Who wore number 94 in NHL?

Athletes in every team sport have a number on their jersey to identify them. In the NHL, players are given numbers between 1 and 98. Sometimes, players get to choose their own number and other times, they’re just assigned a number by the team.

Ryan Smyth

Ryan Alexander Borden Smyth is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played most of his career for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was especially known for playing in the style of a power forward. Smyth announced his retirement on April 11, 2014, after 19 seasons in the NHL. He is also known as one of the owners of the AJHL Spruce Grove Saints.

During his junior career, Ryan Smyth spent three years with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL), scoring 105 points during the 1993–94 season. Smyth was then drafted 6th overall in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers. That year he played only three games for the Oilers, as he stayed for the majority of the year in Moose Jaw. He spent 12 seasons with Edmonton before being traded to the New York Islanders in 2007 due to failed contract negotiations. Becoming an unrestricted free agent in the subsequent off-season, he signed a five-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche. After two seasons with the team, he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in July 2009. On June 26, 2011, he was re-acquired by the Edmonton Oilers for Colin Fraser and a seventh round pick in 2012.

Smyth has represented Canada in international competition on numerous occasions. He has won gold medals at the 1995 World Junior Championship, 2002 Winter Olympics, 2003 and 2004 World Championships, and 2004 World Cup. Having served as captain of Canada’s World Championship team for six years (2001–05 and 2010), he has earned the nickname “Captain Canada.” Smyth is also one of Canada’s all-time leaders in games played at the tournament. He played 90 games for Hockey Canada while becoming the first player in hockey history to win gold in all of Olympics, World Cup, World Championships, World Juniors, and Spengler Cup. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2020.

Smyth played in the style of a power forward, depending largely on his size and strength to contribute offensively. By positioning himself in front of the net, he earned most of his goals by tipping pucks in past the goaltender or scoring on rebounds. He did not possess particularly good shooting, stickhandling or skating skills. He had been known to use a two-piece stick (composite shaft with wooden blade) with a flat blade, both of which were trends which largely went out of date during or before Smyth’s career. As a result, his success was predicated less on skill, but more on force and determination.

When the Oilers drafted him out of junior, it was said that General Manager Glen Sather was looking for someone with “lots of guts.” Smyth was also known as a leader, having served as captain for Canada’s World Championship teams on six occasions, as well as an alternate captain on all of the teams he played with in the NHL.

Yanic Perreault

Yanic Jacques Perreault is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played thirteen seasons in the National Hockey League.

Alexander Barabanov

Alexander Dmitriyevich Barabanov is a Russian professional ice hockey player known for playing with the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Barabanov made his Kontinental Hockey League debut playing with powerhouse SKA Saint Petersburg during the 2013–14 KHL season.

Barabanov having played seven seasons in the KHL with Saint Petersburg, opted to pursue a career in the NHL by signing a one-year entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In the pandemic delayed 2020–21 season, Barabanov remained on the Maple Leafs opening night roster and made his NHL debut in a 5–4 overtime win over the Montreal Canadiens. Playing in a reduced role, due to the Maple Leafs forward depth, Barabanov appeared sporadically in 13 regular season games collecting 1 point, a primary assist on a T. J. Brodie goal in a 3–2 victory also over the Canadiens. In an assignment to the Maple Leafs AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, Barabanov showed his offensive acumen in collecting 5 points through 2 games.

Barabanov was traded from Toronto at the trade deadline to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Antti Suomela. He made his debut with the Sharks in a 6–4 win over the Arizona Coyotes, in which he scored his first NHL goal. He then signed a one-year extension.

Sergei Berezin

Sergei Yevgenyevich Berezin is a former NHL player from 1996–97 through 2002–03. Berezin, who played left wing in the NHL, was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the tenth round (#256 overall) of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft.

Upon being selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the tenth round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft, Berezin played in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) for the Kölner Haie (Cologne Sharks) where he registered 137 total points in 88 games played. From 1990-1994 Sergei played in Russia for Khimik Voskresensk where, in 1993-1994, he picked up 41 points in 40 games.

In his first season in the NHL (1996–97) Berezin scored 25 goals and had 41 points in 73 games. This production was enough to earn a spot on the NHL all-rookie team. His best NHL season was in 1998-1999 when he scored 37 goals and 59 points. After the 2000-2001 season Berezin was traded from Toronto to the Phoenix Coyotes.

Over the next two seasons, Berezin would play for four different NHL franchises. In 2001-2002 Berezin played for the Coyotes and the Montreal Canadiens. While playing in a home game for the Canadiens, Berezin scored the storied franchise’s 10,000th home ice goal. In the following season he would play for the Chicago Blackhawks and the Washington Capitals.

He retired from professional hockey while playing for CSKA Moscow.

Derek Boogaard

Derek Leendert Boogaard was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played for the Minnesota Wild and the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL).

A native of Saskatchewan, where he grew up in several different communities as the son of a Mountie, he was known primarily as a fighter and enforcer throughout his career, from junior hockey to the pros. His fighting prowess earned him the nicknames of “Boogeyman” and “The Mountie”, and made him a favourite with fans. In 2007, he was voted as the second most intimidating player in the NHL, behind Georges Laraque, who attributed his retirement in part to a desire to avoid the serious injury Boogaard could inflict, such as the cheekbone fracture Todd Fedoruk suffered that had to be repaired with metal plates.

Boogaard died at 28 from an accidental drug and alcohol overdose while recovering from a concussion. A posthumous examination of his brain found he had suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy more advanced than that seen in some former enforcers who had died in middle age. That disclosure came shortly after the deaths of two other hockey enforcers, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak, both of whom were also under 40 and had similar health issues. The three deaths triggered a debate in the hockey community about the issues faced by enforcers and their place in the game. His parents unsuccessfully sued the NHL and its players’ union over his death.

Ryan Lomberg

Ryan Lomberg is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger known for playing with the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Lomberg split his first professional season between the Heat and their ECHL affiliate, the Adirondack Thunder. Scoring at nearly a point-per-game pace with the Thunder, Lomberg earned extended time with the Heat throughout the system, going goalless with 3 assists and 42 penalty minutes in 15 AHL games during the 2015–16 AHL season.

Continuing with the Heat in 2016–17, Lomberg emerged as a more multi-dimensional player. In addition to his 127 penalty minutes, Lomberg scored 13 goals and 29 points in 68 games with the team, good for seventh and eighth on the team, respectively.

Impressed with his work ethic and determination, the Calgary Flames rewarded Lomberg with a two-year entry-level contract worth $710,000 per season in the NHL. The deal came into effect at the beginning of the 2017–18 NHL season.

Looking to inject some energy into the lineup and forced to deal with the absence of Jaromír Jágr, the Flames recalled Lomberg. He made his NHL debut eleven days later against the Edmonton Oilers. During the game, he fought the Oilers’ Zack Kassian, and recorded 6:30 of total playing time.

After five seasons within the Flames organization, Lomberg left as a free agent to sign a two-year, $1.45 million contract with the Florida Panthers. He played 34 games for the Panthers during the 2020–21 season, recording two goals and two assists in 34 games. The Panthers re-signed Lomberg to a two-year contract extension.

Stanislav Neckář

Stanislav “Stan” Neckář is a former Czech professional ice hockey player. He played ten seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Ottawa Senators, New York Rangers, Phoenix Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning and the Nashville Predators. He then played two seasons in Europe before retiring, with České Budějovice, and Elitserien team Södertälje SK.

Neckář played junior hockey with České Budějovice in 1991–92 followed by two seasons with their pro team. He was chosen in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators and he signed with Ottawa in 1994. He played part of his first season with the Ottawa affiliate Detroit Vipers before being elevated to the Senators. He would then a further nine seasons in the NHL. He stayed with Ottawa until 1998 when he was traded to the Rangers. Before the season was over, he was traded to Phoenix. He played most of three seasons with the Coyotes before being traded to Tampa Bay in 2001. He played two seasons with the Lightning, signing with Nashville in 2003, before returning to the Lightning just before the season ended. He returned just in time to play two playoff games for the team en route to winning the Stanley Cup. It was his last season in the NHL.

In his entire NHL career, Neckář played a total of 510 regular season games, scoring 12 goals and assisting on 41 others for a total of 53 points. He also played 29 playoff games, scoring 3 assists for 3 points.

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout he played in his native Czech Republic, returning to České Budějovice. He played one further season with Södertälje SK in Sweden before retiring.