Always wanted Gordie Howe's #9
Gretzky’s hero growing up in Brantford, Ontario was Detroit Red Wings legend Gordie Howe, who wore #9. Gretzky wore #9 in minor hockey from his earliest days. When he joined the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League in 1977 as a 16-year-old, the #9 was already issued to a teammate.
Gretzky tried #19, #14, and #10 in his first few games with the Greyhounds, none of them sticking. Coach Muzz MacPherson suggested doubling up to 99 — partly inspired by Phil Esposito’s Boston Bruins teammates Ken Hodge (#8 doubled to 88) and Wayne Cashman, who’d worn similar high numbers. Gretzky was reluctant at first. By his second WHA season with the Indianapolis Racers and then the Edmonton Oilers, the number stuck.
From odd choice to legend
Gretzky’s #99 became iconic as he rewrote the NHL record book: 215 points in 1985–86 (a season that may never be matched), 894 career goals, 2,857 career points. By the time he retired in 1999, the number was so identified with him that no NHL team would issue it.
On February 6, 2000, at the NHL All-Star Game in Toronto, the league formally retired #99 across all 30 (now 32) franchises. It remains the only number retired league-wide in any of the four major North American sports.
Other 99s in NHL history
Before Gretzky cemented the number, only a handful of players ever wore #99 in the NHL: Joe Lamb (1934 Montreal Canadiens), Leo Bourgault (1934 Montreal Canadiens), and Des Roche (1934 Canadiens) all wore it briefly in a single Canadiens experiment. Wilf Paiement of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Quebec Nordiques wore #99 in the late 1970s and early 1980s — actually overlapping Gretzky’s career.
Rick Dudley wore #99 with the Winnipeg Jets in 1980–81. Mike Eagles wore it briefly in the late 1980s. After 1991, no NHL player wore #99 except Gretzky himself, until the league formalized the leaguewide retirement.
More in The Stories Behind Iconic Jersey Numbers
Why Did Michael Jordan Wear 23?Background facts cross-referenced with the Wikipedia article on Wayne Gretzky and Pro-Football-Reference / Basketball-Reference public records. Lead image via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).