List of ice hockey line nicknames

In ice hockey, three forwards – the 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".

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
Line name Members Team League Description Date Refs.
The Black Aces Herb Carnegie, Ossie Carnegie, Manny McIntire Quebec Aces QSHL The first all-black line in the Quebec Senior Hockey League. 1940s [1]
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 [2][3]
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 [4][5]
The Dynasty Line Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt, Pete Mahovlich (later replaced by Jacques Lemaire) Montreal Canadiens NHL 1970s [6]
The Espo Line Wayne Cashman, Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge Boston Bruins NHL Named after their center, Esposito. 1967–1975 [6]
The French Connection Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin, Rene Robert Buffalo Sabres NHL All three players were French-Canadian. Named after the Oscar-winning 1971 film. 1972–1979 [7][8]
The Grind Line Kris Draper, Joe Kocur (replaced by Darren McCarty after 1998 season), Kirk Maltby Detroit Red Wings NHL late 1990s [9][10]
The Grumpy Old Men Kirk Muller, John MacLean, Mike Keane Dallas Stars NHL 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 [11]
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 [12]
The Kraut Line Milt Schmidt, Woody Dumart, Bobby Bauer Boston Bruins NHL Nicknamed for the German ancestry shared by all three, who grew up together in Kitchener, Ontario. 1936–1947 [13]
The Legion of Doom Eric Lindros, John LeClair, Mikael Renberg Philadelphia Flyers NHL Each weighed over 220 pounds and the linemates ranged from 6'2" to 6'4" tall. 1994–1997 [8]
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 [14][15]
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 [7]
The Perfection Line Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak Boston Bruins NHL They are known as The Perfection Line, a name they've earned for their balance, completeness and consistently stellar play. The Boston Bruins' trio of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand is perfectly built. 2014–2022 [16][17][18]
The Production Line Sid Abel, Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay Detroit Red Wings NHL A line put together by head coach Tommy Ivan in 1947, the name referenced their prolific goal production as well as the automotive industry in their city. 1947 [8][19]
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 [8]
The S Line Nels Stewart, Babe Siebert, Hooley Smith Montreal Maroons NHL 1927–1932 [20]
The Triple Crown Line Dave Taylor, Charlie Simmer, Marcel Dionne Los Angeles Kings NHL 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 [21][8]
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 [14][22]
The Uke Line Johnny Bucyk, Bronco Horvath, Vic Stasiuk Boston Bruins NHL The line was named for their common Ukrainian heritage. 1957–1961 [23]
The West Coast Express Markus Näslund, Brendan Morrison, Todd Bertuzzi Vancouver Canucks NHL The name was a reference to the local commuter rail service of the same name. 2000–2006 [24][25]

See also

References
  1. Gretzky, Wayne (2016). 99: Stories of the Game. Penguin Publishing Group. p. 76. ISBN 9780399575488. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  2. "Lowell MacDonald Visits Pittsburgh". NHL.com. October 16, 2009. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  3. Buker, Rick (2018). 100 Things Penguins Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. Triumph Books. p. 152. ISBN 978-1641251303.
  4. Coffey, Wayne (2005). The Boys Of Winter: The Untold Story Of A Coach, A Dream, And The 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team. Crown Publishers. p. 53. ISBN 9781400047666. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  5. Gilbert, John (27 September 2010). Herb Brooks: The Inside Story of a Hockey Mastermind. MVP Books. p. 183. ISBN 978-0-7603-3995-4. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  6. "All-time best lines". The Hockey News. 7 March 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  7. Fox, Luke (11 February 2015). "15 greatest NHL line nicknames". Sportsnet. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  8. Strong, Gregory (February 21, 2017). "NHL 100: Legion of Doom highlights hockey's all-time iconic lines". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  9. "Grind Line", Wikipedia, 2021-01-01, retrieved 2021-06-25
  10. Khan, Ansar (27 July 2011). "How Kris Draper, The Grind Line were critical to the Detroit Red Wings' Stanley Cup teams". mLive. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  11. Foster, J. Douglas (16 March 2008). "Grumpy Old Memories". NHL.com. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  12. Larionov, Igor (23 February 2015). "The Beautiful Game". The Players' Tribune. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  13. "The Kraut Line". Kitchener Sports Association. Archived from the original on 2019-01-29.
  14. Keese, Parton (6 December 1977). "Islanders' Hot Trio Grande". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  15. Fischler, Stan (16 November 2018). "Maven's Memories: Isles Take Step Forward in 1975-76". NHL.com. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  16. "Bruins' Perfection Line is again the NHL's best and the rest of the league is trying to get in on the action". RSN. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  17. Yost, Travis (2021-05-20). "Travis Yost: Aging like a fine wine, the Perfection Line continues to drive Boston Bruins - TSN.ca". TSN. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  18. "The best lines of the past 30 years for all 31 NHL teams". ESPN.com. 2020-05-07. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  19. Guest, J. Conrad (23 January 2013). "Tommy Ivan devised Red Wings' famous "Production Line"". VintageDetroit.com. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  20. McDonell, Chris (2014). Hockey's Greatest Stars. Firefly Books. p. 40. ISBN 9781770852884. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  21. McLaughlin, Walter (8 July 2019). "Remembering the Los Angeles Kings' Triple Crown Line". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  22. Kirshenbaum, Jerry (12 December 1977). "Three Islanders Unto Themselves". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  23. "Uke Line 60 years later". Lethbridge Herald. Retrieved 2023-06-10 – via PressReader.
  24. "Naslund, Bertuzzi & Morrison return to Vancouver". National Hockey League. November 30, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  25. Ziemer, Brad (December 6, 2015). "Canucks' West Coast Express line put Sedins on right track". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
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