Your Favorite Number 29 - Chicago Wolves

March 10, 2021

Who first comes to mind when thinking about the Chicago Wolves and No. 29? We think we have a pretty good idea, but you might be surprised by the number of high-quality players who’ve worn this jersey over the years. Let’s enjoy another great episode of the Your Favorite Number series, presented by Jewel-Osco.

Over the course of the organization’s first 26 years, most Wolves jersey numbers have been shared by several great players. To celebrate their brilliance, we are creating highlight reels of Wolves who wore the same jersey number and asking you to vote for your favorite.

This week’s clips feature four Wolves who made a difference while wearing No. 29: Dan Currie, Chris LiPuma, Brett Sterling and Cody Glass.

Currie joined the Wolves for the organization’s second season and lived up to his billing as a big-time scorer. The Burlington, Ontario, native piled up 39 goals and 34 assists during the 1995-96 regular season, then added five goals in nine playoff games. Currie added 18 goals in a partial 1996-97 season to finish with 57 tallies and 44 assists in 134 games. He was the first Wolves player to score four goals in one game and he’s the only one to do it twice.

LiPuma, a 200-pound defenseman, was born in Chicago and grew up playing for local teams. He started his career in 1992 with the IHL’s Atlanta Knights, where Gene Ubriaco was his coach. LiPuma posted 379 penalty minutes during his rookie year — but also a +30 plus/minus rating. “When Chris steps on the ice, you count to seven seconds and then wait for the boards to shake,” Ubriaco told the Tampa Bay Times. After spending parts of five seasons in the NHL, LiPuma joined the Wolves and Ubriaco in 1998. In three seasons in his hometown, LiPuma contributed 2 goals, 19 assists, 468 penalty minutes and a +23 plus/minus rating — and helped the Wolves capture the 2000 Turner Cup.

Sterling joined the Wolves in 2006 with a reputation as an amazing goal-scorer based on his years with the U.S. National Team system and with Colorado College — but who would have guessed he’d stack up a league-best 55 goals (13 more than his closest pursuer) to earn the AHL’s Rookie of the Year award as well as a spot on the First All-Star Team? Over the course of seven seasons with the Wolves (spread out over three stints and 12 years), the Los Angeles native became the team’s greatest goal-scorer not named Steve Maltais. He ranks second on the Wolves’ all-time list for goals (193), third in games (408), fourth in points (362) and sixth in assists (169). And, of course, he earned a ring as a key contributor on the 2008 Calder Cup championship squad.

While Sterling played 408 regular-season games for the Wolves, Glass played just eight. The first draft pick in Vegas Golden Knights history made his professional debut with the Wolves on April 5, 2019 — four days after his 20th birthday — and scored a pair of goals against Milwaukee. After getting a taste of the AHL with six regular-season games, Glass stepped up during the postseason and stacked up 7 goals and 8 assists — including overtime winners in Game 1 against Iowa and Game 1 against San Diego — to help lead the Wolves to the 2019 Calder Cup Finals. He owns 3 goals and 6 assists in 18 games for Vegas this season.

To vote for your favorite Wolves player who wore No. 29, visit one or more of the team’s social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and make your opinion known!

If you missed any of the previous episodes, here they are: