MJ. The Kraut Line: So what if this was a super derogatory name for three dudes from Kitchener, Ont. Rampage Quinton Jackson During his 14-year career, Morenz became the NHLs first superstar, winning two scoring titles, three MVP awards and three Stanley Cups. Another reason you may have a tough time coming up with a nickname for an NHL line combination is that lines aren't often together for prolonged periods of time in today's NHL. And only in their seventh and final season together would any of them finish lower than fifth among team point-getters. Hockey has spat out more memorable lines than Jim Carrey (not that one), but as is the hockey way, so many of the sports well-clicking trios have created magic under rather pedestrian nicknames. At 6-foot-5, Grimson was a menacing presence, doling out ferocious hits and punishing fists while using his stick like a scythe. He was called Power, Mr. All-Star, The King of Hockey, The Legend, No. Let's revisit and rank the best team nicknames of all-time. "The ESP Line" New Jersey Devils (2011-12)-Patrik Elias, Petr Sykora, and Zach Parise; named for each of the players' last names, but also a play on ESP, or extrasensory perception. The lines garnering the 10 best all-time nicknames, in chronological order, are as follows: Punch Line: Toe Blake, Elmer Lach, Maurice Richard 1 of 10 There's a reason why Toe Blake is. Lemieux was a great player, without a doubt, I will not argue with that, but not as great as the Great One. Can you identify these NHL Hall of Famers by their nickname? The Mafia Line: Arguably the cleverest of the nicknames, the late-1970s New York Rangers unit featured a Godfather (centre Phil Esposito) supported by two Dons (Maloney and Murdoch) on the wings. The name perfectly sums up what the line provided - scoring punch (and maybe another kind of . Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. The adage is as clichd as it is true, especially in hockey: Individuals sell tickets, teams win games. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017. We are the premiere Later, in Buffalo, he was constantly giving his allotted two tickets to different people. 26. Several of the above are simply shortened names or plays on the current team name or jersey. Continue with Recommended Cookies. His hands were like hammers when he dropped the gloves, breaking his opponents face with every punch. Brent was call The Good One when he played for the Sabres/Amerks. We aim to share with you some of the gems weve published over the years. Plenty of Detroit Red Wings fans proved to fit that precise description in 2007 when they voted on the name for head coach Mike Babcocks top offensive troika. Nickname of NHL legend Phil ESPO Previous Level Daily Themed Crossword Happy Thanksgiving Level 15 Answers Next Level There was no great method to the madness. Schultz was a powerhouse heavyweight fighter. The 101 greatest nicknames in NBA history - The Rookie Wire What about Pavel The Russian Rocket Bure? Zdeno Chara Big Z. Lemieux is thought of, by many, as the best player of his era. The 5 Best NHL Line Nicknames in History - sportscasting.com Windy City. Mark Messier won six Stanley Cup championships and finished his NHL career as the NHLs second all-time leading scorer. His name came from the small town in Quebec where he lived (Chicoutimi) and the fact that writers said he was cool as a cucumber.. This one's obvious. "The Option Line"Pittsburgh Penguins (199091)John Cullen, Mark Recchi, and Kevin Stevens; the line came together when all three players were in the option year of their respective contracts. In that four-year span, Bucyk scored 80 goals and 203 points, Stasiuk pitched in 68 goals and 204 points and Horvath nailed 103 goals and 215 points. Merlot, unfortunately, is the fourth line of wines. Nonetheless, there sits an abundance of both legendary and contemporary combinations of forwards who have cemented their joint position in a given teams lore. The tradition of naming the threesomes who compose the hockey teams' lines of attack extends back to the 1920s when Bun Cook, Frank Boucher and Bill Cook of the New York Rangers formed the A Line (named after the A Train, which ran under Madison Square Garden). Top 20 Most Incredible Athlete Nicknames - TheSportster All five represented the Red Wings at 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, with Kronwall, Lidstrom, and Zetterberg scoring all of Team Sweden's goals against Finland in the gold medal game. To further argue my point, Gretzky had 4 (yes, four) 200+ point seasons in that 7 year span. Its based on the clich sour grapes, since Cherry only made it to the NHL for one game. Those 70 stops are not only a modern-day record for most saves in a non-loss regular-season game but it is also nuts. He was also versatile in that he could do it all. Theres something about it I liked. He was a sniper, scoring 40 of more goals eight times, reaching 50 twice and 60 once. Other times, the names are deadly serious, such as Jim Kelly ("Machine Gun Kelly") and Peyton Manning ("The Sheriff"). The best lines of the past 30 years for all 31 NHL teams Before Gretzky, Howe was known as the greatest hockey player to have played the game. Team "The Olympic Line"Winnipeg Jets (199296)Teemu Selanne, Alexei Zhamnov, and Keith Tkachuk. ", "The Million Dollar Line"Chicago Blackhawks (1950s60s)Bobby Hull, Murray Balfour, Bill Hay. The best line nicknames come about naturally in a flash of brilliance, not from a focus group. This is especially so if and when they stay together long enough to acquire a catchy nickname. The 6-3, 220-pound, Detroit Red Wings forward played a rugged style and was dubbed a mule by teammates. Famous NHL Line Nicknames (Matching) Quiz Stats - By sunnergunner Gregory Campbell is also called Soupy. There isnt enough recent news in your lineup. 10/15 10. It spoke to that I wasnt an easy player to play against, said Verbeek in an interview after his career finished. In 1980-1981, they became the first line in NHL history to all score at least 100 points in the same season. As a player, he was exceptionally composed and reserved. Louis Blues (1990s)Brett Hull and Adam Oates. Kalashnikov - Another gun term, this time in reference to the famous machine gun, the AK-47. We've sent an email with instructions to create a new password. Teemu Selanne burst onto the NHL scene, scoring a rookie-record 76 goals for the Winnipeg Jets in the 1992-92 season. The lines garnering the 10 best all-time nicknames, in chronological order, are as follows: Theres a reason why Toe Blake is referenced at least once in all three Slap Shot movies. The 60 Best Nicknames in NHL History - Bleacher Report The Merlot Line: The gritty bottom three of the Boston Bruins (2011-14) insisted on not being called a fourth line. Dave Tiger Williams; Dave The Hammer Schultz; Bernie Boom Boom Geoffrion, for crying out loud! their burgundy-coloured practice sweaters. Terry Taz OReilly short for the Tasmanian Devil and his nonstop hustle and effort on every shift. The National Hockey League is known for its high-flying offense, and for its memorable lines shifts of a team's center and wings, who often boast some of the sport's most colorful nicknames. Zajac was No. "The Espo Line" Boston Bruins (196775)Wayne Cashman, Phil Esposito, and Ken Hodge; also known as "The Nitro Line"; and "The Dogs of War Line". Now, youll probably say that Gretzky had Messier, and Kurri, and Coffey, to back his play, or that Gretzky was soft and not as tough of a player as Lemieux, hence the missed seasons, but that would be completely irrelevant. That 70s Line: Gelling during the Los Angeles Kings epic crusade to the 2014 Stanley Cup championship, teammates Jeff Carter (77), Tanner Pearson (70) and Tyler Toffoli (73) all rock defensive-line-type digits on their sweaters and have a knack for finding the back of the net. Montreal Gazette sportswriter, Dink Carroll, heard the comment and began using the name in his stories. Theres nothing hockey-related about this one. 1975-76 "LCB Line" Reggie Leach - Bobby Clarke - Bill Barber Named for the first letters of their last names. Originally called The Comet, Montreal media outlets decided The Rocket was a better description of his speedy and determined style of play. A writer dubbed Cournoyer the Montreal Roadrunner because he was only 5-foot-7 and had blazing speed. In 2004, he backstopped the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Stanley Cup. Their time on Broadway peaked in the 1971-72 season, when they each scored 40-plus goals when none of their teammates etched any more than 24. "Swords" - Buffalo Sabres: a nickname derived from their title, the "sabres", which is a sword. some of the greatest sweaters in the history of putting clothes on your body, Maple Leafs burn themselves with game management and turnovers in OT loss, A little more fuel to the fire: Canucks earn much-needed victory in wake of criticism, Oilers' Kane transported to hospital in stable condition, will undergo wrist surgery, Canadiens rookie Slafkovsky to have hearing for boarding Red Wings' Luff, Oilers snap out of skid with hard-fought victory vs. This was the best offensive season in Oates' Hall of Fame . List of Famous Personalities & their Nicknames. President Benjamin Harrison was known as "Kid Gloves." He was prone to skin infection and wore kid gloves to protect his hands. List of ice hockey nicknames - Wikipedia Air Jordan. This Leafs captain loved to crunch opponents into the boards. The fervent Russian goaltender is most famous for his deep and insightful thoughts about the universe thus earning him the tag of Mr. Universe. Here we take a look back at some of the best hockey line nicknames in hockey history, from the Legion of Doom to the French Connection and everything in between. Tough Hockey Difficult 5. Your mom may not want to know what your teammates call you, so you let her give you another one that only she and your grandma knows. We call him the Perfect Human,Niklas Kronwall told ESPN. But when No. Answer (1 of 11): Probably Detroit's "Production Line" which originally consisted of Gordie Howe, Sid Abel and Ted Lindsay (below, in order left-right.) But the one that takes the cake is Tomas Tatar (pronounced Toe . Famous NHL Hockey Lines - daniel-wyatt.com List of Ice Hockey Line Nicknames | List Ice Hockey Line Nicknames Potvins first name and cat-like reflexes made this famous cartoons name a natural. Hes remembered most for his mask, which looked like a skull and reflected Bromleys nickname: Bones. The popular wingers nickname was a natural, as the French word fleur means flower. Once, a reporter asked him which team gave him the most trouble. It had not as much to do with his name as it did with his propensity for shutting outhis opponents. Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke thought Linsemans hunched, scuttling skating style reminded him of a rat. Vote for the best basketball nicknames of any era and add any good NBA players nicknames that may not have made it on the list. List of famous ice hockey linemates | Ice Hockey Wiki | Fandom Lee Norwood and Gilbert Delorme..Bruise Brothers Joe Kocur and Bob ProbertSpud. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'thehockeywriters_com-leader-2','ezslot_9',833,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-thehockeywriters_com-leader-2-0'); They are often calledThree Crowns. The crowns, along with his sensational play during his rookie season, earned him his nickname from the New York media and Rangers fans. Worsley was one of the last goalies in the NHL to play without a mask and one of the great quipsters in hockey history. A beast of a player who was difficult to move. Keep scrolling down for answers and more stats . Comical Hockey Nicknames Don "Grapes" Cherry. Was this nickname just a takeoff of Buffalos French Connection? Possibly, but who cares? Philadelphia Flyers Legion of Doom) a nickname shared among three scorers is a joint ticket to hockey immortality. "The Production Line"Detroit Red Wings (194752)Sid Abel, Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, later with Alex Delvecchio; because they were such productive scorers, also a pun that references the booming automotive industry in the Detroit area. His acrobatic saves and rubbery limbs often had him flailing and flopping all over. Curtis Joseph was one of the better goalies of his era, playing for seven different NHL teams from1989 to 2009. Sometimes an entire line gets a lovable moniker that defines its presence on the ice. Fantasy Hockey Trade Tips: Top players to target on surprise NHL teams The lack of games per season and missed seasons are the only reason Mario didnt surpass every stat Gretzky. Poker Hand Nicknames - The Complete List But hockey fans immediately think of Philadelphia Flyers Eric Lindros, John LeClair and Mikael Renberg (1994-97). For his goal celebrations, he often would ride his stick like a witch on a broomstick, drawing cackles from fans. Dana) aren't nicknames. ), New Jersey Devils Zach Parise (since moved on to Minnesota), Travis Zajac (still in Jersey) and Jamie. If he dropped the gloves, it was over. For nearly a decade spanning between the mid-1960s and mid-1970s, these three consistently pitched in to the New York Rangers offensive cause. Famous NHL lines - JetPunk Fedyks numbers were comparatively thin, but he still had a respectable 20-goal season in both 1992-93 and 1993-94. Buntings Next Deal Will Have Roster Ripple Effect for Maple Leafs. "The Two and a Half Men Line"Montreal Canadiens (2011-present)Erik Cole, Max Pacioretty, David Desharnais. Ken Linseman not only looked like a rodent, he played like one as well. "Broad Street Bullies" - Philadelphia Flyers: during the team's Stanley Cup runs during the 1970s, their . Updated hourly, with analysis, commentary and features from hundreds writers worldwide, our articles are read over 5 million times every month. And together with the Rocket and Elmer Lach, Blake packed a savory share of punch in both the physical and figurative sense. The original rocket, he scored 544 career goals and was the NHLs all-time leader at the time of his retirement in 1960. The Punch Line. The Trio Grande: Rare is the line nickname that doesnt actually follow The ______ Line formula. He finished his career with 437 goals in 702 NHL games. Theres the MPH, the MVP, the PAP and the LAPD. List of Ice Hockey Line Nicknames | List Ice Hockey Line Nicknames Famous Names and Nicknames - Neatorama Lafleur was an elite goal scorer who won five Stanley Cups with Montreal in the 70s, including four straight from 1976-79. During the same period, Lindros broke the 40-goal plateau in consecutive years, despite missing 42 out of 168 games. The moniker stuck after Worsley listed it on a form while signing on with a junior team. In 1937, he suffered a broken leg in a game and was told he would never play hockey again. Boston Bruins. That would happen 10 times out of 41 regular-season home dates in 2005-06 and five more the next season. Good luck! All three players were career centres. Whether its homage to an integral part of the teams locality (e.g. How did you miss The Golden Jet, Bobby Hull? How did you get such simple ones wrong? Jersey Devils Zach Parise ( since moved on to Minnesota ), Travis (... Hockey: Individuals sell tickets, teams win games Million Dollar Line '' Winnipeg in! Scoring punch ( and maybe another kind of out ferocious hits and punishing fists using., by many, as the NHLs all-time leader at the time of his era Line: what! Goals in 702 NHL games nickname shared among three scorers is a premier destination for news and information on hockey... Beast of a rat as much to do with his propensity for shutting opponents... 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