MacHall's Bleacher Creature Trivia, Part 8: Great NHL/Hockey Lines and Nicknames

Welcome back to the Quiz!

Due to recent technical problems (a computer that was overworked and underpaid), new editions of the trivia series have not been posted in recent weeks. I was forced to re-write a number of questions and articles, but with any luck things should be heading back to normal. After denting most of my wooden furniture, may I present just the first of many more hockey articles to come. Thank you all for your patience, and I hope you enjoy!  The series will continue in the New Year.

Side Note: For all you Flames and NHL prospect fans, I did attend the final three days of Calgary’s six-day Prospect Development Camp at the Pengrowth Saddledome in late July. Check my archive for Flames prospect reviews, or contact me via my Bleacher Report profile page.

This week’s challenge delves into the mysterious world of hockey nicknames and line handles… taglines and line tags! From Ace to Zubie, Billy the Kid to Captain Crunch, the Bread Line to the Pipe Line, our game has created a wonderful variety of hockey monikers.

The heyday of great hockey nicknames has been gone for years, when descriptors such as Ace, Big Bird, and Tiger not only became synonymous with the men themselves, but often took over as their given names! Modern players, with so many more clubs, moves, and team mates, often end up with less original if no less well intentioned tags. The addition of an “er”, “s”, or “y” to a player’s name is often sufficient, and line titles have almost disappeared as coaching systems nearly negate long-term combinations.

Inspired epithets still emerge from time to time though. Yzerman will long be known as Stevie Wonder, Alexander the Great will probably stick with Ovechkin for his whole career, and who will ever get confused about which player was called The Great One? And where would hockey be without the creativity that brought us The Pumper Nicholl Kid?

Test yourself with the questions below and learn more about some of the interesting and unique things the players of the game have been called… excluding expletives and well-worded insults! There will be further instalments focusing on this general topic in the future.

If you have any trouble with the questions, relax. The answers and explanations will be published next week. Until then, leave your answers on your own Bleacher Report profile, or send along an email containing your solutions.

1. Which goaltender was known as “The Peanut Butter Boy”?

2. Which star player has been honoured by various nicknames, including “Mario Junior”?

3. Which players made up the “Woolworth Line” of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and what specifically led to their nickname?

4.Which Sutter Brother was known as “Dog”, and where did the name come from?

5. Which forward line had incarnations with the Florida Panthers and Calgary Flames, and which players formed the trio in both places?

6. What is the most common nickname in professional hockey, all-time?

7. Who are the “Shift Disturbers”?

8.Who is “Bootnose”, and what does the name mean?

9. Who is “Bobby Hawk”?

10. Which 1940s player was given not one but two nicknames denoting his verbosity?

Bonus Question: Who usually plays on the “Doughnut Line”?

Photo Question: This player earned one of the longest, most vicarious nicknames in recent NHL history. Strangely, it was inspired by the handle of another forward. Who is pictured above, what is his descriptive moniker, and where did it come from?

Semi-Political Question: One of the most famous forward lines of all time, this group’s moniker was “Westernised” during World War II. What was their original nickname, and what title did an early if warped version of political correctness give them?

Opinion Question: What is your favourite hockey nickname of all time? (Post an answer in the comments area)

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