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Numbers In The Rafters

First, there's that awkward, goofy-smiled moment of a player's official introduction -- the uniform too clean and stiff, the number just an empty assignation. Then there are the years of sweat and motion. The playing years, when -- if a player is good and true, and a fan is loyal -- you start to feel something for his number. It takes on a life in these years. You follow it through the course of games, get to know the way it moves, identify with it, simply and intensely. The number insinuates itself into your waking and dreaming life in these years.

And last, and most lastingly, come the numbers in the rafters and on the walls -- the retired numbers. These numbers have weight and depth to them. Time gathers in them. They echo with whole eras, vibes and styles of play, with signature moves and classic moments. Hung high and set off, they're more than numbers, they're invocations of the things a player once did.

A number is just a handle. A number seems precise, but it's only a hint and an approximation. A number feels concrete.

We retire numbers out of respect for a player's accomplishments. We retire them because games have histories and the jerseys are a record of what's come before. But most of all, we retire them because the ritual -- the ceremonial letting go -- is a way of holding on, not only to the number itself (the steady, daily presence of which we miss), but to the distinctive bits of magic it practiced and the memories it inspires.

The retired number carries with it vestiges, traces. There's a kind of glow about it. You hang up a number because no one else can wear it, because no one else can fill it out. What accompanies the number belongs to the player, but it belongs to the fan, too. It's a product of his memory, his eye, his affinities and imaginings.

But more than call up the player's identity, a number, especially a retired number, can resonate ...

Blues Retired Numbers

From the first home game at The Arena: October 11, 1967 (Minnesota 2 at St. Louis 2). To the last: April 24, 1994 (Dallas 2 at St. Louis 1). These were the players honored.

• #3 - Bob Gassoff

  May 27, 1977, Twenty-four year-old Bob Gassoff was killed instantly when his motorcycle collides head-on with a car. He was returning from a memorial day barbecue hosted by St. Louis teammate Garry Unger.

• #8 - Barclay Plager

  A physical defensemen who starred for the Blues from 1967 to '77. He participated at four all-star games and served as team captain from 1970-72. Plager ranked first on the Blues all-time charts in games played, assists and penalties when he retired. Barc died Feb. 6, 1988 of a brain tumor.

  It's not who wins the fight that's important it's being willing to fight. If you get challenged and renege, everyone wants to take a shot at you.

  -Barclay Plager

• #11 - Brian Sutter

  The left wing was Captain for nine of his 12 seasons and remains the clubs all-time penalty minute leader while ranking second all-time in games and assists and third all-time in goals and points. His career NHL totals were 303 goals and 333 assists for 636 points in 779 games with 1,786 penalty minutes.

• #24 - Bernie Federko

  Bernie debuted in 1976-77 as he appeared in 31 regular season games, notching 23 points. He played 12 full seasons with the Blues. He notched seven 30-goal seasons, including a career high 41 in 1983-84, and he had nine seasons with at least 80 points, including a career best 107, also in 1983-84.

Names and numbers of players hanging from the rafters are retired numbers of great players over the course of each team’s history. A retired jersey number is the highest honor a player can achieve. When a number is retired, it will forever hang from the rafters and can never be worn by another player from that franchise again.

Honored, But Not Retired

Bernie Federko Autographed 8x10 Photograph (Unframed) This 8x10 color photo is hand signed by St. Louis Blues Hall of Famer Bernie Federko. All signatures are clean and come complete with Certificate of Authenticity and holofoil from Frozen Pond. In the event this exact image is sold out, an alternate photo of the same athlete will be shipped instead.

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