List of ice hockey line nicknames
The three forwards – the centre, right wing and left wing – operate as a unit called a line. The tradition of naming the threesomes who compose the hockey teams' lines of attack extends back to the inaugural 1917–18 NHL season, when Didier Pitre, Jack Laviolette, and Newsy Lalonde of the Montreal Canadiens were dubbed the "Flying Frenchmen Line".
The New York Rangers’ famous "Bread Line" that existed between 1926 and 1937. It consisted of Hall of Famers Bill Cook, Bun Cook and Frank Boucher.
Lines with nicknames
- "The Black Aces": Herb Carnegie, Ossie Carnegie and Manny McIntyre. Played on the Quebec Aces in the 1940s. The first all-black line in the Quebec Senior Hockey League.[1]
- "The Cash Line": Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza. Named by a contest held by the Ottawa Citizen, the nickname generated little enthusiasm. The trio was more often called the Pizza Line, from a promotion by Pizza Pizza in which fans holding a ticket stub would get a free slice if the Senators scored five or more goals. Before the Pizza Line, the chain rarely had to worry about giving out free pizza.[2]
- "The Century Line": Syl Apps Jr., Lowell MacDonald, and Jean Pronovost, who were linemates on the Pittsburgh Penguins from 1973 to 1976. Named by their team publicist after the line scored over 100 goals in the 1973-1974 season.[3][4]
- "The Coneheads": Mark Pavelich, John Harrington and Buzz Schneider. Part of the Miracle on Ice team that won gold at the 1980 Winter Olympics. USA head coach Herb Brooks felt the three played best together on the same line because all three grew up playing pickup games on ponds in the Iron Range of Northeast Minnesota. Named after the Saturday Night Live sketch.[5]
- "The Dynasty Line": Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt, and Pete Mahovlich, later replaced by Jacques Lemaire. The line played on the Montreal Canadiens in the 1970s.[6]
- "The E=mc^2 line", "The Identity Line", or "The Best Fourth Line in Hockey": Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas, and Cal Clutterbuck. The line was put together New York Islanders]] coach Jack Capuano upon Clutterbuck's arrival on Long Island in the 2013-14 season and was reassembled by Barry Trotz after Martin returned to New York in 2018. Known for their gritty style of play, said by Trotz to capture Long Island's blue-collar identity, and referred to by many as the best grind line of its type, the first name was given by Islander TV color analyst Butch Goring, referencing its players' initials and the energy brought by its play. [7]
- "The Espo Line": Wayne Cashman, Phil Esposito and Ken Hodge. Named after their center, Esposito. Played for the Boston Bruins from 1967–75.[6]
- "The French Connection": Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin and Rene Robert were three French-Canadian players on the Buffalo Sabres from 1972 to 1979. Named after the Oscar-winning 1971 film.[8][9]
- "The Grumpy Old Men": Kirk Muller, John MacLean and Mike Keane. A reference to the 1993 film Grumpy Old Men, when the three veterans played for the Dallas Stars in 2001, they had 105 years and five Stanley Cup wins between them.[10]
- "The KLM line": Vladimir Krutov, Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov were the top line on the dominant Soviet national teams of the 1980s. They won gold medals at the 1984 and 1998 Winter Olympics. Together with the top defensive pairing of Slava Fetisov and Alexei Kasatonov, the five of them collectively were known as "The Green Unit" because of the green jerseys they wore in practice.[11]
- "The Kraut line": Milt Schmidt, Woody Dumart, and Bobby Bauer played together on the Boston Bruins. Nicknamed for the German ancestry shared by all three, who grew up together in Kitchener, Ontario.
- "The Legion of Doom": Eric Lindros, John LeClair and Mikael Renberg on the same line for the Philadelphia Flyers from 1994 to 1997. Each weighed over 220 pounds and the linemates ranged from 6'2" to 6'4" tall.[9]
- "The LILCO Line": Billy Harris, Clark Gillies and Bryan Trottier with the New York Islanders in the 1970s. Named after the Long Island Lighting Company because they lit the lamps so often with their goal scoring.[12][13]
- "The Mafia Line": named for the "godfather" Phil Esposito and his two "dons", Don Maloney and Don Murdoch. Played for the New York Rangers in the late 1970s.[8]
- "The Perfection Line": Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak played for the Boston Bruins from 2014 to present. The name is a reference to the line's dominance and near perfect play while together.
- "The Production Line": Sid Abel, Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay. A line put together by Detroit Red Wings head coach Tommy Ivan in 1947, the name referenced their prolific goal production as well as the automotive industry in their city.[9][14]
- "The Punch Line": Hector "Toe" Blake, Elmer Lach and Maurice "Rocket" Richard. The trio were the top line on the Montreal Canadiens from 1943 to 1948, and won two Stanley Cups.[9]
- "The S Line": Nels Stewart, Babe Siebert and Hooley Smith played together for the Montreal Maroons from 1927 to 1932.[15]
- "The Triple Crown Line": Dave Taylor, Charlie Simmer and Marcel Dionne played together on the Los Angeles Kings from 1979 to 1984.[16] In 1980–81, the trio combined for 328 points to become the first line in NHL history where each player scored 100 points or more in the same season.[9]
- "The Trio Grande": Mike Bossy, Clark Gillies and Bryan Trottier won four Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders in the 1980s, and all three are in the Hockey Hall of Fame.[12][17]
- "The West Coast Express": Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison and Todd Bertuzzi on the Vancouver Canucks from 2000 to 2006. The name was a reference to the local commuter rail service of the same name.[18][19]
See also
References
- Gretzky, Wayne (2016). 99: Stories of the Game. Penguin Publishing Group. p. 76. ISBN 9780399575488. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- Weekes, Don (2009). The Biggest Book of Hockey Trivia. Greystone Books. p. 177. ISBN 9781926812038.
- "Lowell MacDonald Visits Pittsburgh". NHL.com. October 16, 2009. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
- Buker, Rick (2018). 100 Things Penguins Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. Triumph Books. p. 152. ISBN 978-1641251303.
- Coffey, Wayne (2005). The Boys Of Winter: The Untold Story Of A Coach, A Dream, And The 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team. Crown Publishers. p. 53. ISBN 9781400047666. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- "All-time best lines". The Hockey News. 7 March 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- "Islanders have the best fourth line in the NHL". The Hockey News. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
- Fox, Luke (11 February 2015). "15 greatest NHL line nicknames". Sportsnet. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- Strong, Gregory (February 21, 2017). "NHL 100: Legion of Doom highlights hockey's all-time iconic lines". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
- Foster, J. Douglas (16 March 2008). "Grumpy Old Memories". NHL.com. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- Larionov, Igor (23 February 2015). "The Beautiful Game". The Players' Tribune. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- Keese, Parton (6 December 1977). "Islanders' Hot Trio Grande". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- Fischler, Stan (16 November 2018). "Maven's Memories: Isles Take Step Forward in 1975-76". NHL.com. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- Guest, J. Conrad (23 January 2013). "Tommy Ivan devised Red Wings' famous "Production Line"". VintageDetroit.com. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- McDonell, Chris (2014). Hockey's Greatest Stars. Firefly Books. p. 40. ISBN 9781770852884. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
- McLaughlin, Walter (8 July 2019). "Remembering the Los Angeles Kings' Triple Crown Line". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- Kirshenbaum, Jerry (12 December 1977). "Three Islanders Unto Themselves". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- "Naslund, Bertuzzi & Morrison return to Vancouver". National Hockey League. November 30, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
- Ziemer, Brad (December 6, 2015). "Canucks' West Coast Express line put Sedins on right track". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
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