IMAGE INFORMATION
EditJoseph Gordon "Joe" Lamb - Born June 18, 1906 in Sussex, New Brunswick – Died August 21, 1982 was a Canadian ice Hockey right winger.
As a junior, Lamb played for the Sussex Dairy Kings, and helped them win the 1923 West New Brunswick Senior Hockey League. Lamb played for Sussex until 1925.
Lamb then headed for Montreal, Quebec and played for the Montreal Royal Bank, Montreal Young Royals and the Montreal Victorias from 1925 to 1928.
All that Hockey playing in the City of Montreal got Lamb noticed, and he was signed as a free agent by NHL Montreal Maroons, January 29, 1928, and played the final 21 games of the regular season for the Maroons, scoring 8 goals, 5 assists. Lamb also scored 1 goal during the Maroons playoffs, as they made it to the Stanley Cup finals, losing to the New York Rangers.
Lamb started the 1928-29 season with the Maroons, but was traded to the Ottawa Senators for Georges Boucher, February 14, 1929, and would play in Ottawa for the next 2 seasons. Lamb had a career season points wise while in Ottawa, when he scored 29 goals, 20 assists in 44 games during the 1929-30 season, also picking up a whopping 119 penalty minutes.
Lamb was claimed by the New York Americans from Ottawa for 1931-32 season in the NHL Dispersal Draft, September 26, 1931. Lamb played 48 games for the Americans, scoring 16 goals, 11 assists during the 1931-32 season.
Lamb was then traded to the Boston Bruins with $7,000 for Cooney Weiland, July 25, 1932, and would play in Boston for the next 2 seasons.
Lamb was again traded, this time to the Montreal Canadiens for Johnny Gagnon, October 2, 1934. While in Montreal, Lamb would become the 1st Hockey player to wear the number 99 jersey on November 10, 1934 playing for the Canadiens in their season opener, a 2 to 1 OT loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Lamb scored 3 goals and 2 assists for the Canadiens in 7 games played before being traded back to the Bruins on December 4, 1934, who immediately dealt Lamb to the St. Louis Eagles for Max Kaminsky and Des Roche.
Lamb played the final 31 games of the St. Louis Eagles existence, scoring 11 goals, 12 assists, and was claimed by the Maroons in the NHL Dispersal Draft, October 15, 1935. He would play the 1935-36 season back in Montreal.
Lamb was then traded to the New York Americans with $10,000 for Carl Voss, September 6, 1936, and played with the Americans for almost 2 years, before they traded him to the Detroit Red Wings for Red Beattie with the Americans holding right of recall, January 24, 1938. Lamb played his final 14 NHL games in Detroit.
In total, Lamb played for 7 NHL teams, scoring 110 goals, 101 assists in 443 regular season NHL games, and 1 goal, 1 assist in 18 NHL playoff games.
Detroit sent Lamb to their farm team, the Pittsburgh Hornets to finish the 1937-38 season, and then he signed as a free agent with the Springfield Indians, playing his last 2 seasons of pro Hockey before retiring.
Lamb is one of only six NHL players to have worn the number 99 jersey.
The number 99 Hockey Jersey is now retired through out the NHL in honor of Wayne Gretzky.