Most iconic numbers in National Hockey League history – Part 6
Edmonton Oilers: No. 7
One of the great players in the history of Edmonton Oilers without a shadow of doubt is Paul Coffey. He wore the number seven shirt and certainly gave this number a special place in the hearts of many fans. He was brought into the Oilers in 1980 and stayed
there until 1987 when he was finally traded to Pittsburgh Penguins.
Coffey was the sixth draft in 1980 and certainly proved his worth right from the start. He started to get better and better with the passage of time and each game gave him a lot of confidence. He was part of 532 games played by the Oilers. He scored 209
goals and came up with 460 assists taking his totally points tally to 669.
However, he is remembered for the multiple records he made during his time with the Oilers. He has certainly outclassed other defensemen of his time as he made the record of most goals by a defenseman in a single season with 48 goals. He also holds the record
for most short hand goals by a defenseman in a single season with 9.
The 1985-86 season proved to be a glorious one for Coffey as he piled up records after records. He was also on the end of becoming the player to score most points in a single game with 8. He also had the longest points scoring streak by a player which extended
to 28 games that brought a lot of success for the Oilers.
His regular season was a marvellous one but the icing on the cake came when he became the defenseman to score most goals in the play-offs with 12, most assists with 25 and most points with 37. What is amazing is the fact that he did all this in one season
and in one play-off that makes him one of the most productive and skilful players to play for the Oilers.
New York Islanders: No. 31
Billy Smith of the New York Islanders is another one of the goalies in the list. He is one of the greatest goalkeepers in the team who has done quite a lot and brought about a lot of success for his side.
He was brought into the Islanders in 1972 as a result of the expansion draft from Los Angeles Kings.
He spent his entire time with the Islanders and retired from the National Hockey League stage in 1989. Smith played 675 games for the Islanders out of which he won 304. He came up with 22 shutout performances but he maintained a decent 3.16 goals against
average.
He moved to the Islanders in his fifth season in the National Hockey League and remained with them until the end of his career.
He has come across a lot of success that has seen him winning the Calder Cup in 1971.
He was selected in the All-Star Game in 1978 and then he was selected in the first All-Star team in 1982.
Vezina Trophy, the most prestigious goalkeeping award, was handed to Smith in 1983. He piled up quite amazing results that saw the Islanders winning the Stanley Cup in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983. He was also the first goalkeeper to be credited with a goal
in 1979.
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