With Andrew “The Hamburglar” Hammond making headlines, it got me thinking about the best NHL nicknames of all time.
So here is my list, organized like the year-end all-star team.
Goalie: Jim Carey – “The Net Detective”
The 1996 Vezina Winner could’ve hired a private investigator to find his missing talent as his career went on the rails shortly thereafter.
Defense: Brian Campbell – “Soupy”Â
Get it? Campbell? Soup? I do love that this keeps to the “ie, y, er, s” rule of stereotypical hockey names.
Defense: Vladimir Konstantinov – “The Vladiator”
A warrior on the ice, his career (and almost his life) was sadly cut short in a 1997 car crash.
Forward: Pat Verbeek – “Little Ball of Hate”
We’re going with the classic on this one. The guy with 1000 career points and almost 3000 career PIM. Screw Brad Marchand.
Forward: Brent Gretzky – “The Other One”
Seriously. It’s bad enough to be burdened with expectation when your brother is Wayne Gretzky… but the nickname caps off a career that fell just 893 goals and 2853 points short of big bro.
Forward: Nazem Kadri – “Nifty Mittens”
Had to have at least one Pierre McGuire-ism on here, and this one’s a beauty. https://youtu.be/vFhTUxBYimI
Honourable mentions:Â J-S Aubin – “Seabass,” Steve Thomas – “Stumpy,” Peter Bondra – “Bonsai,” Al Arbour – “Radar,” Jean Beliveau – “Le Gros Bil”