Toronto Maple Leafs: Who Wore the Jersey Number, Then & Now
The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a lot of different jersey numbers represented over the years.
In this article, I’m going to take a look at some current Toronto Maple Leafs players jersey numbers and who has worn it in before them.
Believe me when I say that I’m not going to cover every player that’s ever worn the number in Leafs history and I’m only going to venture back about 20 years at the most, so we’ll see what we come up with.
Also, the past players that I’ll select will be the most notable to have worn it in recent memory and I’m only going to be covering a select few of the players that make up the Leafs roster as of right now.
I think this should be a fun little piece.
That being said, let’s get right into it and we’ll start from the lowest number to the highest.
Oh, and before I forget, here’s the page that shows which players have worn which numbers in Leafs history.
#11
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Zach Hyman currently sports this not so flashy number and guess who else has?
That’s right, the one and only, Mike Gartner, who wore it from 1993-96 with the Leafs.
I really like Hyman and I think he represents the number well.
As for Gartner, he’s one of the greatest to have ever laced them up, scoring 708 goals and 1,335 points in 1,432 games played.
Plus, he’s a really great guy off the ice.
Although he only had a brief stint with the Leafs, Garts racked up 53 goals and 86 points in 119 games played.
Pretty good considering he was in his mid-30’s then.
Let’s see if Patrick Marleau can do any better.
#15
Some people may not like this player, but I love him.
Matt Martin wears number 15 for the Leafs right now and the big name that wore it before him is Tomas Kaberle from 1999-11.
The two are very different players if you haven’t already noticed.
Kaberle was, in my opinion, a Leafs icon during his career, having scored 83 goals and 520 points in 878 games played.
This leads us right into another Leafs icon from the same time period.
#16
Mitchell Marner is the current wearer of number 16 (not the Leafs icon I was talking about, yet), my favorite number if you care at all.
Now, who in recent memory wore this number?
Geez, it’s on the tip of my tongue.
Oh, yeah, good guy Darcy Tucker.
I loved Tucker when he played and even running into him every once in a while now is a treat.
He had a good career with the Leafs, wearing number 16 from 2000-08.
During Tucker’s time in Toronto, he scored 148 goals and 319 points in 531 games played.
Now, he wasn’t exactly known for producing points, but that doesn’t matter because he’s one of my favorites.
#25
James van Riemsdyk had to switch from number 21 to 25 at the beginning of the 2016-17 season because the Leafs retired the former of the two.
He was told to pick something that made him look big, mission accomplished.
The last notable Leafs player to wear the number before him, Joe Nieuwendyk, but only for the 2003-04 season.
He was technically a member of the Leafs the following season, but that was the infamous NHL lockout, so we’re not counting that.
van Riemsdyk is representing a Hockey Hall of Famer’s number and he’s doing it well.
#29
William Nylander switched from number 39 to 29 for the beginning of the 2016-17 season and it looks good.
The big name that held that number before him is Felix Potvin.
Yes, Potvin.
The Cat wore number 29 with the Leafs from 1992-99 and wore it well.
Throughout his career, he posted a .905 Sv%, a 2.76 GAA and 260 wins in 635 games played.
Not too shabby, sir.
#31
Our number one goalie, Frederik Andersen currently dons number 31.
He’s following in some pretty legendary footsteps as Curtis Joseph was the notable owner of the number in a Leafs uniform before him.
Whether you like it or not, Cujo is one of the best goalies to ever play the game and if you ask me, should already have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
I may be a little biased because I grew up interacting with, whether that was by seeing him picking his kids up from the same school as me or my team practicing at his rink.
Either way, he’s a really great guy.
Nevertheless, one cannot deny his terrific career with a .905 Sv%, 2.79 GAA and 454 wins in 943 games played.
He’s also number four in all-time wins for NHL goalies.
Now, Andersen is no Joseph, but I’m loving this guy in the Leafs crease.
#34
Do I really have to say who wears this number right now?
We all know, Auston Matthews.
Do I really have to say who notably wore the number before him?
Again, we all know, James Reimer.
Now, Reimer didn’t get treated the best the whole time he was in Toronto and I’m happy for him that he gets a fresh start with the Florida Panthers.
He deserves to have a good career.
Reimer’s a great ambassador of the game we all love and represented the number well.
He has a career .915 Sv%, 2.75 GAA and 109 wins through 258 games played.
I think Matthews will be the guy we all remember being the best to wear this number in Leafs history once he gets a few more seasons in and just maybe, the best in NHL history.
That of course, will have to wait until he’s nearing the end of his career to be determined.