25 Hardest Names to Pronounce in NHL History

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The NHL has always been a league that has reached the farthest corners of the world and produced talent from a variety of countries.

With this widespread reach, it naturally means that the NHL would gain some pretty strange names.

The NHL has always been well-known for the unique names that have come through the league, and here are some of the strangest.

If you know how to pronounce some of these, please feel free to share it with the rest of us.

Reijo Ruotsalainen

Pronounced: Ray-hoe Roo-aht-suh-li-nen

Now that is a mouthful.

Sergei Krivokrasov

Rick Stewart/Getty Images

Pronounced: Sair-gay Kree-voh-krass-ov

It's even more fun when you learn that his middle name is Vladamirovich.

Zarley Zalapski

Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Pronounced: Zarr-Lee Zuh-Lap-Skee

Not terribly difficult in the grand scheme of things, but the alliterative nature of his name can trip some people up.

Miroslav Satan

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Pronounced: Meer-uh-slov Suh-tan

This name always makes me laugh because of how it is spelled. It doesn't help that his eyebrows do make him look kind of evil.

Vladimir Tsyplakov

Elsa/Getty Images

Pronounced: Vlad-uh-meer Sip-lih-kov

Those silent T's always make some serious trouble.

Gene Achtymichuk

Photo courtesy of ourhistory.canadiens.com

No idea how to say this one.

Igor Vyazmikin

Tim Smith/Getty Images

Igor Vyazmikin played all of four games for the Edmonton Oilers.

He tallied one goal and had one hell of a difficult name to pronounce.

Mathias Tjarnqvist

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Pronounced: Matt-eye-us Charn-kvist

The Swedes have produced several very interesting names.

Stanislav Neckar

Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Pronounced: Stan-is-slav Nesh-kash

How does Neckar end up being Nesh-kash?

You live in Eastern Europe, that's how.

Jaroslav Svejkovsky

Steve Babineau/Getty Images

Another name that escapes my tongue's ability to pronounce.

Petteri Nokelainen

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Pronounced: Pat-ter-ee No-kuh-lai-nen

I think.

Maxim Afinogenov

Rick Stewart/Getty Images

There are two schools of thought on how to pronounce this name, and I don't know which is right.

Max-eem A-fin-no-gan-ov?

Max-eem A-fin-no-jenn-ov?

Then there is also debate about whether or not it was Max-eem or Max-im.

Much like the age-old question about how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, the world may never know.

Maxim Balmochnykh

Getty Images/Getty Images

Maxim Balmochnykh...good luck with that one.

Gus Giesebrecht

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

My best guess on how to pronounce this name: Gus Guy-suh-breckt.

Alexander Godynyuk

Al Bello/Getty Images

This one caught my eye because his name could almost be mistaken for "Gobbledegook."

Bengt-Ake Gustafsson

Brian Bahr/Getty Images

One of the few people on this list whose first name is far more difficult to pronounce than his last name.

How does one pronounce "Bengt-Ake?"

Maybe somebody who followed the Capitals in the 1980s can tell us.

Ilkka Heikkinen

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

I half expected him to be heir to a dutch brewing fortune, but the spelling is just a bit different.

Raitis Ivanans

Dale MacMillan/Getty Images

Somebody was stuttering when they came up with his last name. Coincidentally, many of us stutter when trying to pronounce his name as well.

Kyosti Karjalainen

Photo courtesy of theroyalhalf.com

Whoever managed to fit this guy's last name on a jersey deserves a raise; a very strange last name.

Jeff Beukeboom

Harry How/Getty Images

I just love how this name is actually pronounced: Boo-kuh-boom.

How perfect for a tough guy in the NHL!

Ivan Novoseltsev

Barry Gossage/Getty Images

Pronounced: No-vuh-selt-sehv

Just drop two in water to get rid of your worst indigestion...oh, wait.

Anssi Melametsa

photo courtesy of the Winnipeg Jets Memorial Site

That whole Scandinavian region really does produce some interesting names. This time it's Finland representing.

Zbynek Michalek

Dale MacMillan/Getty Images

Another guy whose name has two schools of thought around it.

Zib-yeh-nik Mik-hahl-ik?

Or Zib-yeh-nik Mih-hahl-ik?

Maybe we can set the debate to rest in the comments section.

Branko Radivojevic

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Pronounced: Bron-koh Rad-ih-voy-yuh-vich

Say that three times fast.

Pekka Rautakallio

Pronounced: Peck-kuh Rah-tuh-kall-ee-oh

I think.

As always, please feel free to add any names that you think belong on this list.

 

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and the NHL on Bleacher Report. For more NHL news and discussion: