bruins in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Vladař played several years in his native Czech Republic before moving to North America in 2015. After four seasons in the minor leagues he made his NHL debut with the Bruins during the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Vladař played in the Czech Republic, and made his debut in the 1st Czech Republic Hockey League, the second highest league, during the 2014–15 season. He was selected 75th overall by the Boston Bruins in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, and moved to North America to join the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League for the 2015–16 season. He joined the Bruins’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Providence Bruins for the 2016–17 season, and split the next four seasons between Providence and the Bruins’ ECHL affiliate the Atlanta Gladiators. Two concussions limited his first pro season, and prior to the 2017–18 season Vladař broke both his wrists, which delayed his start.

After the pause during the 2019–20 season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Vladař was included in the Bruins Return to Play roster and remained on the team as the club’s third choice goaltender for the post-season. During the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, Vladař was elevated to the backup goaltender role after the withdrawal of starting goaltender Tuukka Rask. On 24 August 2020, he was signed to a three-year contract extension by the Bruins, with the final season of his new deal to be a one-way contract.

Vladař made his NHL debut against the Tampa Bay Lightning in relief of starting goaltender Jaroslav Halák.

To start the 2020–21 season Vladař was loaned to Dynamo Pardubice of the Czech Extraliga. He played six games there before returning to the Bruins pre-season camp. Vladař’s first NHL start, and first regular season game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Vladař made 34 saves as Boston won the game 2–1.

Vladař was traded by the Bruins to the Calgary Flames in exchange for a third-round draft pick in 2022.