Penn State hockey team wears '409' decals honoring Paterno wins (PHOTO)

To help commemorate the return of Joe Paterno's 111 victories — once vacated by the NCAA as part of sanctions leveled against Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse tragedy — the Penn State's men's hockey team wore “409” decals on their helmets Friday night as they took on Michigan State University in a Big Ten matchup.

The 409 represents the total number of victories Paterno had earned throughout his career before the 111 wins were wiped from the record books. 

The NCAA ruled on Friday to overturn sanctions eliminating 112 of the program's wins, after a proposed settlement among the NCAA, the university and Pennsylvania state officials.

Paterno's 111 wins restored his status as the winningest head coach in college football history and had most of Happy Valley in a celebratory mood.

Closer look at the 409 stickers Penn State hockey is wearing tonight pic.twitter.com/tNCf5W5CO6
— Ben Jones (@Ben_Jones88) January 16, 2015

But the PSU hockey team's decision to wear the controversial 409 sticker had its critics on social media. 

So, will the Penn State administration tell the hockey team not to wear '409' stickers, or will they turn a blind eye?
— keithlaw (@keithlaw) January 16, 2015

After the game, head hockey coach Guy Gadowsky clarified that the idea to wear the decals came from the players — and was not a "student decision."

Penn State hockey coach Guy Gadowsky says the 409 stickers were largely a student decision but somewhat acknowledged complexity of the issue
— Ben Jones (@Ben_Jones88) January 17, 2015

While the Paterno legacy earned a huge victory on Friday, the Nittany Lions hockey team fell to the Spartans 3-2 in a shootout on the ice.

Penn State basketball players will reportedly wear "409" T-Shirts on Saturday.