Wayne Gretzky wore No. 99 because the number he actually wanted, No. 9, was already taken. Gretzky had worn 9 as a boy in tribute to Gordie Howe, but when he joined the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL in 1977 the number belonged to teammate Brian Gualazzi. The solution — wear two nines — came from the bench, not from Gretzky.
What number did Wayne Gretzky want first?
Gretzky wore 9 through minor hockey, copying Howe. At the Soo he was handed 19, then 14, and disliked both. He asked his coach to change it and suggested 16, which belonged to another player who did not want to give it up.
“The coach said, ‘Jesus Christ! Why don’t you just wear two nines?’ And I went, ‘Okay,'” Gretzky has said of the moment. “Everyone thinks it’s this mystery and it was just sort of, ‘Well, why don’t you wear two nines?'”
The coach was Murray “Muzz” MacPherson, and that is the version the NHL’s own official profile of Gretzky carries. There is a competing account: Greyhounds general manager Angelo Bumbacco told SooToday he was the one who suggested it, having watched Phil Esposito — a former Greyhound — double his 7 into 77 with the New York Rangers.
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High numbers were close to unheard of at the time. “If you went to training camp and they gave you No. 42, you know you’re not staying on the team,” Gretzky said. “We used to sit there and go, ‘Just give me a number between 1 and 29.'”
Who else has worn No. 99 in the NHL?
Six players in league history have worn 99, and Gretzky is the only one most people can name.
| Player | Team | Season(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Joe Lamb | Montreal Canadiens | 1934-35 |
| Desse Roche | Montreal Canadiens | 1934-35 |
| Leo Bourgault | Montreal Canadiens | 1934-35 |
| Wayne Gretzky | Edmonton, Los Angeles, St. Louis, NY Rangers | 1979-80 to 1998-99 |
| Wilf Paiement | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1979-80 to 1981-82 |
| Rick Dudley | Winnipeg Jets | 1980-81 |
Here is the part almost nobody notices: in 1980-81, three different men wore 99 in the NHL at the same time. Gretzky was in his second season in Edmonton, Wilf Paiement had taken it in Toronto after a trade in December 1979, and Rick Dudley wore it for his 30 games in Winnipeg. The number that now belongs to one player was, for one season, the most crowded high number in hockey.
Why did three Montreal Canadiens wear 99 in one season?
Because Montreal spent the 1934-35 season handing out numbers no hockey team had used before — 33, 48, 55, 64, 75, 88 and 99 all appeared on Canadiens sweaters that year. Joe Lamb wore 99 on opening night, Desse Roche took it in December, and Leo Bourgault alternated between 12 and 99 across his four games.
Why the club did it has never been documented. One account says the Canadiens reused high-numbered jerseys left over from a defunct Montreal box-lacrosse team as a Depression-era economy. Another, from broadcaster Dick Irvin Jr., says ownership wanted numbers big enough to compete with football. Neither has ever been confirmed, and the people repeating them say so.
When did the NHL retire No. 99?
The NHL retired 99 league-wide on 6 February 2000, in a ceremony at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto before the 50th All-Star Game. A “GRETZKY 99” banner was raised in Oilers blue and orange, and Gretzky took a ceremonial faceoff between Paul Kariya and Jaromír Jágr. Commissioner Gary Bettman had announced the decision the previous April, before Gretzky’s final game at Madison Square Garden.
It remains the only number the NHL has ever retired across the whole league.
Which teams retired 99 before that?
Two clubs got there first. Edmonton raised his banner on 1 October 1999, before the season opener against the Rangers, with Mark Messier, Jari Kurri and Dave Semenko unveiling a portrait. Los Angeles followed on 9 October 2002 at Staples Center, unveiling a bronze statue of Gretzky in a Kings uniform outside the building.
What are Wayne Gretzky’s career numbers?
Gretzky finished with 1,487 games, 894 goals, 1,963 assists and 2,857 points — first all-time in all three categories. His assists alone outnumber every other player’s total points. Jaromír Jágr is second on the all-time points list at 1,921, which leaves Gretzky 936 points clear.
