The best goalies to wear every jersey number in NHL history

Of all the hockey players on the ice, the goaltender is probably the one who is least associated with the number on the back of their jersey. That’s because there are plenty of other visual markers to identify them, from the flashy, airbrushed masks to the custom-designed pads.

Still, some numbers are strongly associated with the legendary goalie who donned it.

Some have been worn by hundreds of goalies throughout NHL history. In the league’s early days, the No. 1 was automatically given to the goaltender (and often both the starter and backup on the same team), so the list of impressive puck-stoppers to wear it goes on and on. Some numbers have never been worn by a goalie. Some have graced the NHL ice for less than a full hockey game.

In total, 58 different numbers have been worn by at least one goalie in the NHL. This is the list of the best to wear each. It’s not scientific. In most cases, the answer is obvious. In others, it was an incredibly difficult choice. In some, it came down to tie-breaking factors like which goalie wore the number for longer, or if one of the candidates was on the list for an entirely different jersey number.

More than anything, it’s a fun trip down the memory lane of goaltending history. Hopefully, it’s as enjoyable to read as it was to research. Honorable mentions are listed when appropriate, so you can play along with your own choices.

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No. 00 – John Davidson

Honorable mention: Martin Biron

Davidson was the first player to wear No. 00 in the NHL when he donned it for the New York Rangers in 1977. He wore No. 30 for the vast majority of his career.

Martin Biron also wore double zeros, but only for three games in the 1995-96 season as a call-up for the Buffalo Sabres. Bernie Parent wore it for the Philadelphia Blazers in the World Hockey Association in 1972-73, but never in the NHL.

The number was banned by the NHL in the late 1990s because it was causing technical issues with the league’s game software.

No. 1 – Jacques Plante

Honorable mention: Terry Sawchuk, Glenn Hall, Bernie Parent, Johnny Bower, Turk Broda, Eddie Giacomin, Roberto Luongo

No. 1 is the goaltender’s number. There have been 258 players to wear it in the NHL, and all but five were goalies.

The number has been retired by eight organizations — all in honor of goalies inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame — and a case could be made for several of them as the greatest to ever wear the number. Parent, Sawchuk, Hall, Bower, Broda, Giacomin and Luongo all wore No. 1 throughout their careers, and a handful of other Hall of Famers wore it for shorter stints.

Plante stands above the rest, though, with his six Stanley Cup championships, seven Vezina Trophies and a long list of contributions made in the development of the position. Not only did Plante popularize the goalie mask, but he was also an innovator in playing the puck outside of his crease. He won a Hart Trophy in 1962 and ranks ninth all-time in wins (437) and fifth in shutouts (82).

No. 2 – Bruce Gamble

Gamble became the only goalie to wear No. 2 in the NHL when he wore it briefly for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1966. He wore No. 30 for the majority of his career, but repped No. 2 sparingly that season while playing behind Hall of Famers Bower and Sawchuk.

Nos. 3 through 18 – Never worn by a goalie in the NHL

No. 19 – Michel Dion

While plenty of great scorers have worn No. 19 in the NHL, only two goalies have donned the number in the modern era. Dion only wore it for one season, 1980-81 for the Quebec Nordiques, and wore more traditional goalie Nos. 29 and 30 for the remainder of his 11-year career, which was split between the WHA and NHL.

Dion played 227 games in the NHL, mostly with the Pittsburgh Penguins. His best season came in 1981-82, when he played in the All-Star Game and finished third in Vezina voting behind Billy Smith and Grant Fuhr.

No. 20 – Ed Belfour

Honorable mention: Evgeni Nabokov

Belfour wore four different jersey numbers in his career, but his defining moment — hoisting the Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars in 1999 — came wearing sweater No. 20.

After wearing Nos. 1 and 31 briefly during his rookie season with the Blackhawks, Belfour switched to No. 30 for the remainder of his time in Chicago. When he left, he changed to No. 20 in honor of his goalie coach in Chicago, Russian legend Vladislav Tretiak. Evgeni Nabokov also wore the number in honor of Tretiak, who is one of the greatest goalies to never step on NHL ice.

In total, Belfour won two Vezina trophies and four Jennings trophies. He has the fifth-most regular-season wins and sixth-most playoff wins of any goalie in NHL history, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.

No. 21 – Never worn by a goalie in the NHL

No. 22 – Glenn Hall

“Mr. Goalie” is best known for wearing No. 1, but he began his career wearing No. 22 in his rookie season with the Detroit Red Wings in 1952-53.

It was a close call between Hall and Plante for the best to ever wear No. 1, so this is just a nice way to get one of the all-time greats into this list. Not only did Hall win three Vezinas, a Calder Trophy and the Stanley Cup (1961), but he is one of the most influential netminders in history. He pioneered the butterfly technique and played 502 consecutive games, the all-time record and nearly double the second-most in NHL history.

No. 23 – Al Rollins

Honorable mention: Gilles Villemure

As a rookie in 1950-51, Rollins shared the Vezina Trophy with Broda in Toronto, then led the Maple Leafs to a Stanley Cup championship. He was then traded to Chicago, where he won a surprise Hart Trophy in 1953-54 despite playing behind the last-place Black Hawks. Rollins started 430 games over nine NHL seasons, and received votes for the Hart Trophy three times.

No. 24 – Gary Bromley

Bromley played six years in the NHL and two in the WHA. He only donned No. 24 during his rookie season with the Buffalo Sabres in 1973-74. He finished his career with a .874 save percentage in 136 games, and had one of the coolest masks in NHL history.

No. 25 – Jacob Markström

Only a few goalies have worn No. 25, with Markström being the most prominent by a wide margin. The Swede has also worn Nos. 33 and 35 throughout his 15-year NHL career, but switched back to No. 25, which was his number growing up in Swedish junior leagues.

Markström’s 241 NHL wins are the second most by a Swedish-born goalie, behind only Henrik Lundqvist, and he should add to that total as the clear starter for a New Jersey Devils squad entering 2025-26 with high expectations.

No. 26 – George Gardner

Only two goalies have worn No. 26 in the NHL. Ken Broderick wore it for the Minnesota North Stars during the 1969-70 season, and Gardner wore it for Vancouver two years later in 1971-72.

Neither had a very long NHL career, with both finishing their careers in the WHA. Gardner played 66 games over five seasons in the NHL with the Red Wings and Canucks.

No. 27 – Ron Hextall

Honorable mention: Gilles Meloche

Hextall patrolled the Philadelphia crease with a fierce intensity. He accrued more penalty minutes than any goalie in NHL history, was one of the pioneers of playing the puck and was the first to ever score a goal by shooting the puck into the opposing net.

Hextall’s best season was his first, when he won the Vezina Trophy as a rookie in 1986-87 with an incredible 41.8 goals saved above average. He went on to win the Conn Smythe Trophy despite his Flyers falling to the Oilers in seven games in the Stanley Cup Final. In total, his 296 NHL wins are the 45th most all-time.

No. 28 – Félix Potvin

Honorable mention: Bob Sauvé

Potvin wore four different numbers throughout his 13-year career, and spent the majority of it wearing No. 29, but he did don No. 28 for two seasons with the New York Islanders between 1998 and 2000.

Félix the Cat was one of the most acrobatic goalies of his era, racking up 266 wins. The majority of those came in his first eight seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where Potvin made three all-star appearances and finished fourth in Vezina voting in 1992-93.

Sauvé is the only goalie to win a Vezina wearing No. 28. He accomplished that for the Buffalo Sabres in 1979-80, but was inconsistent over the remainder of his 13-year career.

No. 29 – Ken Dryden

Honorable mention: Marc-Andre Fleury, Mike Vernon

We’ve finally reached the range of the true goaltender numbers, and who better to kick this stretch off than one of the all-time greats. Dryden’s career was short but spectacular. He won six Stanley Cup championships and five Vezina trophies in only seven full NHL seasons with the Montreal Canadiens before retiring to pursue other interests in business, law and politics. Dryden is likely a big reason the rest of the goalies on the list chose to wear No. 29.

Hall of Famer Mike Vernon wore No. 30 for the first 11 seasons of his career in Calgary, but switched to No. 29 when he was traded to Detroit in 1994. He was wearing the number when he hoisted the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy with the Red Wings in 1997.

Future Hall of Famer Marc-Andre Fleury wore the number for the entirety of his illustrious 21-year career, which ended this past season with the second-most wins of any goalie in NHL history.

It’s interesting that Hall of Famers Martin Brodeur, Billy Smith, Tony Esposito and Rogie Vachon all wore No. 29 briefly as rookies, but changed numbers for the rest of their careers.

No. 30 – Martin Brodeur

Honorable mention: Henrik Lundqvist, Rogie Vachon, Bernie Parent, Ed Belfour, Gerry Cheevers, Chris Osgood, Tim Thomas

Competition was fierce for No. 30, but the NHL’s all-time leader in regular-season wins (691), shutouts (125), games played (1,266) and playoff shutouts (24) was the easy choice.

Brodeur backstopped the Devils to Stanley Cup wins in 1995, 2000 and 2003. His last Cup Final win was his most impressive, shutting out Anaheim in three of New Jersey’s four wins. Brodeur’s legacy also includes the trapezoid painted behind the goal line in 2005, which precludes the goalie from playing the puck in the corners. This rule went into effect partially because of how dominant Brodeur was handling pucks.

No. 31 – Billy Smith

Honorable mention: Grant Fuhr, Carey Price, Curtis Joseph, Antti Niemi

Between 1980 and 1988, the Stanley Cup-winning goalie wore No. 31 for eight of the nine seasons. It was only two goalies, of course. Billy Smith backstopped the Islanders’ early 1980s dynasty, winning four straight Cup championships. That was immediately followed by Grant Fuhr winning four championships in five seasons with the Oilers.

Smith won the Vezina Trophy in 1982 and 1983. Fuhr won it in 1988, then the Jennings Trophy in 1994. They were two of the best goalies of the highest-scoring era in NHL history. Without context, their career save percentages of .895 and .887 aren’t particularly impressive, but Fuhr and Smith regularly made game-changing saves and propelled their teams to title after title.

Smith gets the edge over Fuhr here because his individual statistics were better, for longer. Smith’s career 224.9 goals saved above average dwarfs Fuhr’s 2.2, which diminished considerably late in his career.

No. 32 – Jonathan Quick

Honorable mention: Niklas Bäckström, Kari Lehtonen, Artūrs Irbe

Quick will turn 40 in January, but he’s still going strong for the Rangers and will be adding to his 404 career NHL wins, which are the most ever for an American-born goalie. The Milford, Conn., native may not have a Vezina to his name, but his trophy case is far from empty.

Quick was sensational for the Kings in their Stanley Cup wins in 2012 and 2014. He took home the Conn Smythe Trophy for the first one, and added two Jennings trophies later in his tenure in Los Angeles. He’s one of the most aggressive, athletic goalies of the modern generation.

No. 33 – Patrick Roy

Honorable mention: Pete Peeters, Cam Talbot

No goaltender in history shone quite like Patrick Roy when the stakes were the highest. He burst onto the scene as a rookie in 1985-86, led Montreal to the Cup and won his first of what would be three Conn Smythe trophies (most by any player in NHL history).

While Hall is largely credited with pioneering the butterfly technique, Roy perfected it and used it to dominate the NHL for 17 seasons. He won two championships with the Canadiens, then won two more with the Avalanche. He finished with three Vezina trophies, five Jennings trophies and had a save percentage above league average in all 17 seasons. He is a legend with as good of a claim as any to be the best of all time.

No. 34 – John Vanbiesbrouck

Honorable mention: Miikka Kiprusoff

Vanbiesbrouck retired as the winningest American-born goalie in NHL history before Quick and Ryan Miller passed his mark of 374 victories. He was regularly among the league’s best netminders during his 11 years with the Rangers, but his two best seasons came in his stint in Florida. Vanbiesbrouck led the NHL with 55.6 GSAA for the Panthers in 1993-94, then backstopped the squad to a surprise trip to the Cup Final in 1996.

The only team with No. 34 retired is the Flames, for Kiprusoff, who is one of the most underrated goalies of the early 2000s (yes, not choosing him here is only contributing to that). His two-year stretch from 2003-05 was sensational.

No. 35 – Tony Esposito

Honorable mention: Pekka Rinne, Tom Barrasso, Mike Richter, Andy Moog, Nikolai Khabibulin

Competition for the best goalie to wear No. 35 was strong. Three organizations — the Blackhawks, Rangers and Predators — have retired the number to honor goaltenders. Still, Tony “O” Esposito was still a relatively easy choice at the top.

Esposito is the NHL’s all-time leader with 454 goals saved above average, and his rookie season in 1969-70 is one of the best campaigns in the history of the position. His 15 shutouts that year were the most since 1929, and that number still hasn’t been surpassed to this day. He went on to win three Vezinas and pushed the boundaries of goalie equipment, with many advances still showing up in modern pads today.

No. 36 – John Gibson

A shockingly low number of goalies have worn No. 36 in the NHL, and the newest goalie for the Red Wings is the best of the group. Gibson has worn the number for all 204 wins in his NHL career. He won the Jennings Trophy with Anaheim in 2015-16, and with his recent trade to Detroit, he’s hoping to see postseason action for the first time since 2018.

No. 37 – Connor Hellebuyck

Honorable mention: Olaf Kölzig

Hellebuyck is still in the prime of his career, but he’s already built up an all-time great resume, with three Vezina trophies. This summer, he became only the eighth goalie to win the Hart Trophy, and he’s on pace to finish his career as the greatest American goalie ever.

Since he became a full-time starter in 2016-17, Hellebuyck has led the NHL with 168.23 goals saved above expected, more than 46 clear of the next-closest goalie. He wears the number in honor of former Atlanta Thrashers forward Dan Snyder, who died in 2003.

No. 38 – Cristobal Huet

Only eight goalies have worn No. 38 in an NHL game, the most accomplished of which was Cristobal Huet. He is the only goalie born in France to play in the NHL, and became the first Frenchman to win the Stanley Cup as a player when he did it with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010.

No. 39 – Dominik Hašek

Honorable mention: Nikolai Khabibulin

One of the greatest to ever play the position, Hašek tended the goal like no other, using acrobatics and improvisation to stymie shooters in the most improbable ways.

Hašek is the only goalie to win two Hart trophies. His six Vezina trophies are second all-time behind Plante. He carried the Czech Republic to an Olympic gold medal in 1998 and won two Cup championships with the Red Wings in the twilight of his career.

There may not be a more appropriate nickname in NHL history than Hašek’s “The Dominator.” His reign of dominance from 1993 to 2001 was one of the best stretches of goaltending ever.

No. 40 – Tuukka Rask

Honorable mention: Rogie Vachon, Devan Dubnyk, Robin Lehner

There’s an argument that Vachon is the best to ever wear No. 40, but he only wore the number for one season (1978-79 in Detroit), and it was one of the worst of his career.

The number 40 is far more synonymous with Bruins great Tuukka Rask, who won the 2014 Vezina Trophy and 2020 Jennings Trophy. His 308 wins are 37th all-time, and his 52 NHL shutouts rank 27th. While Rask never won the Cup, he had brilliant playoff runs in 2013 and 2019.

No. 41 – Craig Anderson

Honorable mention: Mike Smith, Jaroslav Halak

This was one of the tougher calls in this experiment. While Anderson was never a Vezina finalist (he did finish fourth in the voting twice), he had a long, steady career as a starting netminder. He played for six different teams over his 20 years in the NHL, racking up 319 wins (tied for 33rd all-time) and 43 shutouts.

No. 42 – Robert Esche

Only two goalies have worn No. 42 in NHL history. Josh Tordjman wore it for his only two NHL games for the Coyotes in 2009, and Robert Esche wore the number for his entire eight-year career. Esche won the 2003 Jennings Trophy as a backup to Roman Čechmánek with the Flyers, and backstopped Philadelphia to the Eastern Conference final as the starter the following season.

No. 43 – Martin Biron

Biron wore No. 43 for 15 seasons in the NHL, totaling more than 500 games played, 230 wins and 28 shutouts during his time with the Sabres, Rangers, Flyers and Islanders.

No. 44 – Terry Kleisinger

Kleisinger is the only goalie to wear No. 44 in the NHL, and it was only for four games for the New York Rangers in 1985. He spent the remainder of his brief professional career in the AHL and IHL.

No. 45 – Jonathan Bernier

There wasn’t a lot of competition for this seldom-worn goalie number. Magnus Hellberg and Michael Hutchinson have both worn it fairly recently in the NHL, but the clear choice here was Bernier. He wore No. 45 for nearly all 404 of his NHL starts, compiling 165 wins with the Kings, Maple Leafs, Red Wings, Ducks, Avalanche and Devils.

No. 46 – Pat Jablonski

A goalie has never started an NHL game wearing No. 46 on his sweater, but three have worn it in relief appearances. The most notable is Jablonski, who played eight seasons in the NHL, mostly with the Blues, Canadiens and Lightning. He wore different numbers throughout his career, but 46 only one time, filling in for Nikolai Khabibulin at the end of a Coyotes game in 1997.

Mathieu Chouinard wore the number on NHL ice for two whole minutes, for the Los Angeles Kings in 2003-04. Daniel Taylor played a period for the Kings wearing the number in 2007-08.

No. 47 – Jean-Sébastien Giguère

Honorable mention: James Reimer

Giguère wore No. 47 for the first three years of his career in Hartford and Calgary before switching to No. 35 when he was traded to Anaheim. He won 262 of his 597 NHL games, and backstopped the Ducks to a Stanley Cup title in 2007.

Giguère’s most impressive postseason, though, came four years earlier when he led Anaheim to the 2003 Cup Final with one of the most impressive playoff runs ever by a goalie. He posted a .945 save percentage and five shutouts in 21 playoff games that year, allowed only one total goal in the Western Conference final against Minnesota, and was awarded the Conn Smythe despite falling to New Jersey in the final.

No. 48 – Logan Thompson

Of the 128 players to don No. 48 in the NHL, only one is a goalie. Thompson switched from No. 36, which he had worn for the first four years of his career with the Vegas Golden Knights, to No. 48 last season with the Washington Capitals.

Thompson had a strong 2024-25 season, finishing fourth in voting for the Vezina Trophy. He was a member of the Golden Knights’ 2023 Cup-winning team, and is the first goalie to play in the NHL after playing in U Sports (Canadian university hockey) since 1990.

No. 49 – Michael Leighton

Leighton played 110 games in the NHL, mostly wearing No. 49. He spent the majority of his pro career in the AHL, and was elected to the league’s Hall of Fame in 2025. He is the AHL’s all-time leader in games played (507) and shutouts (50), and won the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award for the best goalie in the league in 2008. The highlight of Leighton’s NHL career was helping Philadelphia to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final.

No. 50 – Corey Crawford

Honorable mention: Jordan Binnington

Crawford wore No. 50 for the entirety of his 13-year career. The Montreal native backstopped Chicago’s Stanley Cup championships in 2013 and 2015, and won the Jennings Trophy in each of those seasons. Crawford won the third-most games in Chicago’s franchise history, trailing only Hall of Famers Esposito and Hall, and his 52 playoff wins are the most by any Blackhawks goalie.

No. 51 – Never worn by an NHL goalie

No. 52 – Pyotr Kochetkov

In 2021, Kochetkov became only the second goalie to wear No. 52 in NHL history. The 26-year-old has developed into a strong tandem goalie for the Hurricanes over the last three seasons. He was named to the NHL’s all-rookie team in 2024 and finished fourth in voting for the Calder Trophy.

No. 53 – Nikolai Khabibulin

Khabibulin wore No. 35 for the majority of his career, but moonlighted the No. 53 sweater for one season in Chicago because No. 35 is retired in honor of Esposito. “The Bulin Wall” won the Stanley Cup in 2004 with the Lightning, and fell only one game short of playing 800 NHL games.

Khabibulin’s 333 wins are tied for the 27th most in NHL history, and are second among Russian-born goalies behind only Nabokov (353).

No. 54 – Ben Scrivens

Scrivens and Hannu Toivonen are the only two goalies to wear No. 54 in NHL history, and both wore it for fewer than 20 games. Scrivens donned the number for his 19 games with the Los Angeles Kings in 2013-14. He played 144 NHL games over his five-year NHL career, with a .906 save percentage.

No. 55 – Félix Potvin

As mentioned above, Potvin wore several numbers throughout his career. He wore No. 55 for only his first few games with the Islanders in 1998 after being traded from Toronto, before switching to No. 28.

No. 56 – Mike McKenna

Only two goalies in NHL history have worn No. 56. McKenna wore the number for only a single game, the final NHL game of his career for the Flyers on Jan. 8, 2019.

McKenna had an excellent career in the minors and bounced around the NHL in a way few goalies ever have. His 35 career games in the NHL were split between seven different teams, and he played for 10 different teams in the AHL.

No. 57 – Jordan Sigalet

The number 57 has been worn by a goalie on NHL ice for a grand total of 43 seconds. In Jan. 2006, Sigalet replaced Bruins starter Andrew Raycroft after he injured his ankle in the final minute of the game. He didn’t face a shot in what was his only NHL appearance.

Sigalet played three seasons with the AHL’s Providence Bruins, and began coaching after retiring. He served as the Calgary Flames’ goaltending coach from 2014 to 2020, when he was promoted to director of goaltending, a position he still holds.

No. 58 and No. 59 – Never worn by an NHL goalie

No. 60 – José Théodore

Théodore is one of only five goalies in NHL history to win the Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy in the same season. He won both awards in 2002 for a sensational season for the Canadiens, with a league-leading .931 save percentage and 45.9 goals saved above average in 67 games.

Théodore played 16 seasons in the NHL. His 286 career wins rank 50th all-time.

No. 61 and No. 62 – Never worn by an NHL goalie

Devin Cooley wore No. 62 for the Buffalo Sabres in the 2023 preseason, but didn’t appear in a regular-season game.

No. 63 and No. 64 – Never worn by an NHL goalie

No. 65 – Michael DiPietro

In Jan. 2022, DiPietro became the first goalie to wear No. 65 in an NHL game. It was one of only three career appearances for him — all for the Vancouver Canucks — and the only game he wore No. 65.

No. 66 – Never worn by an NHL goalie

No. 67 – Tom Askey

Askey is the only goalie to wear No. 67 in NHL history. He wore it for all seven of his appearances for the Mighty Ducks in 1998. The native of Kenmore, N.Y., played eight seasons in the AHL before ending his pro career in Europe. He represented the United States at the 1997 World Championships and defeated Latvia in his only game.

No. 68 – Thomas Hodges

The only goalie sweater with No. 68 to ever appear in an NHL game didn’t have a nameplate stitched above the number. That’s because Hodges isn’t a professional goalie. The life insurance salesman stepped into action on April 29, 2022, as an emergency backup goalie after both Ducks goalies John Gibson and Anthony Stolarz were injured during the game against the Stars.

Hodges stopped two of the three shots he faced wearing green Stars-themed pads and a blank No. 68 Ducks jersey.

No. 69 – Never worn by an NHL goalie

No. 70 – Braden Holtby

Honorable mention: Tim Thomas

Holtby did a lot of winning over his 12-year NHL career, most of which was spent in Washington. He finished with the second-most wins in Capitals history, and tied for 43rd all-time. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2016 and the Jennings Trophy the following year, but his biggest moment came in 2018. Holtby lunged across his crease in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final to rob Vegas forward Alex Tuch with the paddle of his stick, helping propel Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals to a long-elusive championship.

No. 71 – Keith Kinkaid

Kinkaid became the first and only goalie to wear No. 71 in the NHL when he chose the number for his two seasons with the New York Rangers from 2020 to 2022. He played 169 games over 10 seasons in the NHL, mostly with the New Jersey Devils.

No. 72 – Sergei Bobrovsky

Honorable mention: Ron Hextall

Bobrovsky has sported No. 72 on his sweater for the last 13 seasons after wearing No. 35 for his first two seasons in Philadelphia. He is one of the best goaltenders of his generation, and should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

With his second straight Stanley Cup championship with Florida this past season, Bobrovsky joined Roy and Brodeur as the only goalies with multiple Cup wins and Vezinas since the award’s criteria changed to a vote in 1980. He’s also only 55 wins away from cracking the top five all-time.

No. 73 – Jet Greaves

Columbus’ young, talented netminder is one of only two goalies to wear No. 73 in the NHL (Kasimir Kaskisuo is the other). Greaves’ career is only beginning, but he has dominated the AHL and played well in his limited NHL opportunities. The quick, undersized goalie could break out in his first full NHL season in 2025-26.

No. 74 – Juuse Saros

Speaking of quick, undersized goalies, Saros is one of the best sub-6-foot goalies in recent history. He had received Vezina votes in four straight seasons prior to last year’s disappointing campaign. Saros hasn’t played behind the most talented teams in Nashville, but his skill is undeniable.

No. 75 – Yann Danis

Only a few goalies have ever worn No. 75, the most accomplished of which was Danis. He wore the number for only six games in his rookie season with the Montreal Canadiens in 2005-06. He went on to play 55 games over six seasons in the NHL.

It’s worth noting that another Montreal rookie, Jakub Dobes, could be coming for this spot.

No. 76 – Never worn by an NHL goalie

Arturs Silovs wore No. 76 in the preseason and as a backup for Vancouver, but never played a regular-season game wearing it.

No. 77 and No. 78 – Never worn by an NHL goalie

No. 79 – Charlie Lindgren

Somehow, both members of the Washington Capitals’ current goalie tandem made this list, with Lindgren being one of very few netminders to ever wear No. 79. The Lakeville, Minn., native had a strong collegiate career at St. Cloud State and is entering his 10th season in the NHL. Lindgren’s best season by far came two years ago in Washington, when he led the NHL with six shutouts and finished eighth in voting for the Vezina and 12th for the Hart.

No. 80 – Ilya Bryzgalov

Honorable mention: Kevin Weekes

Aside from being possibly the best quote in NHL history with his thoughts about the size of the universe, Bryzgalov was an awesome goalie. The Russian played in 465 games over 12 seasons in the NHL, and received votes for the Vezina and Hart trophies in back-to-back seasons for the Coyotes in 2010 and 2011. He is the franchise’s all-time leader with 130 wins.

No. 81 – Never worn by an NHL goalie

No. 82 – Ivan Fedotov

Fedotov became the first goalie to wear No. 82 in the NHL when he made his debut for the Flyers in 2024. The towering netminder has had a slow start to his NHL career after a disappointing 2024-25 season. At 6-foot-7, he is tied with four others as the tallest goalie to ever play in the NHL.

No. 83 through No. 87 – Never worn by an NHL goalie

No. 88 – Andrei Vasilevskiy

The “Big Cat” only just turned 31 but already has a resume that stacks up with the best goalies of this generation. Vasilevskiy won the Vezina in 2019 and has been a finalist for the award five times in the last eight years. He backstopped Tampa Bay to back-to-back Cup championships in 2020 and 2021, and was the Conn Smythe winner in the latter.

No. 89 – Never worn by an NHL goalie

No. 90 – Robin Lehner

Lehner wore No. 40 for the majority of his career before switching to No. 90 in Vegas. The Swedish goalie had a strong NHL career that was cut short in 2022 due to injuries. In his 12 seasons in the NHL, Lehner racked up 152 regular-season wins and 14 more in the playoffs. He won the Jennings Trophy in 2019 with the New York Islanders and again in 2021 in tandem with Fleury for the Golden Knights.

Shout out to EBUGs David Ayres and Scott Foster, who both wore No. 90 in their NHL appearances.

No. 91 – Never worn by an NHL goalie

No. 92 – Tomáš Vokoun

Arguably the second-best Czech goalie to ever play (behind only Hasek), Vokoun had an excellent 15-year NHL career. He wore No. 29 for the vast majority of that time, but Fleury already wore that number when Vokoun arrived in Pittsburgh so he flipped the numerals and wore No. 92 in his final season with the Penguins. Vokoun received Vezina votes in four seasons and won 300 NHL games.

No. 93 – Daren Puppa

Puppa wore No. 93 for his final six seasons in Tampa Bay. His 15-year NHL career can be described as many solid-to-mediocre seasons and two exceptional ones. Puppa finished second to Roy for the 1990 Vezina after winning a league-leading 31 games for the Buffalo Sabres. He finished third in Vezina voting six years later for an outstanding 1995-96 campaign in Tampa Bay.

No. 94 – Never worn by an NHL goalie

No. 95 – Olivier Michaud

The highest number ever worn by a goalie in the NHL was 95, and it only graced the ice for 18 minutes and five seconds under extremely odd circumstances.

On Oct. 30, 2001, Michaud became the youngest goalie to ever suit up for the Montreal Canadiens. He was an emergency call-up from his junior team (the Shawinigan Cataractes in the QMJHL) to back up third-stringer Mathieu Garon, after Theodore and backup Jeff Hackett were both injured.

Michaud stopped all 14 shots he faced in what would be his only NHL appearance.

No. 96 through No. 99 – Never worn by an NHL goalie

(Illustration: Kelsea Petersen / The Athletic; Photos: Andy Marlin, Patrick McDermott, Graig Abel / Getty Images)