Today we’re 43 days away from the San Jose Sharks opening their season at the SAP Center against the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 9 at 10 p.m.

Because of that, let’s take a look at the players in franchise history who have worn the number 43. It’s been a fairly popular number, with 10 players wearing it since 1992. Since then, it’s popped up every few years, with the most recent time being 2022. So, let’s dive into it.

The first player to wear it was Ray Whitney, but he only used the number for one season with the team before switching to number 14. In his first season with the Sharks in 1991-92, he only played two games and picked up three assists, but after that he became more of a regular in the lineup. Over the next five years, he played 197 games and scored 48 goals and 70 assists for 119 points.

After his time with the Sharks, he went on to play for the Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings and Carolina Hurricanes, where he won the Stanley Cup in 2006. He also played for the Phoenix Coyotes and the Dallas Stars before retiring from hockey in 2013-14 at the age of 41.

The second player to wear number 43 was Jeff McLean in 1994. He played six NHL games and recorded one goal in that time. McLean actually wore both 42 and 43 during those six games with the organization.

Jan Čaloun was the third player to wear it in 1995-96. That season, he skated in 11 games and had eight goals and three assists. He would play two games with the Sharks in 1996-97 wearing number 91 but didn’t record a point. After his stint in San Jose ended, he played 11 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets and had three assists.

Al Iafrate was the fourth player to don the number for the Sharks. After spending the bulk of his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Iafrate eventually made his way to California and played for San Jose. He was with the organization for two seasons from 1996 to 1998, appearing in 59 games and scoring eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points. He also played for the Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins as well as the Maple Leafs.

Scott Hannan played 11 seasons with the Sharks and wore four different numbers during that time. He started out with number six during his rookie season in 1998-99. After that, he switched to 43 for the 1999-00 season before changing to number 22 for the next seven years. He went on to play for the Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, Capitals and Nashville Predators, but returned to the Sharks in 2012 wearing his fourth number, 27.

In 11 seasons with the Sharks, he played 626 games, scoring 30 goals and 116 assists for 146 points, along with 412 penalty minutes. That kind of longevity made him a steady presence in the lineup and a well-respected player in the locker room.

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The sixth player to wear number 43 was Matt Carkner, better known for his fists than his scoring touch. He only played one game with the Sharks in his first NHL season during 2005-06. He did manage to collect an assist in that game. He later played for the Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders.

Lukáš Kašpar was the seventh player to wear the number during the 2008-09 season. That ended up being his only NHL season. He played 16 games with the Sharks and scored two goals and two assists for four points.

John McCarthy played five seasons with the Sharks and, like others on this list, wore two numbers during his time with the team. In five seasons with the organization, he played 88 games and scored three goals and three assists for six points.

Taylor Fedun was the ninth player to wear number 43 during the 2014-15 season. He only played seven games with the Sharks and recorded four assists but no goals. Fedun also played for the Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres, Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins.

The last player to wear number 43 was John Leonard, who played two seasons for the team. During that time, he appeared in 58 games and scored four goals and 11 assists for 15 points. After his two seasons with the Sharks, he went on to play for the Nashville Predators and Arizona Coyotes.

We’re inching closer to the start of the NHL season, with training camps and preseason just around the corner. The Sharks are looking to have a bit of a bounce-back year and allow their younger stars to further develop. And with all the new additions this year, we just might see someone new skating in number 43 when the puck officially drops in October.

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