Who wore number 97 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.

Connor McDavid

Connor Andrew McDavid is a Canadian professional ice hockey player known as the centre and captain of the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Having been selected first overall by the Oilers in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, McDavid has won the Art Ross Trophy multiple times as the leading scorer in the league, the Hart Memorial Trophy, given to the player judged most valuable to his team, in 2017 and 2021, and the Ted Lindsay Award multiple times as the best player voted by the NHL Players’ Association. Additionally, McDavid is one of the few unanimous Hart Trophy winners in league history.

McDavid grew up in the Toronto area and played hockey there, and was granted “Exceptional Player” status by Hockey Canada, which allowed him to play major junior one year early. He thus joined the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and spent three years with the Otters before the Oilers selected him first overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Internationally McDavid played for the Canadian national junior team at one World U18 Championship, two World Junior Championships, and for the senior team at the World Championship, winning one gold at every level. McDavid is regarded as the best player in the National Hockey League (NHL) by most fans of the NHL, as well as his peers.

Jeremy Roenick

Jeremy Shaffer Roenick is an American former professional ice hockey player who played the majority of his career in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 8th overall in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, for whom he played from 1988 to 1996. Roenick subsequently played for the Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks over the course of his 20 NHL season career. He also represented Team USA in several international tournaments. On November 10, 2007, he became the third American-born player (Joe Mullen and Mike Modano were the first two) to score 500 goals.

After retiring in 2009, Roenick joined NBC Sports as a hockey analyst in 2010, before being fired in 2020 for inappropriate sexual comments made about colleague Kathryn Tappen.

Rostislav Klesla

Rostislav “Rusty” Klesla is a Czech former professional ice hockey defenceman. Klesla was selected fourth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, making him the first ever pick in an entry draft by the Blue Jackets. He has also played in the NHL with the Phoenix Coyotes.

Matt Gilroy

Matthew J. Gilroy is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who last played for the SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers of the National League (NL). Gilroy played in National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Ottawa Senators and the Florida Panthers. He played NCAA hockey with Boston University of the Hockey East conference. Gilroy is a Hobey Baker Award winner and NCAA champion with the Terriers in his senior year; he is also a three-time All-American.

Gilroy signed a two-year, $3.5-million contract with the New York Rangers. He had initially been linked to both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks in contract negotiations.

He then signed a one-year contract as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Lightning. During the 2011–12 season, Gilroy was traded to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for fellow defenseman Brian Lee at the NHL trade deadline.

With the 2012–13 NHL lockout in place, Gilroy was signed to an American Hockey League (AHL) contract with the Connecticut Whale, marking a potential return to the New York Rangers organization. At the conclusion of the labor dispute, he was signed to a one-year contract with the Rangers.

Gilroy was released to free agency by the Rangers in the off-season and, was signed to a one-year contract with the Florida Panthers, his fourth NHL club. In the 2013–14 season, Gilroy appeared in only 16 games with the struggling Panthers before he was reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, for the remainder of the season.

With limited NHL interest, Gilroy opted to forgo free agency to sign his first European contract on a one-year deal with Russian club Atlant Moscow Oblast of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). After one year with Atlant, and partly due to fact that Atlant would not participate in the KHL from the 2015–16 season, he signed with Spartak Moscow.

As a free agent from Finnish KHL club, Jokerit following the 2017–18 season, Gilroy opted to sign a one-year deal with Swiss club, SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers of the National League.

Kirill Kaprizov

Kirill Olegovich Kaprizov is a Russian professional ice hockey player known as the forward for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). Before joining the Wild, Kaprizov played for Metallurg Novokuznetsk, Salavat Yulaev Ufa and CSKA Moscow in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He is also known to fans by the nickname “Kirill the Thrill”.

On 13 July 2020, Kaprizov signed a two-year, entry-level deal with the Minnesota Wild. The contract would include the 2019–20 season, effectively burning the first-year of his deal.

He made his NHL debut against the Los Angeles Kings. He tallied three points, including the game-winning goal in overtime, in a 4–3 victory for the Wild, becoming the first player in NHL history to score three points and an overtime goal in his debut, and also becoming the third player in NHL history to score an overtime goal in his debut. He was subsequently named NHL First Star of the Week for the week ending. Kaprizov scored his first NHL hat trick in a 4–0 victory over the Arizona Coyotes.

He scored his 37th point, breaking the Wild’s franchise record for points by a rookie which was previously held by Marián Gáborík (in 2000–01). Kaprizov broke the Minnesota Wild franchise record for goals in a rookie season with his 19th. He would eventually be awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year, becoming the first player in Wild franchise history to receive the honour.

Kaprizov then signed a five-year, $45 million contract with the Wild. As a result of the contract, Kaprizov became one of the highest-paid sophomores player in NHL history. After starting the season with 40 points in 32 games, Kaprizov was selected to his first NHL All-Star Game.

Per Ledin

Pehr Gunnar Ledin is a Swedish former professional ice hockey forward. He most notably played with Luleå HF in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and enjoyed a brief career in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Colorado Avalanche.

Ledin is known for his physical style of play and formed during the 2005–06 Elitserien season, together with linemate Emil Kåberg, a duo called The Bruise Brothers.

During 2006 Elitserien finals against the Frölunda Indians, Frölunda’s fans started to chant “Kåbergs flickvän heter Per Ledin” (“Kåberg’s girlfriend is named Per Ledin”). The Bruise Brothers responded by posing for a photo after winning the final, covered in gold paint, presenting the cup and Ledin kissing Kåberg’s chin.

Ledin started his professional career at the Swedish club IF Björklöven in the 1997–98 season. That season Björklöven played in the second highest league in Sweden, HockeyAllsvenskan, and was promoted to the highest league, Elitserien. The following season Björklöven was relegated from Elitserien and after another season with Björklöven in HockeyAllsvenskan, Ledin signed with the Baton Rouge Kingfish in the ECHL. In the middle of the season he returned to Sweden and signed with the Elitserien club Luleå HF. After a few disappointing seasons with Luleå, Ledin got his big breakthrough during the 2004–05 season when he scored 16 goals and 20 assists in 46 games during the regular season. This made the other clubs in Elitseriens interested and in the summer of 2005 he signed for the six times Swedish Champions Färjestads BK. With Ledin’s first season with Färjestad the club won its seventh Swedish Championship.

In 2006, Ledin signed a contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL, but the contract was rejected by the league due to errors in the contract. Instead, he continued and signed a three-year contract with HV71 in Elitserien. After fulfilling one season with HV71, winning the Swedish Championship, he broke his contract for play in the NHL. He signed a one-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche and was assigned to their AHL affiliate the Lake Erie Monsters.

Per spent the majority of the 2008–09 season with the Monsters until on April 8, 2009, when he was recalled to the Avalanche to replace injured Marek Svatos. He made his NHL debut at age in a 3-2 overtime loss at home against the Dallas Stars. He played the remaining three games that were left in the 08-09 season.

Ledin left North America and signed a contract with his previous Swedish club, HV71. Ledin played in a checking role with HV71, claiming his third championship in his first season of his return in the 2009–10 season. After four seasons with HV71, Ledin sought a mutual release from the club, and returned to hometown team, Luleå HF, on a two-year contract.

After two season in Luleå, helping the club claim the first edition of the revamped Champions Hockey League, Ledin left Sweden for just the second time in his career, signing a contract with Austrian club Champions, EC Red Bull Salzburg. In helping Salzburg become repeat Austrian champions, he contributed with 36 points in 47 games in the EBEL.

He agreed to a one-year contract with Swiss club, Lausanne HC of the National League A (NLA). Ledin was sent down to the HC Red Ice of the National League B (NLB) after appearing in only 9 games (3 points) for Lausanne this season.

Nikita Gusev

Nikita Andreyevich Gusev, nicknamed “Goose”, is a Russian professional ice hockey forward known for playing with SKA Saint Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Gusev was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the seventh round, 202nd overall, of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, and played parts of 2 seasons in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils and the Florida Panthers.

Esa Tikkanen

Esa Tikkanen is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, New Jersey Devils, Vancouver Canucks, Florida Panthers, and the Washington Capitals, and won the Stanley Cup five times in his career, including in 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990 with the Oilers, and 1994 with the Rangers.