Ilya Bryzgalov To Wear Number 80 for Oilers

According to the Edmonton Oilers official Twitter account, new netminder Ilya Bryzgalov will sport the number 80 when he suits up for his new NHL club tomorrow against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

To say the number is random is like calling the netminder a little odd.  In other words, it’s a match.  The reasoning behind the number is speculated to be based on the year he was born, although that is unverified at this point. He has always donned the number 30 throughout his entire NHL career while playing in Anaheim, Phoenix and Philadelphia.

Of course Richard Bachman currently has the rights to number 30 and is placed on the injured reserve.  It’ll be interesting to note if Bryzgalov tried to compensate Bachman for the number or if the netminder who openly admitted to being terrified of bears chose his new number as a way to resurrect his career in the NHL.   A new number for a new beginning.

The reaction to the Bryzgalov signing has Oilers fans with a wide range of reaction with some feeling that the colorful character will only make the Oilers look like more of a joke.

Bryzgalov’s interesting train of thought was exposed when the Philadelphia Flyers were part of the HBO hit series 24/7 two years ago, providing fans with a behind the scenes look at the hockey players involved in the Winter Classic.

Choosing number 80 is right on par with Bryzgalov’s whacky character that was portrayed then and one can only hope that his distractions don’t further sink this Oilers club.

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