Some players around the NHL are known as “suitcases.”, essentially meaning guys that hop around the league and just can’t seem to settle onto one team. While it may come with feelings of being unloved, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Guys like Tomas Vanek have bounced around the league as trade pieces, flipped for value at the deadline. That shows a worth of its own, but it certainly makes it hard for a suitcase to endear themselves to a fan base.
For example, what jersey do you picture when you think of Lee Stempniak? There are 10 team options packed into his suitcase.
Then there’s the opposite, the players that are directly associated with a certain jersey or two.
When you think of Peter Forsberg, you think of him representing the Avalanche/Nordique franchise. When you think of Bobby Orr, the Boston Bruins automatically come to mind. Mats Sundin is one of the greatest Toronto Maple Leafs all-time.
Saying that, direct association with a team doesn’t necessarily mean that they exclusively played there. In fact, all three players mentioned above did briefly don other team jerseys. Here’s a look at some of the teams that may make you think “wait, he played where?”
Peter Forsberg
As teased above, we’ll start with Peter Forsberg. The Swedish legend spent almost his entire career with the Colorado Avalanche organization, but he also spent parts of two seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers. If that part has blown your mind, how would you feel if I told you he got traded off the Flyers during the 2006-07 season? By the way...
That’s right, he played a whopping 17 games with the Nashville Predators. He recorded 15 points in that time.
Bobby Orr
#4 will forever be Bobby’s number in Boston. He didn’t have a very long career, but he played enough in Boston to be a certified legend. What some people don’t know is that he actually played for another original six team as well, the Chicago Blackhawks.
Orr played a total of 26 games with the ‘Hawks, he scored 6 goals and also notched 21 assists in that time.
Mats Sundin
Known for his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Sundin also spent time on the Nordiques and (listen for Leafs fan's hearts to break right here) the Vancouver Canucks.
A quick Toronto Maple Leafs roundup
The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a habit of sliding into the exact theme of this category. Instead of doing each individually, we’ll just quickly round up a group of Leafs players that are much better known for their time elsewhere, and how many games they actually played in the blue and white.
Ron Francis (12 games), Brian Leech (15 games), Eric Lindros (33 games, also played 49 with the Dallas Stars), Phil Housley (1 game), Owen Nolan (75 games), Grant Fuhr (94 games), Joe Nieuwendyk (64 games), Olli Jokinen (6 games, he also played for the Kings, Islanders, Coyotes, Flames, Rangers, Jets, Predators, and Blues. What a suitcase).
No other team comes close to the Leafs’ level of “oh yeah….”
Martin Brodeur
This one wasn’t too long ago, so it likely hasn’t faded from people’s memories quite yet, but Martin Brodeur played just 7 NHL games not as a member of the New Jersey Devils. It was the St. Louis Blues crease he was protecting.
Todd Bertuzzi
Bertuzzi is mostly remembered for his blindside attack on Steve Moore, meaning a lot of people would associate him with the Vancouver Canucks. He also spend a number of years on the Detroit Red Wings, and began his career with a few seasons on the New York Islanders, but do you remember the season he spend with the Calgary Flames? Or the Anaheim Ducks? How about the 7 games he played as a member of the Florida Panthers?
David Legwand
Legwand played in Nashville from 1998 until 2014 when he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings. If it’s not strange enough to think back to Legwand in a Wings jersey, how about an Ottawa Senators? Or a Buffalo Sabres? Yup, he spent one season on each.
Sergei Fedorov
Legwand may not be remembered for his time in Detroit, but Sergei Fedorov definitely is. The Russian forward sits 6th on the Red Wings all-time scoring list, notching 954 points in 908 games.
Dive a little deeper, and you may remember Fedorov on the Columbus Blue Jackets for parts of three seasons. Beyond that, he also recorded 66 points as an Anaheim Duck, and another 46 as a Washington Capital.
Wendel Clark
Leafs legend Wendell Clark is perfect for this article, because he likely has multiple teams that you have nearly no chance of remembering. Clark played for the Quebec Nordiques for 37 games, followed by 58 games with the New York Islanders, before being traded back to the Leafs in 1996.
But that’s not all, Clark also split a season between the Tampa Bay Lightning (65 games) and… this is true… the Detroit Red Wings (12 games).
One more for you, Clark spent 13 games with the Blackhawks before rejoining the Leafs for the final 20 games of his career.
Olaf Kolzig
Olli the Goalie endeared himself to hockey fans during his long tenure with the Washington Capitals. What most people likely don’t remember is the 8 games he played as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning, recording a 3.66 GAA, and a 0.898 save percentage.
Evgeni Nabokov
Another Tampa Bay Lightning goalie you likely forgot about is Evgeni Nabokov. After spending most of his career with the Sharks, and a few seasons with the Isles, Nabokov played a total of 11 games for the Lightning.
Jari Kurri
Known for lighting up the league alongside Wayne Gretzky, Kurri also played 14 games on the Rangers, along with a full season with the Ducks, and another with the Avs.
Teemu Selanne
Another Finnish legend you may have forgotten played for the Avs. So did his Ducks linemate Paul Kariya.
Ales Hemsky
Hemsky is most well known for his time with the Edmonton Oilers, and a little for the Dallas Stars, but he also represented the Ottawa Senators for 20 games and, most recently, the Montreal Canadiens for 7.
Chris Kunitz
Kunitz has popped around the league a bit, playing for the Ducks, Penguins, Lightning, and now the Blackhawks. We would be very, very impressed if you remembered the two games he played for the Atlanta Thrashers.
Martin St. Louis
Before starting his illustrious career in Tampa Bay, St. Louis was a member of the Calgary Flames. He played a total of 69 games for Calgary, recording 20 total points.
Wade Redden
A staple on the Ottawa Senators blue line for 11 years, most remember him in the old school Sens jersey donning the #6. He eventually went to the New York Rangers for couple years before joining the St. Louis Blues for 23 games and, finally, the Boston Bruins for 6!
Mike Modano
One man who many consider to be the greatest American hockey player of all time actually spent 40 games on an organization other than the Dallas Stars. That team was the Detroit Red Wings, where he recorded 15 points. Some may argue he should have played 41...
Ed Belfour
More than just a legend for Chicago, Dallas, and Toronto, the Eagle also played a season with the Florida Panthers to close out his career. Oh, and don’t forget when he spent 13 games on the San Jose Sharks.
Paul Coffey
Paul Coffey memorably spent time on a number of teams, but do you remember him as a Carolina Hurricane? What about a Flyer, a King, a Whaler? In addition, he spend 18 games on the Bruins, and 10 on the Hawks.
Claude Lemieux
18 games on the San Jose Sharks. Who knew?
Theo Fleury
One of the NHL’s shortest players made a name for himself with his feisty play as a member of the Calgary Flames and the New York Rangers. In between those teams, he played 15 games on the Avs. He finished his career with most of a season on the ‘Hawks.
Wayne Gretzky
Let’s wrap this up with everyone’s favourite trivia answer, the Great One spent one season on the St. Louis Blues before heading to New York. You probably knew this one.
