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The three forwards – the centre, right wing and left wing – operate as a unit called a line. The tradition of naming the threesomes who compose the hockey teams' lines of attack extends back to the 1920s when Bun Cook, Frank Boucher and Bill Cook of the New York Rangers formed the A Line (named after the A Train, which ran under Madison Square Garden).[1]

Famous NHL lines with nicknames

[edit]
Line name LW C RW Team Season(s) Notes
2 Kids and a Goat Boyd Devereaux/
Henrik Zetterberg
Pavel Datsyuk Brett Hull Detroit Red Wings 20012004 Devereaux started on the line before being replaced by Zetterberg. Hull named the line due to Devereaux and Datsyuk's young age and his own veteran status.[2][3]
700 Pound Line Mike Knuble Joe Thornton Glen Murray Boston Bruins 20022004 So named by Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien because the line's combined weight was around 700 pounds.[4]
"A" Line Patrik Elias Jason Arnott Petr Sykora New Jersey Devils 19992001 The team's top line.[5]
ABC Line Mark Bell Tyler Arnason Kyle Calder Chicago Blackhawks 20022004 Made up of the first letter of the players' last names.[6]
AMP Line Alex Tanguay Peter Forsberg Milan Hejduk Colorado Avalanche 20022004 Made up of the first letter of the players' given names.[7]
Banana Line John Tonelli Wayne Merrick Bob Nystrom New York Islanders 19781984 Named because they wore yellow jerseys during practice.[8]
Bash, Dash & Stash Line Pat Boutette Mike Rogers Blaine Stoughton Hartford Whalers 19801981 Named because all three players' nicknames rhymed:Boutette was "Bash"[9], Rogers was "Dash"[10], and Stoughton was "Stash" because of his Fu Manchu moustache.[11]
BBC Line Bates Battaglia Rod Brind'Amour Erik Cole Carolina Hurricanes 2001–02 Made up of the first letter of the players' last names.[12]
Big Line Brian Rolston Pavol Demitra Marian Gaborik Minnesota Wild 2006–07 Line made up of the Wild's top scorers; they combined for 38 percent of the team's total goals that season.[13]
Brat Line Tiger Williams Pat Boutette Jack Valiquette Toronto Maple Leafs 19751977 [14]
Brothers Line Daniel Sedin Henrik Sedin Anson Carter Vancouver Canucks 2005–06 Named because the Sedins are twins, and Carter is known as "Soul Brother".[15]
Bulldog Line Dave Balon/
Steve Vickers
Walt Tkaczuk Bill Fairbairn New York Rangers 19681980 Named after Fairbairn, whose nickname was "Bulldog".[16] Vickers replaced Balon after Balon was traded to Vancouver in 1972.[17]
CASH line Dany Heatley Jason Spezza Daniel Alfredsson Ottawa Senators 20052009 The name is made from the initials of Captain Alfredsson, Spezza, and Heatley. [18] Also known as the "Pizza Line".[19]
Century Line Lowell MacDonald Syl Apps, Jr. Jean Pronovost Pittsburgh Penguins 19721976 Combined for 200+ points and 80+ goals for four straight years.[20]
Checking Line Travis Moen Samuel Pahlsson Rob Niedermayer Anaheim Ducks 20062009 Named because they were responsible for shutting down the opponent's top line.[21][22]
Crash Line Mike Peluso Bobby Holik Randy McKay New Jersey Devils 19941996 Named because their job was to deliver big checks to opposing players.[23]
Crazy Eights Line Brent Fedyk Eric Lindros Mark Recchi Philadelphia Flyers 19921994 Named because their jersey numbers were 18, 88, and 8 respectively.[24]
CVS Line Geoff Sanderson Andrew Cassels Pat Verbeek Hartford Whalers 19911995 Named after the first letter of the players' last names.[25]
Czechs-Mex Line Raffi Torres Petr Sykora Ales Hemsky Edmonton Oilers 2006–07 A play on Chex Mix, named because Sykora and Hemsky are Czechs, while Torres is of Mexican and Peruvian descent.[26]
Dynasty Line Steve Shutt Jacques Lemaire/
Peter Mahovlich
Guy Lafleur Montreal Canadiens 19761979 Mahovlich sometimes replaced Lemaire, leading Shutt to call it the "Donut Line" because it had no firm center.[27]
EGG Line Patrik Elias Scott Gomez Brian Gionta New Jersey Devils 20022004 Named after the first letter of the players' last names.[28]
French Connection Rick Martin Gilbert Perreault Rene Robert Buffalo Sabres 19721979 Named after the Gene Hackman movie and their French-Canadian background.[29]
GAG Line Vic Hadfield Jean Ratelle Rod Gilbert New York Rangers 19681974 Stood for "Goal-A-Game", which was the line's average production.[30]
Grind Line Kirk Maltby Kris Draper Joe Kocur/
Darren McCarty
Detroit Red Wings 19962004 Line originally featured Kocur at right wing; he was replaced by McCarty starting in 1997.[31]
Kraut Line Woody Dumart Milt Schmidt Bobby Bauer Boston Bruins 19371947 Named because all three players were of German descent.[32] The line reunited for one game in 1952, where Bauer scored a goal and an assist despite having been retired for five years.[33]
Legion of Doom John LeClair Eric Lindros Mikael Renberg Philadelphia Flyers 19941997 Named by Flyers forward Jim Montgomery, who said they "looked like the Legion of Doom out there"; it is unknown whether he was referring to the group of comic villains or the professional wrestling tag team.[34]
LILCO Line/
Trio Grande
Clark Gillies Bryan Trottier Billy Harris/
Mike Bossy
New York Islanders 19741986 Line, with Harris at right wing, was originally known as the LILCO Line, which stood for Long Island Lighting Company, because they "lit the lamp" frequently.[35] When Bossy replaced Harris, the line became known as the Trio Grande.[36]
Mafia Line Don Maloney Phil Esposito Don Murdoch New York Rangers 1979–80 Named because of a "Godfather" (Esposito) playing with two "Don's".[37]
Mattress Line Daniel Sedin Henrik Sedin Jason King Vancouver Canucks 2003–04 Named because the line features two "twins" (the Sedins) and a "King".[38]
Million Dollar Line Bobby Hull Bill Hay Murray Balfour Chicago Blackhawks 19591964 Named after the high salaries of the three combined.[39]
MVP Line Vaclav Prospal Vincent Lecavalier Martin St. Louis Tampa Bay Lightning 20012003/
20052008/
2008— present
Named for Martin, Vincent, and Prospal. Line has been broken up twice when Prospal played for Anaheim and Philadelphia.[40]
Nitro Line Wayne Cashman Phil Esposito Ken Hodge Boston Bruins 19671975 Named because the trio was "explosive".[41]
Party Line Al Secord Denis Savard Steve Larmer Chicago Blackhawks 19821987 Set a team mark of 297 points in 1982–83.[42]
Pony Line Doug Bentley Max Bentley Bill Mosienko Chicago Blackhawks 19451948 Named because all three were small but fast.[43]
Production Line Ted Lindsay/
Frank Mahovlich
Sid Abel/
Alex Delvecchio
Gordie Howe Detroit Red Wings 19471971 Named in reference to Detroit's automobile industry.[44]The line started with Lindsay, Abel and Howe; when Abel was traded to Chicago, he was replaced by Delvecchio.[45] Mahovlich then replaced Lindsay when he retired.[46]
Punch Line Toe Blake Elmer Lach Maurice Richard Montreal Canadiens 19431948 Finished 1-2-3 in scoring in 1944–45, with Lach, Richard, and Blake scoring 80, 73, and 67 points respectively.[47]
S Line Babe Siebert Nels Stewart Hooley Smith Montreal Maroons 19251931 Named for the first letter of the players' surnames.[48]
Sesame Street Line Dave Schultz Orest Kindrachuk Don Saleski Philadelphia Flyers 19751977 Named because each of the players' nicknames referenced a Sesame Street character; Schultz was "Grouch", Kindrachuk was "Ernie", and Saleski was "Big Bird".[49][50]
Triple Crown Line Charlie Simmer Marcel Dionne Dave Taylor Los Angeles Kings 19791984 Named because the Kings' logo featured a crown.[51]
VHS line Radim Vrbata Martin Hanzal Fredrik Sjöström Phoenix Coyotes 2007–08 Made up of the first letter of the players' last names.[52]

Famous non-NHL lines with nicknames

[edit]
Line name LW C RW Team Season(s) Notes
Army Line Valery Kharlamov Vladimir Petrov Boris Mikhailov HC CSKA Moscow 1970-1980 Considered one of the most dominating lines in hockey history.[53]
Coneheads Line Buzz Schneider Mark Pavelich John Harrington United States men's national ice hockey team 1980 Named after the famous Saturday Night Live sketch series Coneheads, because they played a strange or 'alien' style. All three players were from the Iron Range in Northeast Minnesota[54]

Current, short-lived and/or novelty lines

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Famous forward combinations without acknowledged nicknames

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Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ McKinley, Michael, Hockey: A People's History, McClelland & Stewart, 2006, ISBN 0-7710-5769-5
  2. ^ Helene St. James (2009-01-20). "Red Wings' Datsyuk puckish but very productive". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
  3. ^ Michael Farber (2009-04-08). "Datsyuk is the best all-around NHL forward". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
  4. ^ "Hab's coach Julien, reeling from shutout, complains of "700 lb" Thornton line". 2003-10-28. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
  5. ^ Larry Wigge. "Elias driven to succeed on and off the ice". New Jersey Devils. Retrieved 2009-04-30. {{cite web}}: Text "date]2009-01-09" ignored (help)
  6. ^ Bob Foltman (2002-10-18). "Easy as "ABC" for Blackhawks". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
  7. ^ Justin Goldman (2003-09-18). "Roy Leaves Giant Pair of Skates to Fill". Rocky Mountain Collegian. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
  8. ^ "Banana Line (Islanders)". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  9. ^ "1972 NHL Amateur Draft - Pat Boutette". HockeyDraftCentral.com. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
  10. ^ "1974 NHL Amateur Draft - Mike Rogers". HockeyDraftCentral.com. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
  11. ^ "1973 NHL Amateur Draft - Blaine Stoughton". HockeyDraftCentral.com. Retrieved 2009-06-05. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  12. ^ Luke Decock (2008-12-10). "Old-school Caniac primer 101". News and Observer. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  13. ^ "Recap: Anaheim @ Minnesota 4/17/2007". NHL.com. 2007-04-17. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  14. ^ "1974 NHL Amateur Draft - Jack Valiquette". HockeyDraftCentral.com. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
  15. ^ David Amber (2006-12-01). "Sedins debate pucks, bad habits, Mrs. Tiger Woods". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  16. ^ "Bill Fairbairn". Legends of Hockey. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  17. ^ "Steve Vickers". Legends of Hockey. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  18. ^ Citizen staff (November 17, 2005), "The Cash Line easily wins the vote", Ottawa Citizen, pp. pg. C1 {{citation}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ "Pizza Line (Senators)". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  20. ^ "Penguins Hall of Fame". PensInfo.com. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
  21. ^ Grant Kerr (2007-05-15). "Anaheim's checking line deserves praise". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  22. ^ Karen Francis (2009-05-08). "Ducks' checking line does its job". Hockeytalk.biz. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  23. ^ "Crash Line (Devils}". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  24. ^ Kevin Kurz (2009-05-13). "Spectrum Classic Clips: Lindros Hat Trick". Philadelphia Flyers. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
  25. ^ Jonathan Baum (2008-07-07). "Ex-Hartford Whalers: NHL's most endearing endangered species". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
  26. ^ "Czechs-Mex Line (Oilers)". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  27. ^ "Dynasty Line (Canadiens)". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  28. ^ "EGG Line (Devils)". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  29. ^ "French Connection (Sabres)". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  30. ^ "GAG Line (Rangers)". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  31. ^ Ansar Khan (2008-10-27). "Red Wings' Grind Line reunited for Kings' game". MLive.com. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  32. ^ "Kraut Line (Bruins)". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  33. ^ "Induction Showcase: Bobby Bauer". Legends of Hockey. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  34. ^ "Legion of Doom (Flyers)". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  35. ^ "The Best Hockey Lines of the 1970s". The Summit in 1974. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  36. ^ "LILCO Line (Islanders)". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  37. ^ "The Mafia Line: Great in 1979". The Hockey History Blog. 2008-01-15. Retrieved 2011-05-17.
  38. ^ "Mattress Line (Canucks)". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  39. ^ "Million Dollar Line (Blackhawks)". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  40. ^ "MVP Line (Lightning)". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  41. ^ "Nitro Line (Bruins)". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  42. ^ "Party Line (Blackhawks)". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  43. ^ "One on One with Bill Mosienko". Hockey Hall of Fame. 2010-05-21. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  44. ^ "The Production Line (Red Wings)". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  45. ^ "One on One with Gordie Howe". Legends of Hockey. 2002-05-07. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  46. ^ "Frank Mahovlich". Legends of Hockey. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  47. ^ "Punch Line (Canadiens)". Sports Illustrated accessdate=2009-06-02. {{cite web}}: Missing pipe in: |publisher= (help); line feed character in |publisher= at position 23 (help)
  48. ^ "Honoured Members: Nels Stewart". Canada Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  49. ^ "Legends of Hockey: Orest Kindrachuk". Legends of Hockey. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
  50. ^ "Backchecking with Don Saleski". Philadelphia Flyers. 2005-06-14. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
  51. ^ "Game On! Name the Kings' Top Line". Life in Hockeywood. 2008-10-29. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  52. ^ Jim Gintonio (2007-12-22). "Coyotes stealing the show". Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
  53. ^ "Induction Showcase-Valeri Kharlamov". Legends of Hockey. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
  54. ^ "Kicking Stan Laurel's Fanny". USAhockey.com. Retrieved 2009-06-05. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |name= ignored (help)
  55. ^ Libero, Rich (September 14, 2004). "World Cup of Hockey 2004, Canada's DDT line poisons Finns". NHL.com. Retrieved 2006-06-08.
  56. ^ http://www.legendsofhockey.net/html/spot_oneononep200002.htm
  57. ^ Terry Koshan (2004-12-31). "Big line is a big line". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  58. ^ a b "Grumpy Old Men star for Dallas in OT". CBC Sports. 2001-04-21. Retrieved 2009-04-30.

References

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