Rick Ley, Glen Wesley Retire the Same Number

Last week when the Carolina Hurricanes announced that they were going to retire Glen Wesley’s No. 2, they put the franchise in the unusual position of retiring the same number twice.

The Hartford Whalers retired Rick Ley’s No. 2 after he had played for the Whalers for a total of nine seasons, from 1972 to 1981.

The majority of those years were while the team was known as the New England Whalers and while they played in the now defunct WHA, the popular defenseman served as team Captain and one of the best players on the team.

Not to take anything away from Wesley who truly deserves the honor and distinction, but this can’t help, but bring up some old memories of Ley for the fans of the Whale.

Which leads to a question:

How much history, if any, should the Hurricanes recognize from their roots in New England?

Whether or not one is a Hartford Whaler fan, most hockey fans in general enjoy embracing the moment of a retired number in general.

It’s a shame that the move from Hartford was such an acrimonious one.

It seems that other teams who have moved have made their own choices about how to handle their history.

The Phoenix Coyotes recognize the retired numbers of the Winnipeg Jets, Hull, No. 9; and Steen, No. 25.

The Colorado Avalanche does not recognize the Quebec Nordiques retired numbers of Tremblay, No. 3; Tardif, No. 8; Goulet, No.16; and Stastny, No. 26.

Wesley recognized Ley’s retired number while he played in Hartford, because he wore number 20.

Congratulations to both number “2s”, the most recent one as well as the one from the often forgotten days.