No sport moves at the blazing speed of the NHL game. So I get it when NHL players opt to keep their teamates nicknames short and sweet. When reaction time is counted in milliseconds, condensed names like Kess & Burr serve the purpose.
But that certainly doesn’t mean the adoring public need to follow this rule.
With the assistance of a jam-packed 24 hours e-mail inbox I have compiled a list, in no particular order, of some of the more clever Canuck nicknames for your consideration.
For whatever reason struggling Canucks forward Kyle Wellwood seems to be a nickname lightning rod with our readers.
Sam suggests we call him ‘Pudding Face’, kind of a modern day shout-out to legendary Bruin Johnny ‘Pie Face’ McKenzie.
Alix quite simply offers up “Charlie Brown” and bases it on Kyle’s large, roundish head and face. Hard to argue when you’re leading the league in “good grief” moments.
Thanks to Sarah for giving us “Lululemon” the perfect moniker for Luongo during his fruitless starts to the season. She also chimed in with “The Hoff” for Christian Ehrhoff and “Aroma” for Aaron Rome. Here’s hoping the latter leaves us with a pleasant scent this season.
For all you ’60s TV buffs, Chris has decided to give Mason Raymond the nickname “Perry.” This one works on two levels. Canadian actor Raymond Burr played the lawyer Perry Mason. If you can’t find a Mason Raymond link in that then you’re just not trying.
Sami Salo’s fragile frame was not lost on Sharla who refers to her favourite D-man as “Sideline Sami”.
Shane O’Brien drew quite a bit of attention in the name game. Thanks to the Twitterverse we have nicknames for all things No. 55. When he’s angry he’s “S.O.B.” When he takes a questionable penalty he’s “Shame O’Brien” and when the lighting is just right certain fans simply refer to him as “Shane O’Hottie”.
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Honourable mentions for nicknames:
- Rick Rypien - “Rick The Rypper”
- Mason Raymond - “Racin’ Mason”
- Aaron Rome - “Caesar”
- Wille Mitchell - “Steam-boat Willie”, re: the Toews hit.
