Its a tradition practically as old as the sport itself: a hockey team led onto the ice by a goaltender wearing No. 1. From Jacques Plante to Glenn Hall to Johnny Bower, goalies wearing the simple number were the starting point of rosters for decades.If you were a goalie, you wore No. 1. Thats just how it was.Operative word here being was.Todays goalies have gone in a different direction when it comes to the digits on their back. And the result has almost eliminated the No. 1 altogether.As a kid, I always had 1, said former goaltender and current broadcaster Brian Hayward, who wore the number for almost his entire 11-year NHL career. Every time the goalie was 1, so I just stuck with it. It almost became like an expectation for me.The No. 1 goalie wore 1. Another reason why you wanted that number. You wanted to say, Im the No. 1. Thats the way I looked at it.Its believed that goalies were given the No. 1 because they were the first player on a rink when looking from the net outward. When a goalie was injured, for instance, the replacement goalie would also wear No. 1.The numbering system changed when roster expansion required teams to field two goaltenders. The most notable change occurred in 1964, when legendary goaltender Terry Sawchuk joined the Toronto Maple Leafs. With Bower already wearing No. 1, Sawchuk went with No. 24 before taking on No. 30 and forever changing the numbers associated with goalies.The Chicago Blackhawks Tony Esposito wore No. 35, and goaltenders began gravitating increasingly toward the 30s thanks to Patrick Roy, whose usual No. 30 was worn by Chris Nilan when he joined the Montreal Canadiens as a rookie, forcing Roy to go with No. 33. Roys legendary exploits in Montreal and with the Colorado Avalanche truly began a wave of iconic goalies wearing numbers that were uniquely theirs.When you saw a guy wearing 33 youd go, Wow, hes wearing 33, Hayward said. Im sure a lot of kids wear 33 because of Pat. Ken Dryden was 29. A lot of guys, if they had a favorite [goalie], would go in that direction.Today, the No. 1 has mostly gone the way of the two-pad stack. At the beginning of December, only seven goalies were wearing the number. Its a dramatic shift from just 25 years ago, when more goalies wore the number during the 1991-92 season, despite the NHLs fielding only 22 teams. Six teams have retired the No. 1 (not including the?Minnesota Wild, who retired the number in honor of their fans), which also pushed goalies to be creative when it came to picking a number.After being forced to abandon the number last season with the Canadiens, who retired the number in honor of Plante, Mike Condon was thrilled to get it back this season. He took back the number with the Pittsburgh Penguins and retained it after being traded to the Ottawa Senators.Its just the number I wore in high school and the number I wore in college, he said. Any chance I get to wear it, Im going to grab it. I think its old-school. I just like it.The number is certainly a throwback, especially with the Florida Panthers Roberto Luongo, who at 37 is the leagues oldest goaltender, wearing it. In fact, there are almost as many goalies in the league wearing No. 40 and No. 41 (four each) as there are wearing the number that historically defines the position. Others wearing the No. 1:?Jonathan Bernier of the Los Angeles Kings, Brian Elliott of the Calgary Flames, Semyon Varlamov of the Colorado Avalanche, Keith Kinkaid of the New Jersey Devils and Thomas Greiss of the New York Islanders.But some goalies forced to take on the single digit have come to love the loneliest number.Ive loved No. 1 since Ive gotten it, said Kinkaid. I like the single digit. Its grown on me quite a bit. Its simple. My last name is only seven [letters], so I think if I had two numbers, it would go outside the seven.Kinkaid wore No. 1 when he starred at Sachem High School East in Farmingville, New York. The school even retired the number in his honor. But he switched to No. 30 when he enrolled at Union College, a number he couldnt wear with the Devils thanks to a certain goalie named Martin Brodeur. Kinkaid switched to No. 35, which was eventually taken by current starter Cory Schneider after he was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks. With the Devils still among the few teams restricting which numbers players can wear, Kinkaid was given his old high school number.But not every goalie forced by the Devils to wear the number took so kindly to the change.I didnt like it. I think its a boring number, said former NHL goaltender and current broadcaster Kevin Weekes. Its just a boring-looking number, but I respect the history of the guys who have worn it, of course.Weekes was first assigned No. 1 by the Panthers when he came to the NHL in 1997-98, but he had worn double zero in junior hockey and the minors. The NHL doesnt allow the single or double doughnut because they cannot be registered in the leagues database. So, when he came to the New York Islanders in 1999, Weekes switched to No. 80, which he figured was as close to double zero as he could get.When it comes to traditional numbers, the Devils and Kinkaid have proved to be the exception. Whereas goalies typically expressed themselves through the art on their mask, some of the NHLs best have taken to doing that through their number.Maybe its not cool anymore to wear No. 1. For me, I always look for it, Hayward said.Many star goalies have gone off the conventional radar when it comes to their number, including the Blackhawks Corey Crawford (No. 50), the Columbus Blue Jackets Sergei Bobrovsky (No. 72), the Tampa Bay Lightnings Andrei Vasilevskiy (No. 88) and the Washington Capitals Braden Holtby (No. 70). Their influence could ultimately make the traditional No. 1 even less popular with todays up-and-coming goaltenders.I think a lot of guys with big numbers have them for a reason, Condon said. They have a story behind it.I dont really have anything like that. I just want the simplest number out there. Simple, to the point, succinct. No wasted energy there.Of course, Condon said there is one other number he would consider.Im just old-school, but Id do double zero if I could. Air Max Destockage . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise. Air Max Pas Cher En Ligne .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. http://www.airmaxpaschersite.fr/basket-air-max-90-outlet.html .J. -- Marshawn Lynch said Thursday it will be good to get back to football after the Seattle quiet talking running back wrapped up his final mandatory media session of Super Bowl week. Basket Air Max 720 Pas Cher . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. Air Max 270 Moins Cher . Jason Zucker and Matt Cooke also scored for Minnesota, which has won five of six. Kuemper made five saves in the first, nine in the second, and nine in the third. The rookies best save came with 2:17 left in the third period when he denied former Wild forward Matt Cullen from just outside of the crease on the right side. The All Blacks have a world record on the line, Ireland need to establish depth and Italy need a good fly-half. We take a look at the burning issues facing each nation ahead of their autumn internationals.Argentina A Rugby Championship that started off with so much promise ended in disappointment. They should have beaten South Africa in Nelspruit in the opening game, having led with 10 minutes remaining, but the victory in the return fixture showed the talent they possess.Their error count however, cost them dearly against Australia and the Boks, while the gulf in class was on show when they took on the All Blacks. But the improvements are there to be seen for a team that up until recently didnt have regular Tests at international level.They will continue to reap the rewards of participation in the Rugby Championship and the Jaguares introduction to Super Rugby. Fixtures against Japan, Wales, Scotland and England might provide a better indication of where they stand. If they manage to cut their unforced error count, it will be an interesting month. - Killian OConnorAustralia After a poor series with England and twin Bledisloe hammerings, Australia slowly started to turn things around towards the end of the Rugby Championship. But their best period of play came in the first 45 minutes of Bledisloe III in Auckland two weeks ago.While the final scoreline blew out significantly, the Wallabies had earlier made heavy inroads through the middle of the All Blacks defence and thus created space for their backs to work in.Fly-half Bernard Foley later told ESPN at the John Eales Medal he felt as though the Wallabies were finally starting to nail their shape and that their attack wasnt too far away from clicking. If Australia can make similar ground through the middle and execute out wide, then they may be able to end a horror year on a slightly rosier note. - Sam BruceEngland While Eddie Jones tenure saw England end their Grand Slam drought, one area he is yet to solve is the openside conundrum.When he took on the job, he said hed use short-term stop-gaps to fill the No.7 berth - a role James Haskell did so well in during their June tour of Australia - but the recent injury pandemic in the England side shows they are still yet to really work out what they are doing with the openside berth.Come Nov.12, they will be without five potential opensides. Haskell, Jack Clifford, Mike Williams and Sam Jones are all sidelined and Maro Itoje was suggested as an option for the No.7 shirt but he too is injured. Teimana Harrison and Tom Wood will vie for the openside spot but even if the above had all been fit, there is no clear second choice option behind Haskell.?One perspective would be to see this as depth but another could argue there are a lack of contenders hammering on the No.7 door trying to replace Haskell. It is something on Jones radar and he will be keeping a close eye on the spot throughout the November Tests. - Tom HamiltonFrance The same question which hangs over French clubs in Europe, hangs over their national team. The question of which team will decide to show up.Will it be the one which dominated and beat Argentina to nil towards the end of June or the one which looked lethargic in defeat to Argentina a week earlier? Guy Noves hasnt had the best of starts as French coach with defeats to Wales, Scotland and England preceding the summer defeat to Argentina.The immense talents of Wesley Fofana, Gael Fickou and Maxime Medard have barely been seen at international level while the often erratic kicking of Sebastien Bezy, Jules Plisson and Baptiste Serin is an area that needs to be addressed.Noves will need to get his players to be consistent against Samoa, New Zealand and Australia to build towards the Six Nations. - KOCIreland The disappointment of a 2-1 series defeat to South Africa in the summer remains firmly in the mind of Joe Schmidt. A winnable series slipped away and ending a winless streak against the All Blacks that stretches back to 1905 is now on the horizon.With autumn Tests (New Zealand twice, Canada and Australia), for a team used to three, it could provide Schmidt with a chance to blood new players. Their vulnerability in key positions was evident in the Rugby World Cup and since, when injuries to the likes of Johnny Sexton left a void.The inability to drop players comes from the same problem, that there has been little competition for places, with the tried and tested given precedence over building competition in the squad.ddddddddddddhat said, the introduction of Garry Ringrose and Joey Carbery at Test level is an exciting prospect. Sextons fitness will be once more crucial to their chances of upsetting the All Blacks and Australia. A start for Carbery against Canada could answer his ability to play at a higher level. - KOCItaly The fly-half question forever dogs Italy as they continue their annual search for Diego Dominguezs successor at No.10.Carlo Canna has the potential to step up but that Italy were looking at Alex Lozowski - now part of the England set up - suggests they are trying to establish a couple of options with Tommaso Allan another with eyes for the fly-half jersey.They have lacked consistency and class in that area and another box to tick on Conor OSheas to-do list will be to establish the next generation of leaders when Sergio Parisse eventually retires from Test duty. They need to build that experience in the younger group of players so they have a continuity plan building to the 2019 World Cup. - THNew Zealand With the all-time Tier One Test winning streak safely tucked away, its about staying perfect now for Steve Hansens all-conquering All Blacks. It looks an attainable mission, too, with the second Test against Ireland surely their toughest challenge on tour.They have a host of players capable of doing the job over the four Tests, but Hansen will also look to broaden his playing base - a task already underway with the selection of Scott Barrett for this weekends Test in Chicago - and get some further experience into those whove already made the step up this season.Hansen prepared for the transition post McCaw and Carter long before they departed, he has already begun the process to negotiate another changeover in a few years time. - SBScotland The Scottish Rugby Union may have avoided disaster in their dispute with Premiership Rugby - ensuring that their English-based players have been made available this autumn - but there remains a question mark over how the players involved in Vern Cotters squad will handle their coachs impending departure.Will knowing that the Kiwi is to be replaced with Gregor Townsend next summer liberate those in dark blue, or lead them to down tools? Cotters reign has not been a failure by any stretch - they have beaten Argentina, France and Japan and came within a questionable refereeing decision of the World Cup semifinal.However, it has not quite hit the heights that were expected when he was appointed amid much effort and expense. It would be a shame if the positive momentum generated around the World Cup was allowed to ebb away. - Martyn ThomasSouth Africa The problems within South African rugby extend well beyond how horribly the Springboks have performed this season, but it is up to the players and coaches now to at least inspire some positivity back in the Republic.After beginning his tenure with the brief to play attacking rugby, Allister Coetzee quickly discovered his personnel dont possess the skills to do so and was forced to revert back to the tried and tested bash-and-barge approach.If that is to be the plan going forward, then the Springboks require far more from a pack that has been outperformed on just about every occasion this season. Only once the Springboks have achieved something close to parity up front can they consider overhauling their attack, as that challenge will take far more time than the month they have up north. - SB.Wales Autumn has often been a time of frustration for Wales under Warren Gatland, but with their head coach away on British & Irish Lions duty, this month could provide a glimpse into what the future holds.Gatland is due to step down following the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and succession planning will only become a bigger issue between now and Japan. Interim head coach Rob Howley will be one name in the frame, and will therefore be keen to stake his claim with a successful November.With senior players such as Sam Warburton and Taulupe Faletau currently sidelined, there is also an opportunity for younger members of the squad to cement their place on the road to Japan, and beyond. The Welsh Rugby Union has not made things easy in that regard, though, with Australia, Argentina, Japan and South Africa all visiting Cardiff this month. - MT ' ' '