Montreal Canadiens rookie defenseman Arber Xhekaj scored his first NHL goal on Saturday and if you have no idea how to tackle pronouncing that last name by reading it, you’re not alone.
Teammates, in fact, have given Xhekaj the incredible nickname “Wi-Fi.”
Since Xhekaj’s last name looks more like a bunch of random letters thrown together that an internet provider would give out as a password to connect devices to a network, it’s a perfect fit.
So, this got us thinking, what other nicknames of the current NHL era are both unique and perfect fits?
We’re not going to go back too far or we will run out of space on the internet (great nickname Rocket Richard, but we’re keeping it current).
We are also going to assume you know who “The Great One” and “Super Mario” are [both incredible nicknames, by the way] so we are just highlighting the more recent, creative nicknames of the present day.
It’s not every single nickname of the current day and we reserve the right to add to this list at any time. Here goes:
Artemi Panarin“Bread Man”
It kind of sounds like Panera Bread, the successful chain of shops which uses a loaf of bread in their logo. The New York Rangers forward was called this originally with the Chicago Blackhawks, who even gave out a bobblehead of him holding bread.
Shayne Gostisbehere“Ghost Bear”
When in doubt, condense some syllables. Gostisbehere, now with the Arizona Coyotes, gained popularity with the Philadelphia Flyers and even had a habit of Scoring on the team’s Hockey Halloween Night celebration.
Wayne Simmonds“Wayne Train”
Rhymes always work. But when you factor in the ferocious style that the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Toronto Maple Leafs forward plays, the accuracy is what makes the rhyme work.
Marc-Andre Fleury“Flower”
The etymology of his last name is responsible for this nickname [not unlike Hall of Fame forward Guy Lafleur, called ‘the Flower’]but the Minnesota Wild goalie is both known for brightening up any room while also being a thorn in the side of prospective scorers.
Joe Thornton“Jumbo”
At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds this was always going to be about size, but great job on whoever opted for Jumbo instead of something like “Big Joe” because it’s just better.
Pat Maroon“Big Rig”
Again, 6-3, 238 pounds, the Tampa Bay lightning forward, a three-time Stanley Cup champion, could have ended up with something simpler, but how much more fun is Big Rig? Throw in the flow and the beard and you could see Maroon hauling an 18-wheeler across multiple states.
Charlie McAvoy“Chucky Bright Lights.”
When you keep coming up big in big games like the Boston Bruins defenseman, you’re going to earn yourself this kind of nickname. Also, who doesn’t love calling a guy named Charlie, Chucky?
Justin Williams“Mr. Game 7.”
Speaking of coming up big in big spots, the veteran of 19 NHL seasons who won two Stanley Cups with the Los Angeles Kings and one with the Carolina Hurricanes, played in nine Game 7s in his career. In those nine games he had seven goals and 15 points while his teams went 8-1. So appropriate.
Henrik Lundqvist“King Henrik”
Move over King Carl XVI Gustaf, if you mention the King from Sweden to any NHL fan, thoughts are going directly to the legendary New York Rangers goalie. Sweden, of course, stopped being an absolute monarchy in the early 18th century but there was no doubt who ruled the crease at Madison Square Garden for 15 straight seasons.
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