 On September 19 , 1946 , an informal ceremony was held in which former Leaf great Charlie Conacher presented Ted Kennedy with his No. 9 sweater he had worn during his career . Conacher had been Kennedy 's boyhood hero , but when Kennedy arrived Lorne Carr already wore No.9. Kennedy was initially given No.12 , then switched to No. 10 . When Kennedy heard Carr was retiring , he immediately wrote a letter to Leaf management requesting No.9. His Leaf team @-@ mates had always teased Kennedy about his compulsion , so they contacted Conacher and arranged for the ceremony . Conacher , now working as a broker , explaining why he was willing to take time off work said " He 's a good kid and a great player . You just can 't disappoint a guy like that . " 
