Wesley's Jersey Retirement a Joke?
by Bob Wage on Feb 25, 2009 10:02 PM EST
6 comments
Earlier today, Puck Daddy ran an article questioning the legitimacy of the Glen Wesley jersey retirement ceremony. First of all, he implied that the ceremony might have been concocted just as a means to fill up seats.
We're in an age where teams are hurting at the gate, and an easy way to sellout your building is to bring a player from the past back by either a jersey honoring or retirement.
While there is little argument that the jersey retirement ceremony of a popular player will enhance attendance, the Canes have been selling out the RBC for recent games, even without the help of any extra pomp and circumstance.
- 2/12/09 18,680
- 2/14/09 18,680
- 2/17/09 18,680 (Wesley Night)
- 2/20/09 17,711
- 2/22/08 18,680
Then the author gives another possible reason for the honor:
The determining factor between both ceremonies seemed to be that Wesley and Graves were part of a Stanley Cup championship run and were good people off the ice, but should there be more to the standard?
I could be wrong here and I hate to speak for Jim Rutherford, but I don't think that winning the Stanley Cup had much to do with the decision to retire Wesley's number. Wesley probably would have been given the same honor, Cup run, or not.
The Puck Daddy article is a perfect example of why each individual team should have the freedom to make these decisions and the criteria should never be league mandated. Most hockey fans outside of the area and unfamiliar with the inner workings of the team might be totally clueless as to why Wesley would be chosen. And should that matter?
Most fans of the Canes seemed to agree wholeheartedly with the decision.
Not only did Wesley play more games in a Hurricanes jersey than any other player, he ranks 6th in NHL history for most games ever played by a defenseman. We won't even get into everything that he did locally to help to grow the sport in the area.
What do you think? Should the Hurricanes have retired Glen Wesley's jersey?
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I read that Puck Daddy article and started to forward it to you….. but I somehow knew you would be on top of it….
I think the Wesley jersey retirement was appropriate for many reasons…. He and a few others could be seen as pioneers who brought hockey to virgin territory and were instrumental in making it work…..
True that if Wesley played his entire career for the Rangers or Bruins he may not have had his jersey retired…. he also wouldn’t have his name on the Stanley cup….
And hockey may not have survived in a place like Raleigh without guys like Glen Wesley……
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Feb 25, 2009 10:44 PM EST reply actions
Plus its a team thing
Its not like the Canes were trying to get the entire league to retire the number/jersey. If a player means that much to a team and that teams fans then said team should be able to retire whatever number whenever they want to
Wait for the the 2009 Oaklands A's season to start I can not. Herh herh herh.
(Crossposted from the Puck Daddy blog comments)
Ron Francis, Glen Wesley, and soon to be Rod Brind’Amour will have their jerseys hang in the RBC Center rafters because they basically BUILT hockey in North Carolina. I wouldn’t expect anyone outside of Carolina fans to understand Wesley’s jersey retirement; I doubt I would get it either if I wasn’t a fan.
Twenty or thirty years from now, when the Carolina franchise has more of a history (in Raleigh) behind it, will players like Brind’Amour and Wesley have their jerseys retired? Probably not. But for now, it’s a no brainer, because they are really the founders of this team in North Carolina. I think ultimately those three players (Francis, Wesley, Brind’Amour) will be remembered as the drivers of the success of not just this team but this entire sport in the Triangle area. There has really been no questioning here of the Wesley jersey retirement, because I think everyone in this community understands what he meant to the franchise. The epitome of class and dedicated on and off the ice, and most of his contributions on the ice cannot be quantified because he transitioned to a defensive defenseman role after moving from Boston.
Ultimately, I think being such a major cog in the forming of a team in a new area AND a franchise’s first Stanley Cup is what makes Wesley’s circumstance special.
I think the problem is an outsider finds it too easy to look at the stats and make a determination of how good a player is. A quick look at Glen’s career plus-38 during his time on mostly mediocre Carolina teams (this doesn’t count Hartford) and plus-66 for his career and you’ll find the stat that reflects what he meant on the ice, not to mention his leadership and contributions to a new hockey market.
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by Cory Lavalette on Feb 26, 2009 11:02 AM EST reply actions
The great stay-at-home defensemen deserve as much respect as the goal scorers and goalies. Glen Wesley was an artist on the penalty kill and he was a hell of a shot-blocker, probably the best defensive defenseman this franchise will ever see . That’s got to count for something. If you’re not a Hurricanes fan, you might look at his stats and say, “so what?” If you didn’t watch him game in, game out, you can’t fully appreciate what he did for the Hurricanes on the ice and for hockey in North Carolina in general.
As for Graves, well, he broke a long-standing team record for goals in a season. I was juts getting into hockey when Graves came to New York, and he quickly became one of my favorite players. Hell, he was everyone’s favorite player. And like Wesley’s defensive acumen, Gravy’s off-ice charitable works have got to count toward his jersey retirement, not to mention the fact that he was an integral part of the Rangers’ first Stanley Cup in 54 years. And as with Wesley, someone who is not a Rangers fan won’t understand what he meant to the people of New York.
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