Bergeron & Jurcina - Jersey Numbers

nhlbruin
10-08-2003, 09:13 AM
According to BostonBruins.com:

No, Patrice Bergeron hasn’t shaved his head, as his cross-town, sports brethren on the Red Sox have done, but he will be sporting a new look on the rink when he makes his NHL debut tonight.

Gone will be No. 56 – a high number given prior to rookie camp – in favor of No. 37, now that he has made the team.

Milan Jurcina will still wear No. 68 for tonight’s game, but that may not be permanent.

Personally, I'm not sure Jurcina will change. Didn't he grow up liking Jagr? Him wearing #68 probably isn't a coincidence. As for Bergeron, #37? That's not much of an improvement from #56. I was hoping for something like #24 or #33

Jeff from Maine
10-08-2003, 09:37 AM
My understanding, I am am probably way off is that Bergerons Jr. number was 37.

As for Jurcina, 68 is his "tribute" to Jagr.

Later

BostonGrl819
10-08-2003, 09:38 AM
Yeah, but Sinden really dislikes high numbers...and Jurcina is only a rookie...so do you think he'll let him keep it? :dunno:

Gee Wally
10-08-2003, 09:41 AM
My understanding, I am am probably way off is that Bergerons Jr. number was 37.

As for Jurcina, 68 is his "tribute" to Jagr.

Later


I read the same thing...

hey, it works for me... as long as they play , well they can wear 6 7/8 for all I care.

CHUD
10-08-2003, 10:27 AM
I was hoping for something like #24 or #33

#24 is up in the rafters :)

Gator Mike
10-08-2003, 10:28 AM
Cool.





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LaLaLaprise
10-08-2003, 10:31 AM
Bergy wore 37 in BAT.

68 is one ugly number for a dman lol

Agalloch
10-08-2003, 10:34 AM
Bergy wore 37 in BAT.

68 is one ugly number for a dman lol

What about 60 for a goalie :p ?

Gary
10-08-2003, 10:40 AM
My understanding, I am am probably way off is that Bergerons Jr. number was 37.

As for Jurcina, 68 is his "tribute" to Jagr.

Later

being a defenseman that pays tribute to a forward on another team might not be good. he best not be getting those sparkly-love-in-his-eyes look when jagr steps on the ice. just to make sure if i'm sully i put milan in a cage without food for a day and beat him with a hockey stick the night before we play the caps :joker:

Stock Rocks
10-08-2003, 10:44 AM
As for Bergeron, #37? That's not much of an improvement from #56. I was hoping for something like #24 or #33

I think they're probably holding 33 for your boy, Toivonen, who idolized Patrick Roy and wore that number with HPK since a junior player.

Bergeron was given 37 in his first major junior season and had success with it. Why wouldn't he want to keep wearing it? It's like John Grahame's obsession with 47. When he first showed up, Matti Timander had it and Grahame asked him to switch. For some guys- numbers are more about keeping a good thing going than anything else.

LaLaLaprise
10-08-2003, 10:47 AM
What about 60 for a goalie :p ?

Yeah thats an ugly number too.

PS: Im not a habs fan lol :)

blurbruin
10-08-2003, 11:14 AM
why anyone would want to pay tribute to Jagr, I don't know...

hubofhockey
10-08-2003, 11:19 AM
Historians, pls feel free to correct me....

But I believe Jagr wears 68 in memory of the year 1968, and the Russians motoring into Prague and what was then Czechoslovakia. If so, it's tribute not so much to Jagr -- imagine Jurcian, a D-man paying tribute to a forward???-- as it is to some of his late Czech/Slovak countrymenh/relatives.

But again, asking a sportswriter to an historian is risky biz.

Anyone out there going to mistake Sandy McCarthy for Jean Ratelle in that No. 10 sweater? Let's see, Gentleman Jean and, uh, Stylish Sandy.

hoh/kpd

Stock Rocks
10-08-2003, 11:23 AM
Historians, pls feel free to correct me....

But I believe Jagr wears 68 in memory of the year 1968, and the Russians motoring into Prague and what was then Czechoslovakia. If so, it's tribute not so much to Jagr -- imagine Jurcian, a D-man paying tribute to a forward???-- as it is to some of his late Czech/Slovak countrymenh/relatives.
hoh/kpd

You are correct sir!

And, I recall that Peter Stastny also wanted to wear No. 68 with the Nords when he first defected, but was talked into a less-conspicuous number 26.

hubofhockey
10-08-2003, 11:31 AM
Can't resist a history lesson. Went back and checked.

Aug. 22, 1968 -- Hundreds of thousands of Soviet troops, including recruits from nearby Poland, Hungary, E. Germany, etc, stormed into Prague....the takeover of the National radio station in Prague alone meant the death of 30 Czechs and more than 300 injured...

Jagr, a Czech, was born just under 4 years later....Jurcina was born in June '83.

hoh/kpd

SToMper!
10-08-2003, 11:52 AM
let's hope all this brings a little fire under the brows of these guys. Very cool lesson KPD, thanks!
One more reason this board rocks....

nhlbruin
10-08-2003, 12:18 PM
#24 is up in the rafters :)

whoops, lol...i knew that too. :blush:

nhlbruin
10-08-2003, 12:28 PM
I think they're probably holding 33 for your boy, Toivonen, who idolized Patrick Roy and wore that number with HPK since a junior player.

Bergeron was given 37 in his first major junior season and had success with it. Why wouldn't he want to keep wearing it? It's like John Grahame's obsession with 47. When he first showed up, Matti Timander had it and Grahame asked him to switch. For some guys- numbers are more about keeping a good thing going than anything else.

hmm, that's a good thought about toivonen and #33...a distinct possiblilty. the more i look over the list, the more i see that there really are very few low (sub-50) numbers open.

for some reason i thought bergeron wore another number, but him taking 37 makes perfect sense now.

usmhuskies
10-09-2003, 01:04 PM
Can't resist a history lesson. Went back and checked.

Aug. 22, 1968 -- Hundreds of thousands of Soviet troops, including recruits from nearby Poland, Hungary, E. Germany, etc, stormed into Prague....the takeover of the National radio station in Prague alone meant the death of 30 Czechs and more than 300 injured...

Jagr, a Czech, was born just under 4 years later....Jurcina was born in June '83.

hoh/kpd

As a history major this is correct: I also do remember some type of story were Jagr said this was the reason he wore 68...

Ratty
10-09-2003, 02:48 PM
If I'm not mistaken #37 was last worn by the immortal......Lee Goren!

Colt.45Orr
10-09-2003, 03:35 PM
Hey, quick question here, I am too lazy to look it up...


Bure was 94? (for awhile in Vancouver) cause it was the year he left Russia -wasn't it? And the same for Mogilny's 89? Just the other day a friend was commenting on how Russians like to have high #'s cause it made them stand-out...which may be true, but I am pretty sure a decent amount of players have sentimental value attached.

Kirk- NEHJ
10-09-2003, 03:48 PM
Hey, quick question here, I am too lazy to look it up...


Bure was 94? (for awhile in Vancouver) cause it was the year he left Russia -wasn't it? And the same for Mogilny's 89? Just the other day a friend was commenting on how Russians like to have high #'s cause it made them stand-out...which may be true, but I am pretty sure a decent amount of players have sentimental value attached.

Close. Bure came over from Russia in 1991 and originally wore No. 10. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure he donned 94 in honor of the year he earned Canadian citizenship, dropping his familiar digits during the 1995-96 season. When he suffered through a lackluster couple of seasons, he switched back to 10.

Another player who took a high number under interesting circumstances was Petr Klima (the man that killed a city), who wore No. 85 during his career to symbolize the year that he defected to the Detroit Red Wings from Czechoslovakia.

nhlbruin
10-09-2003, 03:49 PM
Hey, quick question here, I am too lazy to look it up...


Bure was 94? (for awhile in Vancouver) cause it was the year he left Russia -wasn't it? And the same for Mogilny's 89? Just the other day a friend was commenting on how Russians like to have high #'s cause it made them stand-out...which may be true, but I am pretty sure a decent amount of players have sentimental value attached.

actually, Bure switched to #94 for a little while in honor of the year he became a U.S. citizen...something he was proud of

Kirk- NEHJ
10-09-2003, 03:50 PM
actually, Bure switched to #94 for a little while in honor of the year he became a U.S. citizen...something he was proud of

Was it U.S. or Canadian?

It sounds like you have a better handle on it than I do, but I knew it had something to do with citizenship.

nhlbruin
10-09-2003, 03:51 PM
Was it U.S. or Canadian?

It sounds like you have a better handle on it than I do, but I knew it had something to do with citizenship.

Hmmm...I thought it was U.S., but you may be correct. I know it's citizenship, and he was playing for Vancouver at the time, so it could be either one...

nhlbruin
10-09-2003, 03:59 PM
actually, now that i'm thinking about it, wasn't it #96 that he wore, not #94?

nhlbruin
10-09-2003, 04:11 PM
ok, did a little research because that was bugging me.

from the Pavel Bure Fan Club:

Pavel to wear new number in '95-96

In early September, the Canucks announced that Pavel Bure had changed his jersey number from 10 to 96. He had wanted to change his number for a few years, but Canucks GM Pat Quinn says he initially 'recommended against the change' but with star winger Alexander Mogilny joining theteam, and wearing the higher number 89, Quinn had relented. The number 96 signifies the year Pavel becomes eligible to take out citizenship in his new homeland.

"I really want to make the change", says Bure, "I have good feelings entering this season".

This change of number has caught many Pavel Bure fans by surprise, including his fan club and his mother, who, had purchased three Pavel Bure 310 jerseys the day before her return to Russia.

The Pavel Bure Fan Club recently ordered a quantity of multi-coloured crests featuring a large #10 in the center.

Upon learning of the number change, the company producing the crests was contacted , but it was too late, as production was already under way.

ok, so that confirms the reason behind the change, but still leaves us wondering about the new homeland.


from Vancouver Canucks Almanac:

"Bure has asked to wear sweater number 96 because that is the year he hopes to gain US Citizenship."


I did also find something that confirms that Mogilny wears #89 to represent the year he defected from Russia.



I think you'll find that players from all nations wear high and low numbers. Low numbers are also more traditional in N. America, going back to the origin of the sport and early/middle days of the N.H.L. I'm guessing that this tradition is not as prevalent in Europe.

LaLaLaprise
10-09-2003, 05:31 PM
Bure wore 96 not 94.

And yeah High Numbers can be cool sometimes, although some teams go overboard.

Look at this roster:

http://www.lhjmq.qc.ca/lang_en/index.php?page=8392&id_equipe=12

Chicoutimi in the QMJHL. No single digit numbers and 9 guys with a number above 50.

I think high numbers are more common in juniors because the kids want to be different, and stick out.

MAINE-IAC
10-10-2003, 01:20 AM
Yeah, but Sinden really dislikes high numbers...and Jurcina is only a rookie...so do you think he'll let him keep it? :dunno:

does'nt harry have enough to worry about? if the guy wants #68 then let him have it. its just a number. :rolleyes:

he should expect players wanting high numbers with all the low numbers being retired.