Nikita Zadorov received his Boston Bruins jersey for the first time Monday morning.
The imposing 6-foot-6, 248-pound defenseman, who met with the media at Warrior Ice Arena after signing a reported six-year, $30 million contract last week, wore a gold No. 91 on the back of his Bruins sweater, a number Zadorov hasn’t been associated with in his 11-year NHL career.
Zadorov wore No. 16 for more than seven seasons with the Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks, and Calgary Flames. However, Zadorov’s options with the Bruins were limited because Rick Middleton’s numbers had been retired.
So Zadorov decided to continue with No. 91, which he wore with the Vancouver Canucks last season.
“Upside down 16,” Zadorov told reporters, according to MassLive’s Matt Vautour. “I’ve worn 16 on almost every squad I’ve ever been on. That’s the worst part about being a member of the Original Six. Many numbers are retired. There is a lot of history, obviously. When I was traded to Vancouver, we discussed it because it was also retired there. So 1991 was good, and we had a good year in Vancouver. So we decided to wear it here, too.”
Marc Savard wore No. 91 for the Bruins more than a decade ago, the last time. Zadorov is aware of this background since he knows Savard, who worked as an assistant coach for the Flames last season.
I know Marc Savard wore it. “He was my coach last year,” Zadorov explained. “I need to text Savvy.” “I stole his phone number.
The Bruins will hope that the number will result in the same large-scale productivity from Zadorov. During the 2023-24 season, the 29-year-old scored six goals and assisted on 14 others, totaling 20 points.
