Edmonton Oilers: The Nickname Rant

Mandatory Credit: Chris Austin-USA TODAY Sports

I wanted to write about this for a while now and while I was listening to a NHL related radio station and having to here the interviewee, whom I cannot remember,  call the interviewer, former Edmonton Oiler Craig Simpson, Simmer roughly a dozen times in the 6 minute drive home the light bulb went off. This interview reminded me I wanted to look at some of the Oilers players, their current nicknames and give them better nicknames. Names that don’t make me want to bang my head off the steering wheel.

Hockey must be the only sport where you take the players  first three letters of the last name, do nothing or add an ‘er’, ‘sey’ or a ‘y’ to it and KALBLAMO! A nickname. I will be guessing at most of the locker room nicknames but I am sure it will be real close to what they actually are. Here are just a few that need to be changed in my opinion.

Jordan Eberle – Ebs is unique but I think Pudge would be better suited as he looks to be the Oiler who is was named most soft and cuddly in his year book.

Sam Gagner – Gags. Again a well thought out nick name but has a fan of The Hobbit movies I would much prefer Samwise Gamgee.

Taylor Hall – Hallsy is a weird one cause it is one of the few nicknames that is longer then the last name. Ever since his incident with the skate in warm up I can only think of him as Frankenstein.

Ales Hemsky – Known as Hemmer I believe. In my house he is Sir Pass A Lot.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – His teammates and the media call him The Nug. Last year I would say he should be called Magic Man but this year he looks more like Bamby.

David Perron – I will guess that they call him Perrsey? I think The French Twine Tickler would work better.

Ryan Smyth – Smytty. Now I only see Old Man Smyth.

Nail Yakupov – Yak is what I have been hearing for this young man. When he scores I have my three your old trained to say “Yakety Yak, Nailed It!” So I have to go with Yakety Yak.

Do you have any favorite nicknames for your current Edmonton Oilers players? Share them bellow in the comments. I have many more I will add but I just wanted to share a few for now.

Laters