The Tampa Bay Lightning are now only three days away from their regular season opener against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 9.
Because of this, let’s take a look at all 12 players who have sported No. 3 for the Lightning their franchise history.
Doug Crossman, D (1992-93)
Doug Crossman sported No. 3 for the Lightning during the 1992-93 season. In 40 games with the Lightning that season, he recorded eight goals, 29 points, and a minus-4 rating. He finished that season with the St. Louis Blues.
Shawn Rivers, D (1992-93)
Shawn Rivers also wore No. 3 for the Lightning when called up to their roster during the 1992-93 season. In four games with the Lightning that season, he recorded two assists and a minus-2 rating. This would be his only experience at the NHL level.
Eric Charron, D (1993-94 to 1995-96)
Eric Charron would be the next player to sport No. 3 for the Lightning, as he did from 1993-94 to 1995-96. In 63 games over three seasons as a member of the Lightning, the 1988 first-round pick recorded one goal, five points, and 46 penalty minutes.
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Pavel Kubina, D (1997-98 to 1998-99)
Pavel Kubina wore No. 3 during his first two seasons with the Lightning in 1997-98 and 1998-99. From there, he wore No. 13 for the Lightning for the remainder of his two stints with the Atlantic Division club. In 662 games over 10 seasons with the Bolts, the left-shot defenseman recorded 72 goals, 171 assists, and 243 points.
Sami Helenius, D (1998-99)
The next Lightning player to wear No. 3 was defenseman Sami Helenius. The 1992 fifth-round pick did so briefly during the 1998-99 season, where he recorded one goal, 15 penalty minutes, and a minus-3 rating in four games.
Sergey Gusev, D (1998-99 to 1999-00)
After being acquired from the Dallas Stars during the 1998-99 season, Sergey Gusev wore No. 3 for the Lightning. However, he later changed to No. 11 during his final season for the Lightning in 2000-01. In 58 games over three seasons with the Lightning, he recorded three goals, six assists, and nine points.
Grant Ledyard, D (2000-01 to 2001-02)
The next Lightning player to wear No. 3 was defenseman Grant Ledyard. He sported the number during each of his two seasons with the Bolts in 2000-01 and 2001-02. In 67 games over his two seasons with Tampa Bay, he recorded three goals, five assists, eight points, 24 penalty minutes, and a minus-10 rating.
Marc Bergevin, D (2002-03)
After being acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2002-03 season, Marc Bergevin wore No. 3 for the Lightning. However, he made just one appearance for the Bolts that season, where he recorded zero points and a minus-2 rating. He previously wore No. 25 during his first stint with the Lightning from 1992-93 to 1994-95. In 206 games over two stints and four seasons with the Lightning, he recorded five goals, 31 assists, 36 points, 204 penalty minutes, and a minus-29 rating.
Doug Janik, D (2006-07 to 2007-08)
The next Lightning player to wear No. 3 was defenseman Doug Janik, as he did during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons. In 136 games over two seasons with the Lightning, he recorded three goals, 12 assists, 15 points, and 98 penalty minutes.
Ty Wishart, D (2008-09)
Ty Wishart was the next Lightning player to sport No. 3, as he did during the 2008-09 season. In five games with the Lightning that campaign, the 6-foot-4 defenseman posted one assist, three hits, and four blocks.
Keith Aulie, D (2011-12 to 2013-14)
Keith Aulie would be the next Bolt to wear No. 3, as he did during his entire three-year stint with the club from 2011-12 to 2013-14. In 79 games with the Lightning, the 2007 fourth-round pick recorded two goals, seven assists, nine points, 82 penalty minutes, and 145 hits.
Fredrik Claesson, D (2020-21 to 2021-22)
The most recent player to sport No. 3 for the Lightning was defenseman Fredrik Claesson. The 2011 fifth-round pick wore it during each of his two seasons with the Lightning in 2020-21 and 2021-22. In 11 games with the Lightning over that span, he recorded zero points, 11 blocks, 14 hits, and a minus-4 rating.