Hockey Number 18s

Our mission to preserve the history of pro hockey through the sweater uniform numbers players wear is to objectively come up with a list of the greatest players at each number based on their career performance. This look is based on facts and statistics gathered as of 1/1/2022.

Let us start our journey on identifying the greatest number 18s in NHL/WHL history by looking at the players that wore the number that are in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

• Toe Blake
• Bryan Hextall
• Marcel Pronovost
• Serge Savard
• Leo Boivin
• Keith Allen
• Brian O'Neill
• Al Arbour
• Denis Savard
• Dale Hawerchuk
• Igor Larionov
• Doug Gilmour
• Joe Nieuwendyk
• Brendan Shanahan
• Mark Recchi
• Willie O'Ree
• Marian Hossa

Our next bit of recognition is of the players who have had the number retired by clubs that they played for along with the date of the number being officially retired. For the number 18 there is but one:

• Danny Gare    Buffalo Sabres    November 22, 2005
• Denis Savard    Chicago Blackhawks    March 19, 1998
• Serge Savard    Montreal Canadiens    November 18, 2006
• Dave Taylor    Los Angeles Kings    April 3, 1995

Brendan Shanahan's Legacy in Ice Hockey

Brendan Shanahan's hockey career was a tapestry woven with dazzling goals, bone-crunching hits, and a controversial edge. From his early days as a prolific scorer to his transformative role as an NHL executive, Shanahan left an indelible mark on the game.

Scoring Machine: Drafted third overall in 1987, Shanahan's offensive prowess was undeniable. He amassed over 650 goals in his 21-year career, ranking 13th all-time. His powerful slap shot and relentless work ethic made him a nightmare for goalies.

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Al Arbour

Born November 1, 1932, in Sudbury, Ontario, was a Hockey Hall of Fame Defenseman and Coach Al Arbour. This legend is a three-time Stanley Cup winner, and two of them were consecutive with different teams. During his 14-year NHL Career, he skated for the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Black Hawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the St Louis Blues. At the time of this post, Al is third on the list for the amount of NHL games coached. Arbour is also the last known NHL player to wear eyeglasses on the ice while playing.

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Photo credits below, courtesy Wikimedia Commons

I am not going to lie, hockey is a tough sport to identify who the top players in history are. The modern statistics using Fenway and Corsi percentages are great but they only apply to players since 2008. The challenge is how do you group players from all positions on the ice throughout NHL and WHL history all together to find the best at a certain number? I am not sure there is any one way to do so correctly but here is our stab at it for this number using stats like; goals, assists, points, plus/minus, saves and bonus points for years wearing the sweater number and Hall of Fame. We also had to give Defensive line players a little boost based on their plus/minus stats. It is not perfect but here is our statistical call on the top 15 greatest NHL/WHL players wearing the number 18.

1. Doug Gilmour
2. Mark Recchi
3. Denis Savard
4. Brendan Shanahan
5. Dale Hawerchuk
6. Joe Nieuwendyk
7. Serge Savard
8. Dave Taylor
9. Bobby Smith
10. Alex Tanguay
11. Ken Linseman
12. Igor Larionov
13. Walt Tkaczuk
14. Danny Gare
15. Mel Bridgman

Here is a look at our stats, years played with the uniform number and calculations on the top 25 number 18 pro hockey players:

Special thanks to the banner photo above is cropped and in the public domain of Wikimedia Commons. The Pic  cpmes from the one later in in the article and is of really nothing that has to do with any of our number 18 players but it is a pretty cool vintage photo of the Deseronto Hockey Team, 1911, Champions Bay District". Taken in James Fairbairn's studio in Deseronto.

Back row: R. J. S. Dewar, President; Rev. Alfred H. Creeggan, Vice-President; C. Sager, Executive Committee; James Fairbairn, Manager; T. Donnelly, Secretary; G. Houle; A. Therrien, Executive Committee
Middle row: T. Brant; W. Stevenson; R. Armstrong; P. Bowen; J. Walsh
Front row: F. Whitton; B. Brant

Donated by Dolores Parks, November 1998.

Of course we also could not have done the above stat research without the assistance of Hockey-Reference.com and Stathead.com resources.

We would love to get your feedback! Please send what you are thinking to PigskinDispatch@gmail.com