Your Favorite Number 37

April 28, 2021

For our final episode of the Your Favorite Number series (at least one where you can vote), presented by Jewel-Osco, we feature an eclectic mix of candidates.

A No. 1 overall pick in the NHL Draft. A local boy made good who also can make a mean pizza. A young defenseman who recently scored his first NHL goal. A defenseman who helped the Wolves reach the Calder Cup Finals. It won’t be easy to determine the winner of Your Favorite Number 37.

This week’s clips feature four Wolves who made a difference while wearing No. 37: Rick DiPietro, Terry Broadhurst, Jake Walman and Zac Leslie.

In 2000, DiPietro became just the second goaltender in NHL history to be selected with the first pick in the draft. The New York Islanders liked him so much, they traded away young goaltender Roberto Luongo to make room for him. The righty-catching DiPietro made his professional debut with the Wolves on Oct. 7, 2000, and backstopped the team to an 8-3 victory at Cincinnati. DiPietro and Wendell Young split time in goal for the first two months of the season — and DiPietro fashioned a 4-5-2 record with a 3.39 goals-against average and .880 save percentage in 14 games for the Wolves. He made his final appearance for the Wolves on Jan. 21, 2001, then made his NHL debut with the Islanders six days later. The Massachusetts native spent 11 years with the Islanders before retiring in 2012-13.

Broadhurst and his younger brother, Alex, grew up in the Chicago hockey scene as big-time point producers. They also grew up working in the family’s pizzeria in Lockport, so their strong work ethic was built off the ice as well. Broadhurst signed with the Wolves for the 2014-15 and used his speed and skills to deliver 8 goals and 18 assists in 58 regular-season games. He then spent two seasons overseas before returning to the Midwest for three more AHL seasons and his current run with the ECHL’s Indy Fuel.

Walman arrived in Chicago near the tail end of the 2016-17 campaign after wrapping up his junior year at Providence College. The St. Louis Blues’ third-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft quickly was thrown into the lineup and proved a quick study — as the offensively gifted defenseman scored goals in his second and third professional games. Walman spent not quite a calendar year with the Wolves and contributed 4 goals and 12 assists in 47 regular-season games along with a pair of goals during the 2017 Calder Cup playoffs. Walman delivered his first NHL goal on April 7 for the Blues against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Speaking of the Golden Knights, the Wolves asked them to acquire Leslie from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for future considerations in February 2018. Leslie hadn’t been seeing the ice for the AHL’s Ontario Reign, but he quickly became a blue line staple for the Wolves. He produced just 1 goal in 26 games for the Reign, but delivered 5 goals in 27 regular-season appearances for the Wolves along with 1 goal and 2 assists in three 2018 Calder Cup Playoff appearances. Leslie went on to play a crucial role for the 2018-19 squad that rolled all the way to the Calder Cup Finals. He notched 2 goals and 14 assists during regular-season play, then appeared in all 22 postseason games and provided 2 goals with 4 assists — both goals coming in the Finals against the Charlotte Checkers.

To vote for your favorite Wolves player who wore No. 37, 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: