List of ice hockey line nicknames

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 inaugural 1917–18 NHL season, when Didier Pitre, Jack Laviolette, and Newsy Lalonde of the Montreal Canadiens were dubbed the "Flying Frenchmen Line".

Lines with nicknames

*"The Black Aces": Herb Carnegie, Ossie Carnegie and Manny McIntyre. Played on the Quebec Aces in the 1940s. The first all-black line in the Quebec Senior Hockey League.
*"The Cash Line": Daniel Alfredsson, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza. Named by a contest held by the Ottawa Citizen, the nickname generated little enthusiasm. The trio was more often called the Pizza Line, from a promotion by Pizza Pizza in which fans holding a ticket stub would get a free slice if the Senators scored five or more goals. Before the Pizza Line, the chain rarely had to worry about giving out free pizza.
*"That 70's Line" The line consisted of Tanner Pearson on the left wing, Jeff Carter through the middle, and Tyler Toffoli on the right wing who all had jersey numbers in the 70's. The trio introduced themselves to the hockey world during the 2014 playoffs, specifically in the Western Conference Final against the Chicago Blackhawks. The three players would spend the next four and a half seasons playing together frequently
*"The Century Line": Syl Apps Jr., Lowell MacDonald, and Jean Pronovost, who were linemates on the Pittsburgh Penguins from 1973 to 1976. Named by their team publicist after the line scored over 100 goals in the 1973-1974 season.
*"The Coneheads": Mark Pavelich, John Harrington and Buzz Schneider. Part of the Miracle on Ice team that won gold at the 1980 Winter Olympics. USA head coach Herb Brooks felt the three played best together on the same line because all three grew up playing pickup games on ponds in the Iron Range of Northeast Minnesota. Named after the Saturday Night Live sketch.
*"The Dynasty Line": Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt, and Pete Mahovlich, later replaced by Jacques Lemaire. The line played on the Montreal Canadiens in the 1970s.
*"The Espo Line": Wayne Cashman, Phil Esposito and Ken Hodge. Named after their center, Esposito. Played for the Boston Bruins from 1967–75.
*"The French Connection": Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin and Rene Robert were three French-Canadian players on the Buffalo Sabres from 1972 to 1979. Named after the Oscar-winning 1971 film.
*"The Grind Line": Originally, the Grind Line in Detroit consisted of three players: Kris Draper, Joe Kocur, and Kirk Maltby, who played for the Red Wings in the late 1990s. After the 1998 season, Darren McCarty replaced Joe Kocur.
*"The Grumpy Old Men": Kirk Muller, John MacLean and Mike Keane. 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.
*” The HBK Line”: Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel were the third line for the Pittsburgh Penguins that was the most productive during the team’s 2016 Stanley Cup championship. The name is a play on the initial letters of the trio’s last names, H for Hagelin, B for Bonino and K for Kessel. Their biggest fan was pro wrestler Shawn Michaels, aka “The Heartbreak Kid”.
*" The Kid Line": Charlie Conacher, Joe Primeau, Harvey Jackson, Toronto Maple Leafs, 1930. In tribute to the original, Joe Murphy, Martin Gelinas, and Adam Graves of the Edmonton Oilers were called in the Kid Line during their 1990 Stanley Cup win. The name has since been reused several times, but never with the longevity of the original.
*"The KLM line": Vladimir Krutov, Igor Larionov and Sergei Makarov were 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 collectively were known as "The Green Unit" because of the green jerseys they wore in practice.
*"The Kraut line": Milt Schmidt, Woody Dumart, and Bobby Bauer played together on the Boston Bruins. Nicknamed for the German ancestry shared by all three, who grew up together in Kitchener, Ontario.
*"The Legion of Doom": Eric Lindros, John LeClair and Mikael Renberg on the same line for the Philadelphia Flyers from 1994 to 1997. Each weighed over 220 pounds and the linemates ranged from 6'2" to 6'4" tall.
*"The LILCO Line": Billy Harris, Clark Gillies and Bryan Trottier with the New York Islanders in the 1970s. Named after the Long Island Lighting Company because they lit the lamps so often with their goal scoring.
*"The Mafia Line": named for the " godfather" Phil Esposito and his two " dons", Don Maloney and Don Murdoch. Played for the New York Rangers in the late 1970s.
*"The Merlot Line": Daniel Paille, Gregory Campbell, and Shawn Thornton, named for the wine-colored jerseys the line wore during practice. Unlike many of the named lines on this list, the Merlot Line was a so-named fourth line of forwards known more for their gritty play than their goal-scoring prowess. Played on the Boston Bruins' Stanley Cup championship team in 2011.
*"The Perfection Line": Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak played for the Boston Bruins from 2014 to 2022.
*"The Production Line": Sid Abel, Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay. A line put together by Detroit Red Wings head coach Tommy Ivan in 1947, the name referenced their prolific goal production as well as the automotive industry in their city.
*"The Punch Line": Hector "Toe" Blake, Elmer Lach and Maurice "Rocket" Richard. The trio were the top line on the Montreal Canadiens from 1943 to 1948, and won two Stanley Cups.
*"The S Line": Nels Stewart, Babe Siebert and Hooley Smith played together for the Montreal Maroons from 1927 to 1932.
*"The Slovak Pack": Pavol Demitra, Michal Handzuš and Ľuboš Bartečko on the St. Louis Blues from 1999 to 2001. Demitra was the team's most productive player with 75 points, Handzuš collected 53 points and finished second behind Yzerman in the voting for the Frank J. Selke Trophy. Ľuboš Bartečko collected 39 points in 67 duels. The name referenced their home country and the ability to communicate in their mother tongue with the opponents that could not understand
*"The Triple Crown Line": Dave Taylor, Charlie Simmer and Marcel Dionne played together on the Los Angeles Kings from 1979 to 1984. 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.
*" The Trio Grande": Mike Bossy, Clark Gillies and Bryan Trottier won four Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders in the 1980s, and all three are in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
*"The Uke Line": Johnny Bucyk, Bronco Horvath, and Vic Stasiuk, named for their common Ukrainian heritage. Played for the Boston Bruins from 1957-1961.
*"The West Coast Express": Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison and Todd Bertuzzi on the Vancouver Canucks from 2000 to 2006. The name was a reference to the local commuter rail service of the same name.

See also

* The Russian Five

References

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Line nicknames