Gavin McKenna called the 'O-Dog' to ask him if he could take #92 and the former Maple Leaf had absolutely no issues letting his old number go.
There's a lot of speculation over what number Gavin McKenna was going to pick now that Sergei Bobrovsky was signed. The rookie relinquished the number to the two-time Cup winner and there was chatter about whether or not he would take #12, #92, #00; who knows? All we knew is his backup plan was out of the cards and he needed to pick.
Gavin McKenna chooses #92 after his backup plan hangs high in Scotiabank Arena
Well, he didn't take too long to choose and it was revealed he chose #92 with his reasoning being that he would be able to still keep remnants of #72, and with his #9 already in the rafters, it's a way to combine both:
I'm going to go number 92. I said that 9 and 27 are up in the rafters and wanted to have a little bit of both in there. So 92, 9 replacing the 7.
-
Not a real extensive piece of reasoning from McKenna and it really doesn't matter what number he plays under, he'll have the Maple Leafs logo on the front. Though you do need to feel at least a little bit empathetic towards those fans who jumped the shark a little early and bought McKenna's jersey with the #72 already emblazoned.
The reason McKenna can't have his chosen backups is pretty simple. Frank Mahovlich's #27 is retired as is the dual-retirement of both Ted Kennedy's and Charlie Conacher's #9; Alex Nylander wore #92 for the Maple Leafs when he appeared in the NHL.
Gavin McKenna's post-dinner chat with Jeff O'Neill leads to a brand new jersey number
But it was how he went about getting that number that is a bit humorous. McKenna had to FaceTime former Maple Leafs forward and current TSN analyst Jeff O'Neill to ask for permission to get the number despite O'Neill only playing for a short period of time.
The 'O-Dog' wasn't too hard to convince though as he pretty much gave it up as soon as he realized the situation:
Last night I got a FaceTime after dinner. Gavin asked if it was cool if he wore the number. I said it's the only way to go son. LFG.
-
Granted, the number isn't as iconic as some others and McKenna didn't exactly have to ask for permission but it does show the level of respect and maturity that we have seen from the rookie in the past.
It will be a lot of fun watching McKenna this training camp, and it'll be a little adjustment period seeing #92 and knowing it's the rookie phenom. But just watching what he'll do will all but tell you exactly who is on the ice.
What number should Gavin McKenna have chosen?
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
The Kraken are expected to move on from Shane Wright and John Chayka should be the first call