Who wore number 87 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.

Donald Brashear

Donald Maynard Brashear is an American former professional ice hockey player who played for five organizations in the National Hockey League (NHL) over a 23 year pro career, in which he played the role of an enforcer.

He was among the NHL leaders in penalty minutes for six seasons, while finishing his career 15th all-time in penalty minutes. He remains one of the Vancouver Canucks’ all-time single season leaders in penalty minutes, which he set in the 1997–98 season.

He was involved in one of the most publicized incidents of on-ice violence in NHL history during the 1999–2000 season, when he was slashed in the head by Marty McSorley.

Brashear was an enforcer; his role was to protect his teammates if an opponent went beyond what is considered acceptable physical play to “dirty” play or taking “cheap shots.” Brashear was a tenacious forechecker, who created momentum by playing aggressively and delivering body checks, while possessing an underrated shot. Whilst fighting, he used a combination of balance and upper-body strength while taking his time trying to control his opponents before landing punches. Although left handed by nature, he became adept at using either hand during fights. During his career in the NHL, Brashear was considered one of the toughest players in the League as well as one most feared.

In the January 2010 issue of The Hockey News, Brashear was named Enforcer of the Decade, noting that although he did not lead the NHL in number of fights, during the decade, he would have been involved in more if “he wasn’t so feared.” Hockey analyst Bill Clement states that “Brashear has a great sense of when his fighting skills are necessary and he picks his spots before dropping the gloves. He’s excellent at understanding when a bit of pugilism might well provide the push or nudge to get some momentum going for his team.” The Hockey News also assessed his skills by saying he possessed one of the most intimidating packages in the League, had a decent skating stride and was one of the best pugilists in the NHL. He was a bit too deliberate when handling and passing the puck, and fought much less as he got older, while slowly breaking down over time.

David Musil

David Musil is a Canadian born-Czech ice hockey player known for playing under contract to HC Oceláři Třinec in the Czech Extraliga (ELH). He was a second round selection of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. SKA Saint Petersburg picked Musil in the first round, 12th overall of the 2010 KHL Junior Draft. He played junior hockey in the Western Hockey League for the Vancouver Giants and the Edmonton Oil Kings. Musil was born in Canada, and raised in the Czech Republic. He decided to represent the Czech Republic in international play.

Musil played in the 2005 and 2006 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with a youth team from Chomutov.

He started his junior ice hockey career in the Western Hockey League (WHL) in a circuitous fashion, as he was initially passed over in the league’s bantam draft because he was not living in Canada. Knowing the family would soon be moving to Vancouver, his father Frank approached the Vancouver Giants about “listing” Musil to obtain his rights. After this news became public, other teams in the WHL protested, and the league decided to hold a lottery draft specifically to determine Musil’s initial destination in the league. The Kootenay Ice won the draft, and Musil’s WHL rights. They promptly traded him to Vancouver, as Musil had made it clear he wished to play in his new hometown.

During his rookie season in the WHL, Musil played in 71 games with the Giants, scoring 7 goals and adding 25 assists. Vancouver’s director of player personnel, James Ripplinger, praised Musil’s play during the season, “His poise with the puck when being pressured, not making any mistakes; he was such a reliable player.”

During the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, he got drafted in the second round, 31st overall by the Edmonton Oilers. He signed his entry-level contract (three years) with the Oilers. During the 2014–15 season, the Oilers recalled him and he made his NHL debut on April 4, 2016 against the Calgary Flames. He recorded his first point, an assist in his second game.

He then re-signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Oilers. In the 2016–17 season, Musil amassed 4 goals and 14 points in 47 games with the Bakersfield Condors before he was re-assigned by the Oilers to fellow AHL club, the Tucson Roadrunners in exchange for Mark Olver.

As a free agent from the Oilers, Musil opted to return to his native country after 8 seasons abroad, agreeing to a one-year deal with HC Oceláři Třinec of the Extraliga.

Liam O’Brien

Liam O’Brien is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. He is known for playing with the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL).

O’Brien was drafted in the first round, 10th overall, by the Rimouski Oceanic in QMJHL 2010 Draft. He scored his first QMJHL goal in his second game against the Lewiston Maineiacs. He played for the Oceanic until 2011 when he was traded to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies for draft picks.

Passed over in the NHL Entry Draft, O’Brien received a training camp invite from the Washington Capitals in 2014, and made the team, earning himself a three-year entry level contract. He made his NHL debut on October 9, 2014 in a game against the Montreal Canadiens, in which he registered his first NHL fight against the Canadiens’ Brandon Prust.

O’Brien agreed to return for his sixth season within the Capitals organization, agreeing to a one-year, two-way contract extension. He was waived by the Washington Capitals and loaned to the Hershey Bears the following day.

At the completion of his sixth-year with the Bears, O’Brien left the Capitals organization as a free agent. With the COVID-19 pandemic delaying the following North American season, O’Brien was belatedly signed to an AHL contract with the Colorado Eagles, primary affiliate to the Colorado Avalanche. In the 2020-21 season, O’Brien immediately contributed with the Eagles, adding 8 points through 12 games, before signing a one-year NHL contract with the Avalanche for the remainder of the campaign.

He made his debut for the Avalanche, appearing in his first NHL contest in over three years, in a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues. He recorded his first multi-point game with a career high 2 assists in a 4-3 victory over the Blues. Adding physicality in a fourth-line role for Colorado, O’Brien finished with 3 assists and 40 penalty minutes through 12 regular season games.

As a free agent, O’Brien was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Arizona Coyotes.

Vadim Shipachyov

Vadim Alexandrovich Shipachyov is a Russian professional ice hockey player known as the forward for Dynamo Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He has previously played with Severstal Cherepovets and SKA Saint Petersburg of the KHL and the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL).

He signed with the Vegas Golden Knights making him the second person in history to be signed by the Golden Knights. On 15 October, he made his debut for the Golden Knights against the Boston Bruins and scored his first NHL goal on Bruins’ goaltender Tuukka Rask. He was suspended by the Golden Knights for failing to report to their AHL affiliate. The following day, it was announced that he had decided to return to Russia, and that his contract would be terminated as soon as he had cleared unconditional waivers. The Golden Knights announced that their contract with Shipachyov was terminated, and that he was able to return to play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

Shipachyov signed with SKA Saint Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for the remainder of the 2017–18 KHL season. In 22 regular season games, Shipachyov tallied 25 points, helping SKA finish top of the league. In the post-season, he was unable to help SKA repeat as champions, losing in the conference finals against CSKA Moscow contributing 11 points in 14 games.

As a free agent after completing his 5th season with St. Petersburg, Shipachyov left to sign a two-year contract with Dynamo Moscow.

Shipachyov has played for the Russian national team in the World Championships and World Cup of Hockey. He was the top scorer of the 2016 IIHF World Championship in which Russia won the bronze medal. He won a gold medal as a member of the Olympic Athletes from Russia team at the 2018 Winter Olympics.