Your guide to New York Ranger nicknames, part two
In part two of our look at New York Rangers nicknames, we’ll explore the monikers of some of the greatest to ever wear the Rangers jersey as well as some of the best scorers to play on Broadway and more.
No one is exempt from a nickname. In the NHL today you have the creativity of “Syd the Kid” and the mundane simplicity of “Ovi” or “Geno.” Sadly, we have seen a decline in creative nicknames. Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews and Erik Karlsson are just a few of many without. Some of the Rangers greatest players (Brian Leetch, Mike Richter) never had a nickname bestowed on them, but there are still a few worth singling out.
The Superstars
The Rangers have had their fair share of hockey immortals. Many of them have interesting sobriquets to go along with their Hall of Fame credentials.
Mark “Moose” Messier – Messier earned the Moose label while starring for the Edmonton Oilers. It was pretty descriptive of his bullheaded, physical play. Once in New York, he became “The Messiah” after he delivered a Stanley Cup to the long suffering fans. He was also known as “The Captain” by his teammates for his leadership and withering look if a player failed to exert 100%.
Wayne “The Great One” Gretzky – Gretzky got his nickname when he was still a prospect and it never went away. Does anyone need an explanation for this nickname? Of course not and it is perfectly appropriate.
Phil “Espo” Esposito – Not particularly creative, it became his brand when he was top scorer with the Bruins. A prolific scorer with Boston, he led the Rangers to the 1979 Stanley Cup Finals. Perhaps “Garbageman” would have been more appropriate since he scored many of his goals on rebounds and deflections from in front of the net.
Jaromir “Jags” Jagr – Similar to Espo, this one fit perfectly. In his later years, he also became known as the “Ageless Wonder.”
Guy “The Flower” Lafleur – Before there was Marc Andre Fleury, there was Guy Lafleur, well known as a top scorer for Montreal. In 1988 the Flower made a brief, successful comeback with the Rangers after three years of retirement He only played one season in New York and scored 18 goals. Oh, and if you speak French, you know that Lafleur means “the flower.”
The Scorers
Snipers tend to attract monikers and they usually have something to do with their ability to score goals.
Luc “Lucky Luc” Robitaille – Luc Robitaille was a big goal scorer in Los Angeles and as was typical, he lost his scoring touch as soon as he came to New York. He was also one of two Ranger snipers to own the “Lucky” nickname. Since both from Quebec, it must be a French Canadian thing.
Pierre “Lucky Pierre” Larouche – The second victim of the Quebecois “Lucky” nickname syndrome, Larouche was a prolific goal scorer. He was the first player to score 50 goals in a season with two different teams (Pittsburgh & Montreal) and just missed making it three when he scored 48 with the Rangers in 1984. As it is, he is the only NHL player to score 45 goals or more with three different teams.
Pavel “The Russian Rocket” Bure – Bure’s best days were behind him when he joined the Rangers, but he still showed glimpses of his “rocket” speed. He’s best known by Ranger fans for missing a penalty shot against Mike Richter in the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals.
Don “Murder” Murdoch – We recently wrote about Don Murdoch’s feat of scoring five goals in a game as a rookie. He got the nickname when he scored eight goals in his first four NHL games since he was considered murder on goaltenders.
Bernie “Broadway Bernie” Nicholls – A former 76 goal scorer, Bernie Nicholls was looking forward to a long career in the Big Apple when traded from the Kings. The tabloids immediately christened him “Broadway Bernie.” One game into his third season in New York, he found himself dealt for Mark Messier. Needless to say, the “Broadway Bernie” nickname was shortlived.
Anthony “The Duke” Duclair – When Anthony Duclair made the major league roster at age 19 after a fabulous training camp, he was immediately nicknamed “the Duke.” The Duke became more of the Bust as he scored only one goal in 18 games and was sent packing to Arizona in the trade for Keith Yandle. Now with his fourth team in five years, he is trying to resurrect his career.
Ethnic Nicknames
There are have a few nicknames based on ethnicity. At least a few would be unacceptable in current society. None more so than the first one on our list.
Ivan Wilfred “Ching” Johnson – Johnson’s first nickname was Ivan the Terrible, but fans thought the Irishman looked Chinese so they would chant “Ching, Ching, the Chinaman” in his support. Yep, they really did that. I suppose “Ching” is better than two other names he was called, “Chinaman” and “Chink” Johnson. Let’s just say it was a different time.
Jim “Chief” Neilson – Jim Neilson was a stalwart on defense on the great Ranger teams of the 1970’s. Because he was half Cree, he was anointed with the most stereotypical of Native American nicknames, “Chief.” Ironic because though his mother was Cree, his father was from Denmark.
Pete “The Polish Prince” Stemkowski – Stemkowski is best known for his triple OT playoff goal against the Chicago Black Hawks in 1971, but he was also a practical joker and came up with many nicknames for his teammates. He was also known as “Stemmer” but he was as better known for the label he garnered as a result of his Polish heritage.
Ray “Chicken Parm” Ferraro – Ray Ferraro had a short stint with the Rangers. In 1995, he signed as a free agent from the Islanders and played all of 65 games as a Blueshirt before he was traded to Los Angeles in a multiplayer deal that featured Jarri Kurri coming to New York. He didn’t get the nickname until long after he left the Rangers, but it’s a funny story. No, he didn’t get the name because he is of Italian descent. He got the nickname from John Buccigross of ESPN after he dropped a piece of chicken parmesan on his white shirt just before going on the air as an analyst during the playoffs.
Some odds and ends
As we wrap up a look at past Ranger nicknames, there are a few standouts worth mentioning. One thing is guaranteed, if you play bigger than your size you are likely to get a nickname.
Todd “Heartbeat” Harvey – Harvey was an overachieving forward who played for the Rangers from 1998-2000. Not gifted with fine skills he became a fan favorite because of his willingness to sacrifice his body for the benefit of the team. For his brief stint on Broadway, he was indeed the “heartbeat” of the team.
Jerry “Bugsy” Butler – Butler was another overachieving forward. In 1974-75 he won the hearts of Ranger fans by scoring 17 goals and totaling 102 penalty minutes.
Pat “Little Ball of Hate” Verbeek – At only 5’9″, Pat Verbeek wasn’t big, but he was a was a great goal scorer. One of the only good players on the early New Jersey Devils teams, he scored 51 goals in 88 games as a Ranger. He got the nickname from teammate Glenn Healy who apparently also named Ray Ferraro the “Big Ball of Hate.”
Juha “Whitey” Widing – Widing played 44 games for the Rangers in 1969-70. His nickname wasn’t taken from his last name, but from the Finn’s long blonde hair.
Steve “Sarge” Vickers – After winning the Calder Trophy as top rookie in 1972-73, the nickname “Sarge” was bestowed upon him by teammate Pete “Stemmer” Stemkowski when he wore an army shirt to practice.
The Current Edition
The 2018-19 New York Rangers are not rife with creative nicknames. Before he was traded, Ryan Spooner was known as the “Spoonman.” Ryan Strome, the player he was traded for has no nickname worth noting. There are a few current Rangers with clever nicknames. Mika ZIbanejad has been known as “Zibby, Zbvad and Zibanegod”. Mats Zuccarello’s “Zuc” is known throughout North American and Scandinavia. Before he came to the United States, his nickname was “The Hobbit.” Alain Vigneault would refer to Jesper Fast as “Quickie.”
Surely we can come up with some nicknames for players like Neal Pionk, Vlad Namestnikov or Jimmy Vesey. And we can come up with something better than “Kreids” and “Buch.” And of course, there are quite a few Ranger fans who want to inherit one of the more creative NHL nicknames, Artemi “The Breadman ” Panarin.
dark. Next. NY Rangers headed for career seasons
Feel free to make any suggestions of nicknames for current Rangers and if we missed a favorite, make sure to tell us. Comment here or on Twitter @bluelinestation.