Canucks avoid Luongo number drama as new goalie picks different digits
Casey DeSmith has worn the No. 1 jersey throughout his entire professional career. Now a member of the Vancouver Canucks, it would only be natural for the 32-year-old to keep that number.
Except this is Vancouver, and nothing is ever that simple.
No Canucks player has worn the No. 1 jersey since Roberto Luongo was traded nine years ago.
But despite Luongo being inducted into the Hall of Fame, the Canucks aren’t planning to retire his number. That means it’s fair game for DeSmith, technically speaking.
But for a team desperate to reduce the noise and distraction around them, it probably made sense for the new backup goalie to simply choose a different number. And so DeSmith did, with the Canucks confirming that the netminder will don No. 29 on the back of his jersey.
Training Camp rosters are out. đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/xGHcnhWXSE
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 20, 2023
Given the class Luongo has shown since the Ring of Honour announcement last year, perhaps he wouldn’t have minded.
“I know there’s a lot of debate about the Ring of Honour and the [retired number banner], but that stuff doesn’t matter to me,” Luongo told fans last December. “What matters to me is moments like tonight and sharing it with you guys. So thank you very much. I look forward to seeing you next year.”
Luongo will be inducted into the Ring of Honour at some point this season, with a date still to be announced. The Florida Panthers visit on December 14 though — just saying.
The decision to not retire Luongo’s number was a divisive issue among Canucks fans, and judging by the response from Canucks Nation on social media this afternoon, had DeSmith chosen Luongo’s old number it would have caused some level of drama.
So, crisis averted.
Instead, DeSmith will wear No. 29, the number he wore when he starred at the University of New Hampshire. It’s also the number made famous in Vancouver by Gino Odjick, but which has been worn by 10 other players since the late enforcer was traded in 1998.
DeSmith is just the second goalie in Canucks history to wear No. 29, with Felix Potvin being the other.