A history of Flames numbers: #93, Sam Bennett

Sam Bennett’s favourite player growing up was Doug Gilmour. Gilmour wore #93 for most of his career, so that’s the number Bennett went with.

Maybe #39 would have been fitting for Bennett, because that was Gilmour’s number in Calgary, the only team he won a Cup with. But Bennett’s an Ontario boy, and Gilmour wore #93 with the Leafs… and so, #93 sticks, especially since the Flames are open to higher numbers now.

He isn’t the first to wear #93, though. But it is the highest number any Flame has ever worn.

Bennett is the second player in Flames franchise history to wear #93:

Just forwards – and forwards who can play both the wing and centre, at that. Cammalleri’s preferred number is #13, though. In his return to the Flames in 2011-12, Olli Jokinen already had that number. Cammalleri got it back when Jokinen departed the following year.

It’s probably going to stay Bennett’s from here on out, though.

Obviously, right now it’s Cammalleri – but he has 14 years on Bennett. His NHL career started when Bennett was six years old. If it wasn’t Cammalleri, something would be very, very wrong.

Cammalleri is currently at .75 points per game; through one season, Bennett is at .48. He’s just getting started, though – and with a year of experience under his belt and a new coach ahead, we should start to see his own career start to take off.

Cammalleri is a good player, but Bennett hopefully has it in him to be better.