Down Goes Brown · Nov 4, 2019
Hockey nicknames are broken. Here’s how we fix them
The NHL has a rich history of cool nicknames. Classic monikers like The China Wall, Old Poison or the Golden Jet evoke memories of larger than life stars, while memories of legendary moments can be summoned just by mentioning The Rocket, Mr. Hockey, Boom-Boom or, simply, The Great One.
But with a small handful of exceptions, all the sport’s best nicknames are from long ago. These days, star players get half-hearted variations of their last names, if they get anything at all. Nicknames used to matter in hockey, but not anymore. The entire concept is broken.
But we can fix this. And all it will take is five steps. Here’s what we need to do:
Step one: Stop accepting what we have now