List of ice hockey line nicknames

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In ice hockey, three forwards – centre, right wing and left wing – operate as a unit called a line. The tradition of naming the lines extends back to the inaugural 1917–18 NHL season, when Didier Pitre, Jack Laviolette, and Newsy Lalonde of the Montreal Canadiens were dubbed the "Flying Frenchmen Line".[1]

The New York Rangers’ famous "Bread Line" that played between 1926 and 1937. It consisted of Hall of Famers Bill Cook, Bun Cook and Frank Boucher.

Lines with nicknames

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.
More information Line name, Members ...
Line name Members Team League Description Date Refs.
That 70s Line Tanner Pearson, Jeff Carter, Tyler Toffoli Los Angeles Kings NHL Pearson wore the number 70 on his jersey; Carter the number 77; and Toffoli the number 73. Named in reference to That '70s Show. 2013-2018 [2][3]

[4]

The Black Aces Herb Carnegie, Ossie Carnegie, Manny McIntire Quebec Aces QSHL The first all-black line in the Quebec Senior Hockey League. 1940s [5]
The Century Line Syl Apps Jr., Lowell MacDonald, Jean Pronovost Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Named by their team publicist after the line scored over 100 goals in the 1973–1974 season. 1973–1976 [6][7]
The Coneheads Mark Pavelich, John Harrington, Buzz Schneider United States Men's National Team Part of the Miracle on Ice team that won the gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics. All three grew up playing pickup games on ponds in the Iron Range of Northeast Minnesota. They named themselves after the Saturday Night Live sketch. 1980 [8][9]
The Dynasty Line Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt, Pete Mahovlich (later replaced by Jacques Lemaire) Montreal Canadiens NHL 1970s [10]
The Espo Line Wayne Cashman, Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge Boston Bruins NHL Named after their center, Esposito. 1967–1975 [10]
The French Connection Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin, Rene Robert Buffalo Sabres NHL Named after the Oscar-winning 1971 film, as all three players were French-Canadian. 1972–1979 [11][12]
The GAG Line Rod Gilbert, Jean Ratelle, Vic Hadfield New York Rangers NHL The name is an acronym for "Goal-A-Game", in reference to the line's high average scoring output. 1966-1974 [13]

[14]

The Grind Line Kris Draper, Joe Kocur (replaced by Darren McCarty after 1998 season), Kirk Maltby Detroit Red Wings NHL late 1990s-early 2000s [15][16]
The Grumpy Old Men Kirk Muller, John MacLean, Mike Keane Dallas Stars NHL Named after a reference to the 1993 film Grumpy Old Men. When the three veterans played for the Dallas Stars in 2001, they had 105 years and five Stanley Cup wins between them. 2001 [17]
The HBK Line Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino, Phil Kessel Pittsburgh Penguins NHL While technically the Penguins’ third line during their 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cup championship seasons, the name is taken from the first letters of their last names. Their most famous fan was pro wrestler Shawn Michaels, aka “The Heartbreak Kid”. 2016-2017 [18]
The Kid Line Busher Jackson, Joe Primeau, Charlie Conacher Toronto Maple Leafs NHL At the time of the line's formation, Primeau was 23 years old, while both Conacher and Jackson were only 18. 1930-1938 [19]

[20]

The KLM Line Vladimir Krutov, Igor Larionov, Sergei Makarov Soviet national team The KLM Line was the top line on the dominant Soviet national teams of the 1980s. They won gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Winter Olympics. Together with the top defensive pairing of Slava Fetisov and Alexei Kasatonov, the five of them were collectively known as "The Green Unit" because of the green jerseys they wore in practice. 1980s [21]
The Kraut Line Milt Schmidt, Woody Dumart, Bobby Bauer Boston Bruins NHL Named for the German ancestry shared by all three, who grew up together in Kitchener, Ontario. 1936–1947 [22]
The Legion of Doom Eric Lindros, John LeClair, Mikael Renberg Philadelphia Flyers NHL Named as all weighed over 220 pounds, ranged from 6'2" to 6'4" tall, and had a very physical playing style. 1994–1997 [12]
The LILCO Line Billy Harris, Clark Gillies, Bryan Trottier New York Islanders NHL Named after the Long Island Lighting Company because they lit the lamps so often with their goal-scoring. 1970s [23][24]
The Mafia Line Phil Esposito, Don Maloney, Don Murdoch New York Rangers NHL Named for the "godfather" Phil Esposito and his two "dons", Don Maloney and Don Murdoch. late 1970s [11]
The Perfection Line Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrňák Boston Bruins NHL 2014–2022 [25][26][27]
The Pizza Line Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson Ottawa Senators NHL In 2005, the Ottawa Senators ran a promotion with Canadian pizza restaurant Pizza Pizza where fans in attendance at home games would get free slices of pizza if the Senators scored five or more goals. Due to the line's extremely high scoring output, the promotion went into effect much more often than anticipated. 2005-2009 [28]

[29]

The Pony Line Doug Bentley, Max Bentley, Bill Mosienko Chicago Blackhawks NHL All three players on the line stood less than 5'10" and weighed under 160 lbs. 1940-1943, 1945-1948 [30]

[31] [32]

The Production Line Sid Abel, Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay Detroit Red Wings NHL Named in reference to their prolific goal production as well as the automotive industry in Detroit. The line was put together by head coach Tommy Ivan in 1947. 1947-1952 [12][33]
The Punch Line Hector "Toe" Blake, Elmer Lach, Maurice "Rocket" Richard Montreal Canadiens NHL The trio was the top line on the Montreal Canadiens from 1943 to 1948 and won two Stanley Cups. 1943–1948 [12]
The S Line Nels Stewart, Babe Siebert, Hooley Smith Montreal Maroons NHL 1927–1932 [34]
The Triple Crown Line Dave Taylor, Charlie Simmer, Marcel Dionne Los Angeles Kings NHL Named after their achievements; in 1980–81, the trio combined for 328 points to become the first line in NHL history where each player scored 100 points or more in the same season. 1979–1984 [35][12]
The Trio Grande Mike Bossy, Clark Gillies, Bryan Trottier New York Islanders NHL The Trio Grande won four Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders in the 1980s, and all three are in the Hockey Hall of Fame. 1980s [23][36]
The Uke Line Johnny Bucyk, Bronco Horvath, Vic Stasiuk Boston Bruins NHL Named for their common Ukrainian heritage. 1957–1961 [37]
The West Coast Express Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison, Todd Bertuzzi Vancouver Canucks NHL Named as a reference to the local commuter rail service of the same name. 2000–2006 [38][39]
The Sleepover Line Tyler Toffoli, Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith San Jose Sharks NHL Named for a viral moment in which veteran Tyler Toffoli slept on a cot in then-rookies Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini's hotel room. 2025-2026 [40][41]
Close

See also

References

Related Articles

Wikiwand AI