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Nail Yakupov opts to wear No. 64

2012 NHL Entry Draft - Portraits

PITTSBURGH, PA - JUNE 22: Nail Yakupov, drafted first overall by the Edmonton Oilers, poses for a portrait during Round One of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft at Consol Energy Center on June 22, 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

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It’s common for professional athletes to bribe their teammates into giving them their preferred jersey numbers, but that’s not as easy with a rookie maximum.

Jim Matheson reports that Nail Yakupov will wear No. 64 instead of bickering with incumbent Edmonton Oilers forward Shawn Horcoff for No. 10.

(Six plus four equals 10, you see?)

Some Oilers fans might shudder at a prominent No. 1 pick wearing No. 64 considering Jason Bonsignore’s disappointing career.

Then again, a Twitter follower points out an interesting nickname idea to PHT’s own Joe Yerdon:

N64 does have a pretty good ring to it.

Wild guess: Yakupov has a better chance of being familiar with the system that brought us “Goldeneye” than Bonsignore’s time with the Oil.