Senators by the Numbers: #5

It's time for #5. The number has been pressed into service frequently for the Sens. Again, only defensemen have worn #5 for the Sens (unless you count Jack of all trades Christoph Schubert as a winger only; I for one try not to think about him).

Ken Hammond D 1992-1993

A Senator during the team's inaugural season, Ottawa was Hammond's last stop in his NHL career and the 8^th team he played for. Hammond wore 9 different numbers during his NHL career, including 5 different numbers with the Los Angeles Kings. He played his college hockey for the RPI Engineers and completed a degree in Civil Engineering as well as his M.B.A.

Radek Hamr D 1993-1994

Hamr's second appearance in this series is also his last. Described as a smooth-skating powerplay quarterback, Hamr's career ended a few seasons ago after a severe knee injury limited his playing time.

Kerry Huffman D 1993-1994, 1994-1995, 1995-1996

Another repeat. Like Hamr, Huffman's first appearance was in the #2 post. While Kerry only briefly wore the #2 for Ottawa, he spent 3 seasons wearing #5. Huffman never played a full season for the Sens and was traded to Philadelphia in March of 1996, for future considerations.

Chris Phillips D 1997-1998

Most forget Phillips' first few weeks with the Senators were spent wearing the #5 on his back. The reason? Sean Hill wore #4 at the start of the season before being traded. While #4 will always be synonymous with Chris Phillips, it's safe to say #5 is still up for grabs.

Sami Salo D 1998-1999, 1999-2000, 2000-2001

Salo was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the same draft in which they took Chris Phillips #1 overall. The difference? Salo was taken with Ottawa's last pick, 239^th overall. His rookie campaign in 1998-1999 was a successful one and he was rewarded with a selection to the NHL All-Rookie Team. Salo's career in Ottawa was frequently hampered by injuries as he missed most of the 1999-2000 season due to a wrist injury and most of the following season due to a shoulder injury. Salo was traded before the start of the 2002-2003 season to the Vancouver Canucks for Peter Schaefer.

Greg de Vries D 2003-2004

A journeyman NHLer, de Vries won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2000-2001. de Vries was a Senator for a year and a half, though he only played a handful of games for the team: brought in at the trade deadline in 2004 for Karel Rachunek and Alexandre Giroux, to help the Senators during their playoff run, the series did not go as expected and the Senators lost in the first round. After the lockout, the Ottawa Senators moved his contract to the Atlanta Thrashers in the deal which saw Marian Hossa and Dany Heatley trade places.

Christoph Schubert D/W 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009

The German-born player was selected by the Senators 127^th overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, Schubert played four seasons with the club as a depth defenseman and checking forward. Known for his extremely hard shot (which rarely hit the net if I recall correctly), Schubert was picked up by the Atlanta Thrasher's off waivers at the start of the 2009-10 season. Unable to find an NHL spot in 2010-11, Schubert returned to Europe and eventually signed with the Hamburg Freezers.

Andy Sutton D 2009-2010

Undrafted, Sutton has carved out a successful career as a stay-at-home defenseman in the NHL. Sutton is currently on his 7^th NHL team and was a deadline pick-up by the Senators in 2010. While his time in Ottawa was short, it did provide one memorable sound bite.

Brian Lee D 2010-2011, 2011-2012

While the #55 wasn't kind to him, Lee fared a bit better after switching to 5 when Sergei Gonchar joined the team. Fresh off being awarded the prestigious Minnesota Mr. Hockey as the most outstanding senior hockey player in Minnesota, Lee was drafted 9^th overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, ahead of Anze Kopitar (as well as 6 other NHL All-Stars). For years fans could not move past Lee's high draft place and his disappointing play. But this year, attitudes began to change. Lee worked his way into the lineup and provided reliable, if unspectacular defense before being swapped for another fan target Matt Gilroy.

Cody Ceci D 2013-2014

Born in Ottawa in 1993, Ceci was drafted 15th overall by the Senators in 2012. After playing just 30 games with the Binghamton Senators, Ceci was called up to Ottawa in December 2013 and spent the rest of the season in the NHL.

Best #5: Sami Salo

He was hampered by injuries during his time in the capital (and throughout his career) but he was productive when he was in the lineup. It would have been nice to have him in black, red, and white during his prime.

Worst #5: Greg de Vries

Enough said.