A Series: Looking into Avalanche and Nordiques Player Numbers: Number 4

Unlike the number three, there have been a number of men who have chosen to wear the number four on their backs. Yesterday, the majority of MHH'ers said they believed that Karlis Skrastins wore the number three the best. Who do you think wore number 4 the best? There are a number of worthy guys to chose from.

Paul Baxter: Paul was a defenseman drafted in the first round of the WHL draft, then in the third round of the NHL Draft. Paul played with the Nordiques from 1977 to 1980. If you want a bad boy, he's probably your guy. In 1977 he played 66 games and had a rather large 244 penalty minutes to go along with his 23 points. In 1978 he played 76 games had 35 points and 240 penalty minutes. In 1979 he played in 76 games, had 46 points and 240 penalty minutes. He was also a -5. In 1980 he played in 61 games, had 145 penalty minutes, 20 points and was a -27.

Terry Carkner: Terry was drafted 14th overall in 1984. He played for the Nordiques in 1988, he played in 63 games, had 27 points, had 159 penalty minutes and was a -8.

Kim Clackson : In 1981 Kim played his only season with the Nordiques. He was a defenseman that appeared in 61 games, had 5 points, 204 penalty minutes, and was a -3.

Jean Hamel : Jean played for the Nords in 1982 and 1983. The defenseman played 40 games in 1983 amassing 7 points, 32 penalty minutes and was a +3. In 1983 he played 51 games, was a +11, had 38 penalty minutes and had 9 points.

Mike Hurlbut : In 1994 Mike played his only game in Nords gear, and he was a -1 on the night.

Uwe Krupp : There is a lot to be said about Uwe, one of which is that the Colorado Avalanche need to thank Scotty Bowman for discovering him. This towering German is best remembered for his timely goal in third overtime (!) during the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals. After his goal, the Avalanche got to hold the Stanley Cup for the first time.

In 1995 Uwe played in Nords gear for 44 games, had 23 points, 20 penalty minutes, and more importantly, was a +14. In 1996, he only played in 6 regular season games - in those six games he 3 points, 4 penalty minutes and was a +4. Aside from being the man to score the last goal of the 1996 Cup Finals, he played in 22 playoff games, had 16 points and 33 penalty minutes. In 1997 he played in 60 games, had 21 points, 48 penalty minutes and was a +12. In his last year in Avalanche gear he played in 78 games, had 31 points, 38 penalty minutes and was a +21.

Brad Maxwell : Brad played for the Nordiques in 1985. He earned 31 points, 119 penalty minutes and was a +22 for the season.

David Shaw : David was a defenseman with the Nordiques between 1983 and 1987. In 1983 he played in 2 games and was a -1. In 1984 he played 3 games and was a +2. In 1985 he played in 14 games, had 11 penalty minutes and was a -5. In 1986 he played in 73 games - finally earning his first NHL assist and goal. He finished the season with 26 points, 78 penalty minutes and was a +14.

Greg Smyth : Greg played with the Quebec Nordiques from 1989 to 1992. In 1989 he played 10 games, had one point, 70 penalty minutes and was a -9. In 1990 he played in 13 games, had 57 penalty minutes, and was a -8. In 1991 he played 1 game. In 1992 he played in 29 games, had 2 points, 138 penalty minutes and was a -10. While on the Nords he didn't score a goal.

Mikhail Tatarinov :Mikhail played on the Nords in 1992 and in 1993. In 1992 he played 66 games, had 38 points, 72 penalty minutes and was a +8. In 1993 he played in 28 games, had 8 points, 28 penalty minutes and was a +6.

John Van Boxmeer : Johnhas the distinction of playing both for the Rockies and the Nordiques. In 1984, when he suited up for the Nordiques, he played in 18 games, had 8 points, 12 penalty minutes and was a -1.

Rob Blake: Rob was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in 2001. Just the right time to hoist the Cup with the rest of the team. During the regular season he played 13 games with the Avalanche, had 10 points, 8 penalty minutes, and was a +11. In the 23 playoff games he had 19 points. In 2002 he played in 75 games, had 56 points, 58 penalty minutes and was a +16. In 2003 he played in 79 games, had 45 points, 57 penalty minutes, was a +20. In 2004 he played in 74 games, had 46 points and 61 penalty minutes. He was a +6 for the season. In 2006 he played 81 games earning himself 51 points, 94 penalty minutes, and was a +2.

John-Michael Liles : John-Michael only wore the number 4 for part of his Avalanche career. The following stats list only the time spent in number four. John wore the number 4 from 2007 to 2011. Previously he had worn number 26, but when Paul Stastny came up he switched it up so that Paul could wear the same number as his father.

In 2007 he played in 71 games, had 44 points, 24 penalty minutes and was a +/- 0. In 2008 he played 81 games, had 32 points, 26 penalty minutes and was a +2. In 2009 he played in 75 games, had 39 points, 31 penalty minutes, and was a -19. In 2010 he played in 59 games, had 31 points, 39 penalty minutes and was a -2. In 2011 he played 76 games, had 46 points, 35 penalty minutes and was a -9.

Nolan Pratt: Nolan played for the Colorado Avalanche in 2001. He played in 46 games, had 3 points, 40 penalty minutes, and was a +2.

Cam Russell: Cam played for the Colorado Avalanche in 1999. He appeared in 35 games, had 3 points, 84 penalty minutes, was a +5.