Oliver Ekman-Larsson gets banned from wearing number 91 by John Tavares
Photo credit: Toronto Maple Leafs on YouTube
All Oliver Ekman-Larsson ever wanted was to wear his number 91 that he sported with the Florida Panthers. Leafs John Tavares would have none of that.
John Tavares has already had to watch Auston Matthews strip the captaincy away from him, so there was no way he was ever going to give anything else up. Oliver Ekman-Larsson is preparing for his first season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and he's making one notable change: his jersey number. Previously sporting #91, which actually happens to be the number of Maple Leafs assistant captain John Tavares, Ekman-Larsson is sporting a new number: #95. There's some meaning to the new number.
"My brother is born '95, 1995. So I went with that," Ekman-Larsson said on Monday morning at the Maple Leafs' annual charity golf tournament in Milton, Ontario.
Oliver's brother Kevin Ekman-Larsson is also a pro player. Kevin played two seasons, 2017-2019, with the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL before returning to Sweden, where he has played three of the last four years.
When Kevin was with Tucson, Oliver was playing for Arizona. Having just signed on the dotted line with Toronto on July 1, inking a four-year, $14 million deal, Ekman-Larsson's excited for the new chapter of his career. He also reflected on the recent disbanding of the Arizona Coyotes franchise.
"I think it's sad for the fan base down in Arizona. They have been putting a lot of time and effort into that," the veteran defenseman said. "So I mean, it's a big part of who I am as well. So it's sad to see it go that way."
Oliver Ekman-Larsson has been skating with his new teammates since arriving in town a few weeks ago and is anxious about what's to come. He won a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers in June and is eager to bring that experience to the Leafs.
Source: Hockey Patrol
John Tavares forces new Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to change his number
John Tavares forces new Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to change his number
Previously on Hockey OTB
| POLL | ||
16 SEPTEMBRE | 44 ANSWERS Oliver Ekman-Larsson gets banned from wearing number 91 by John Tavares Should John Tavares have allowed Oliver Ekman-Larsson to wear #91? | ||
| Yes | 16 | 36.4 % |
| No | 28 | 63.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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