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To Retire or Not to Retire?
The Maple Leafs begin the unofficial second half of the NHL season tonight in Minnesota. But the week’s big event occurs Saturday, when the team honours former captain Doug Gilmour before their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
A banner bearing Gilmour’s likeness will be hoisted to the Air Canada Centre rafters—yet while it’ll bear his iconic #93, Gilmour’s number is not being retired. The Maple Leafs seldom “retire” a number; rather, they honour the player while keeping his number in circulation. The Leafs will retire a number if, and only if, a player who wore it suffers a career-ending injury during his time with the team. So far, only two players have met the criteria. One was Ace Bailey (#6), who suffered a career-ending head injury back in 1933. The other was Bill Barilko (#5), who famously scored the 1951 Stanley Cup–winning goal before being immortalized by the Tragically Hip in “Fifty Mission Cap.” You’ll notice their banners are silver instead of the usual white.
Otherwise, there’s virtually nothing stopping a current player from adopting an iconic number of yore. Some people don’t like this policy: Dave Keon, for instance, has a long-standing feud with the Leafs organization that stems from their refusal to retire his old #14. We’re quick to disagree with much of what happens down at the Air Canada Centre—yet when it comes to this particular issue we’re firmly in the Leafs’ corner because of how it ties generations together. When we see Matt Stajan wearing the #14, for example, he’s offering continuing testament to Keon’s place in team history (not to mention all the other former #14s as well). We see the appeal in retiring a player’s number: there’s something undeniably poignant about a number being so indelibly linked to one individual that no one else could possibly wear it. Keeping the number in circulation, however, keeps the player’s legacy alive where it matters most: on the ice.
Gilmour’s #93 won’t be worn again for years—but we like that the option’s there. And as much as we’ll enjoy watching Gilmour’s banner raised to the rafters, we can think of one better way of honouring the man they called “Killer”: giving it to a player who wears the #93 with the same sort of passion as he did. That would be the most fitting tribute of all.