I have a unified theory of hockey nicknames.



There are essentially five basic varieties of nicknames that encompass 95 percent of what NHL teammates call each other on the ice and around the rink:



Shorten the last name and add the letter “y” … As in Chris Tanev, “Tanny.”



Shorten the name and add the letter “o” … As in Tyler Myers, “Myso.”



Shorten the name and add the letters “er” … As in Tyler Motte, “Motter.”



Simply shorten the name … As in Micheal Ferland, “Ferls.”



If a player has a European name, take the first or last name and make it a monosyllabic anglicized name … As in Henrik Sedin, “Hank.”



What hockey nicknames lack in creativity, they make up for with a certain endearing rhythm based on repetition.



Players often go through multiple variations of nicknames over the course...