Phoenix Coyotes Preseason Countdown: 25 Days

Despite the fact that no player has ever worn the number 25 in a Phoenix Coyotes uniform, the number is so important to the franchise that you can see it at every game in Jobing.com Arena. Thomas Steen wore the number 25 for 14 years from 1981 to 1995 with the Winnipeg Jets, and the Jets honored him by retiring his number on May 6, 1995. The Coyotes have continued to honor the traditions of Winnipeg including maintaining his number in the Ring of Honor at Jobing.com Arena.

Originally drafted by the Jets in 1979 in 5th round (103rd overall), Steen would not see NHL action until 1981. His entire NHL career was with the Jets, ultimately resulting in him playing in 950 regular season games, scoring 264 goals, and notching 553 assists for a total of 817 points. Currently, he is second overall in Coyotes/Jets history in points and first in assists.

Steen was the second person to have his number retired by the Jets, Bobby Hull had his number retired in 1989, however since Hull's number was un-retired for five games in the 2005-06 season, Steen remains the longest tenured retired number in the history of the franchise.

After retiring from the NHL, Steen played with the Frankfurt Lions for a few games during the 1995-96 season, and then spent three seasons with the Berlin Polar Bears, both teams with the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. He was also involved in a failed election campaign during the 2008 Canadian Federal Election as the candidate for the Conservative Party of Canada where he came in second securing 40.74% of the vote.