Evgeni Malkin
For years, he would close his eyes and kiss his cross necklace at the conclusion of the national anthem. "My mom gave it to me a long time ago," he said. "It's important to me."
Rickard Rakell
When doing a 'getting to know' interview with Rakell after he got traded here back in the spring, I asked about the gold chain I'd seen him wearing in photos. He said it's a reminder of family and home for the Swedish forward, as Rickard's mom Annika gave it to him.
And speaking of reminders… during another interview during training camp, Rakell said he'd actually forgotten about the necklace - then after I asked about it, he put it back on. Turns out my questions ARE good for something!
Bryan Rust
The winger only recently got the cross necklace that he now wears after becoming a dad for the first time to son Hunter, born in May 2021. "I just got it when I was starting to have a family," said Bryan, whose wife Kelsey is expecting their second child in March 2023.
Kasperi Kapanen
Kasperi got his #9 necklace made by a jeweler friend in Toronto during his time with the Maple Leafs to honor his grandpa Hannu Kapanen, a Finnish hockey legend that played nine seasons in the country's top professional league and represented Finland at the 1976 Olympics and Canada Cup.
"We're pretty close, he's like my best friend," Kasperi said. "His number was 9. I thought a single-digit number would look better on a necklace, and it's kind of my lucky number, so I got that. I think it looks pretty cool.
Teddy Blueger
Teddy's godfather, his dad's best friend, gifted him with a cross necklace after he was baptized in the summer of 2021. "I never take it off," Blueger said.
Tristan Jarry
Tristan and his wife Hannah have similar necklaces that feature numbers and a pendant with the other's initials. It started when she got a #4 with a heart around it for her dad, Kevin Hatcher, a former NHL defenseman who played 17 seasons split between Washington, Dallas, NY Rangers and Pittsburgh.
"Then her parents were like, get her a #35 for it. But I didn't want to do the exact same thing, so we got those gold pieces with our initials in it," Tristan said.
Hannah ended up gifting Tristan and his mom Michelle with those #35's, getting them from the team's official jeweler, Orr's Jeweler's.
Danton Heinen
When he broke into the league with Boston for the 2016-17 season, Heinen bought a cross necklace as a gift for himself. "I only take it off to sleep," he said.
Ryan Poehling
The forward has already had to get his cross necklace fixed this season, after the clasp broke during a road game earlier this year. His parents gave it to him three Christmases ago to replace the one he received after doing first communion as a kid.
