A new face was wearing an old number on Thursday.
Jonathan Drouin was sporting the number 29 on the back of his jersey, marking the first time in over 12 years an Islanders player not named Brock Nelson had worn it.
While Drouin didn’t initially set out to wear 29, the available numbers were limited, but he didn’t want to take over the number without checking with Nelson, who he briefly played with in Colorado, first.
That showed the respect Drouin, who signed a two-year deal with the Islanders over the summer, had for Nelson the person and Nelson the Islander. Nelson’s 901 games played are fourth in team history, while his 295 goals are fifth and his 574 points are eighth.
“When you've spent over 10 years in some place, the fan base obviously accepts you. They love you and he was a leader on this team,” Drouin said. “I just wanted to make sure it was okay with him and kind of get his approval. And he said it was fine.”
Now that it’s official, Drouin becomes the 13th player in team history to wear 29. Others include Jay Pandolfo – the last player to wear it before Nelson – former captain Kenny Jonsson and goaltender Jamie McLennan.
