Newest additions to Bruins roster pick their sweater numbers

Author Ty Anderson

August 10th, 2021 5:09 PM

A free-agency spending spree for the Bruins has finally come with sweater numbers for the newest five Boston skaters, with some going with classics while others opted for some seldom worn numbers.

• Nick Foligno: No. 17

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  A career-long No. 71, Foligno missed out on grabbing No. 71 by about three months, as it was the number taken by Taylor Hall following his trade from Buffalo to Boston. (Hall, of course, stayed with the Bruins on a four-year deal.)
  
  "I actually, I got told that. I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I forgot Taylor Hall took 71.’ Son of a gun," Foligno said in his introductory Zoom with the media. "I’m going to have to text him and see if I can steal it back. But I’m not sure, I haven’t really thought that far through. I’m just thrilled to be a Bruin. We’ll see where it goes."
  
  That attempted steal (if it ever happened) did not pan out for the 33-year-old Foligno, however, as he will simply flip his No. 71 and wear No. 17 with the Bruins.
  
  This makes Foligno the first Boston skater to wear No. 17 since Ryan Donato from 2018 through 2019. It's been a noteworthy number in B's history, too, from Stan Jonathan to Milan Lucic.

• Derek Forbort: No. 28

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  When it came to his sweater number, defenseman Derek Forbort was a main without options upon his move to Boston. At least when it came to wearing his old numbers. Forbort wore No. 7 and No. 24 with the Kings, and wore No. 24 with the Jets last year. The former is retired for Phil Esposito, and the latter for Terry O'Reilly. Forbort also wore No. 20 during his brief tenure with the Flames, but that number is currently taken by fourth-line forward Curtis Lazar. 
  
  So, the 29-year-old Forbort has landed on No. 28. This number was last worn by Ondrej Kase, and Forbort will ironically enough be the 28th player in franchise history to wear No. 28. He will be the first defenseman to wear the number since Wade Brookbank during his seven-game tenure in 2006-07. 

• Linus Ullmark: No. 35

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  Swedish netminder Linus Ullmark will stick with the No. 35 he wore in Buffalo.
  
  This will make Ullmark the first Bruin to wear No. 35 since Anton Khudobin. This will be the ninth time that No. 35 has been in circulation for the Black and Gold, and it's been worn by a goaltender all but one time, with defenseman Greg Hawgood the outlier there. (The seven goalies, in case you wanna take a trip down memory lane: Cleon Daskalakis, Andy Moog, Robbie Tallas, Peter Skudra, Phil Sauve, Manny Fernandez, and Khudobin.)
• Erik Haula: No. 56

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  On his sixth different NHL stop, versatile middle-six forward Erik Haula will wear the No. 56 he has for his entire NHL career. Haula will be the first Boston skater to wear No. 56 since Tommy Cross in 2016-17. Petteri Nokelainen was the last Bruin forward to wear No. 56, and he actually switched down to No. 29 when he carved out a full-time role. 

• Tomas Nosek: No. 92

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  After a career-high eight goals and 18 points with the Golden Knights last year, Czech forward Tomas Nosek isn't going to change anything. Not when it comes to his number anyway, as Nosek will stay with the No. 92 he's worn since leaving Detroit for Vegas in 2017.
  
  Nosek will be just the third Bruin to wear No. 92 in the franchise's nearly 100-year history. The last Bruin to wear No. 92 was journeyman enforcer Guillaume Lefebvre for his one-game appearance with the Big B’s in 2009-10, and it was worn by Michael Nylander during his post-deadline run with the Bruins back in 2004.

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Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on Twitter: @_TyAnderson.

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Author Ty Anderson

Category:

• Bruins
• News
• Ty Anderson

Tags:

2021 bruins offseason,boston bruins,Derek Forbort,erik haula,Linus Ullmark,Nick Foligno,tomas nosek