Darryl Sittler!!!

[bduff54]

Wow, my leafs are on fire right now! 5 wins in a row. Luckily i got the opportunity to go to the game lastnight where they retired Sittlers jersey. This guy was a great player, he had a 10 point night and scored 5 goals in a playoff series. What do you guys think of him?

[Player6600]

Borje Salming had 6 points (3 goals and 3 assists) in that game. I think that's just as impressive since he was a defenseman

[bduff54]

yeah that is impressive, but 10 points? That is just unreal!

[The REAL Sabres]

I think his number should actually be retired!!! Not still worn by Corson!!!

[LALAFONTAINE]

Retired jerseys are an anathema. Is Sittler bigger than the team? No? You're saying he is when you retire his number.

[bduff54]

what? how is retiring a guys number saying he is bigger than the team? I guess jim kelly should never have been honored.

[LALAFONTAINE]

Kelly shouldn't have had his number retired. He isn't bigger than the team. You can argue that Kelly was honored by it, but every other Bill who was on Kelly's level (Simpson, as a football player, not a person, qualifies) is insulted by that and it dishonors them. You do not dishonor anyone by not retiring numbers.

The Cowboys have no retired numbers. How does that dishonor Staubach or Smith or the countless other HOFers? No Cowboy is bigger than the Cowboys.

The Raiders have no retired numbers. How does that dishonor Allen or Casper or the countless other HOFers? No Raider is bigger than the Raiders.

The Steelers have ONE: Ernie Stautner. That dishonors Ham, Franco, Bradshaw, Webster, Lambert, Blount, Greene, Stallworth and Swann. At least it appears they stopped with their mistake.

The Eagles retired Jerome Brown's number, but not Reggie White's. The only reason his number is retired is the same reason Tim Horton's is retired in Buffalo: because he tragically died too early. It shows that retired numbers have nothing to do with how someone performed on the field.

Hockey, like football, is a team game. When Kelly got a chance to perform, it was the result of many things - like 21 other guys helping him out. Celebrating 1/22nd of that dishonors the franchise.

[bduff54]

wow that is really silly post. It is just a game man, it is great to honor the guys that brought good memories. all this "no one is bigger than the team" crap is for owners. As a fan of Daryl Sittler i loved it and i loved it when It happened to Jim kelly too.

[LALAFONTAINE]

It's not crap that no one is bigger than the team. For some organizations (Cowboys, Raiders, PSU, teams that actually win) it is their modus operandi. For others - the team that Randy Moss plays for - what are they called again - it isn't.

[bduff54]

"teams that actually win". The leafs don't win? check the guys in the banners at the ACC tell me how many cups you count. And i am talking about retired players not current ones, i think it is stupid to honor a player when he is playing but a retired one is great.

[TonyT]

First of all Sittler deserves the honor for all the years he thrilled LeaFs fans and the NHL he was a good player and a class act considering what he had to put up with from the owner of the Leafs at that time (I forgot the jerks name ) but he unjustly tormented Sittler for many years, Sittler was too classy to go toe toe with this guy in the media , but I feel Sittler deserves the honor.

[bduff54]

Harold ballard! Dave Keon refuses to come back and ge his jersey raised because of that guy.

[LALAFONTAINE]

The Leafs haven't even been the Cup final since expansion. No, they don't win. Maybe when 1/6 teams wins, they are successful.

So what number gets retired for Bourque in Boston? 7?

[thegame]

There are numbers that should be retired, like 99 in the NHL and 23 in the NBA. The two men who wore those numbers ARE bigger than their teams and the entire sport.

[bduff54]

what do you mean lafontaine? Why not number 77??

[The REAL Sabres]

i guess because Bourque wore 7 until Phil Esposito's # was retired.

[Thumper]

I just think retiring numbers is part of the game. 85% of all the teams in professional sports seem to do it. Just because there's a few that don't because of "team" reasons doesn't mean that the ones that do retire numbers are wrong for it. It's an opinion of all sports fans. Although I've never heard anyone make such an argument about retiring numbers, it's a good outlook. I can see your reasoning, LALA.

I personally don't mind the retiring of numbers the least bit....It's a way of the organization or franchise to recognize what an individual player did for them over the course of their career. Guys like Jim Kelly dedicated his entire life to the sport of football. His best years were when he came to Buffalo, the team grew around him, we went to 4 straight superbowls, and he became a hall of famer. He just may be the most "classic" Bill. A guy like him deserves to have his number retired. He's not "Above" the entire Bills organization for it......The Bills organization is recognizing him as a HUGE part of their history and showing respect to a guy that played for over a decade with 1 professional team and gave them his all. #12.

A guy like Ray Bourque getting his number retired in Colorado, in my opinion, is an example of abusing the retiring of numbers. He left his 1 true pro sports team for a Cup contender in his last year of play because he was getting old and wanted one more kick at the can. Well he got his Cup....That's fine. But to retire his jersey in Colorado is pathetic. Boston? Sure....But not Colorado.

Same goes for Hasek. His number should never be retired in Detroit. Only Buffalo.

I think the retiring of numbers has to do with a few things.....Longevity of a player with 1 team, what his accomplishments with that team were, and total domination of the position they played.

[bduff54]

i agree on hasek and bourque, you have to spend a reasonable amount of time with a team for your number to be retired in my opinion.

[LALAFONTAINE]

How about Lanny McDonald? Should his uniform be retired in Toronto, Calgary, both or neither? You know my opinion.