SAN JOSE — Jonathan Drouin was about to play in the biggest tournament of his young life, so there was one number he definitely wanted to wear.
Drouin called his coach ahead of the Brick Invitational, one of the marquee youth hockey tournaments in Canada, to request No. 99. Turns out that one was already spoken for.
“The coach told me that ‘Dukes’ had already called him and asked for it,” Drouin said. “We both always wanted that number and we’d fight over it. I ended up wearing No. 87. It was such a super fun experience at that age.