In sports it is common for a player to give a gift to his teammate in exchange for the rights to a certain jersey number when moving to a new team. But what if the number the player wants is owned by a mascot?
Apparently it’s the same thing.
artemi panarin was traded Los Angeles Kings Just before the Olympic break, the veteran winger was considering adopting the jersey number 72 he wore when he entered the league. chicago blackhawks.
There was just one problem: The Kings’ mascot, Bailey, already wore that number. The Reason? “Because it’s always 72 degrees in Los Angeles.”
So a number business started.
Panarin would wear number 72 and Bailey received a Rolex.
Our 72s 🖤 pic.twitter.com/mdthCYTJmm
– LA Kings (@LAKings) 25 February 2026
The “business” actually turned out to be a win-win for Bailey. Because the mascot will never be on the ice during Panarin’s time, it will continue to wear number 72 in the stands.
