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 1920s when Bun Cook, Frank Boucher and Bill Cook of the New York Rangers formed the A Line (named after the A Train, which ran under Madison Square Garden). [1]
Line name | LW | C | RW | Team | Season(s) | Notes |
2 Kids and a Goat |
Boyd Devereaux/ Henrik Zetterberg |
Pavel Datsyuk | Brett Hull | Detroit Red Wings | 2001— 2004 | Devereaux started on the line before being replaced by Zetterberg. Hull named the line due to Devereaux and Datsyuk's young age and his own veteran status. [2] [3] |
700 Pound Line | Mike Knuble | Joe Thornton | Glen Murray | Boston Bruins | 2002— 2004 | So named by Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien because the line's combined weight was around 700 pounds. [4] |
"A" Line | Patrik Elias | Jason Arnott | Petr Sykora | New Jersey Devils | 1999— 2001 | The team's top line. [5] |
ABC Line | Mark Bell | Tyler Arnason | Kyle Calder | Chicago Blackhawks | 2002— 2004 | Made up of the first letter of the players' last names. [6] |
AMP Line | Alex Tanguay | Peter Forsberg | Milan Hejduk | Colorado Avalanche | 2002— 2004 | Made up of the first letter of the players' given names. [7] |
Banana Line | John Tonelli | Wayne Merrick | Bob Nystrom | New York Islanders | 1978— 1984 | Named because they wore yellow jerseys during practice. [8] |
Bash, Dash & Stash Line | Pat Boutette | Mike Rogers | Blaine Stoughton | Hartford Whalers | 1980— 1981 | Named because all three players' nicknames rhymed:Boutette was "Bash" [9], Rogers was "Dash" [10], and Stoughton was "Stash" because of his Fu Manchu moustache. [11] |
BBC Line | Bates Battaglia | Rod Brind'Amour | Erik Cole | Carolina Hurricanes | 2001–02 | Made up of the first letter of the players' last names. [12] |
Big Line | Brian Rolston | Pavol Demitra | Marian Gaborik | Minnesota Wild | 2006–07 | Line made up of the Wild's top scorers; they combined for 38 percent of the team's total goals that season. [13] |
Brat Line | Tiger Williams | Pat Boutette | Jack Valiquette | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1975— 1977 | [14] |
Brothers Line | Daniel Sedin | Henrik Sedin | Anson Carter | Vancouver Canucks | 2005–06 | Named because the Sedins are twins, and Carter is known as "Soul Brother". [15] |
Bulldog Line |
Dave Balon/ Steve Vickers |
Walt Tkaczuk | Bill Fairbairn | New York Rangers | 1968— 1980 | Named after Fairbairn, whose nickname was "Bulldog". [16] Vickers replaced Balon after Balon was traded to Vancouver in 1972. [17] |
CASH line | Dany Heatley | Jason Spezza | Daniel Alfredsson | Ottawa Senators | 2005— 2009 | The name is made from the initials of Captain Alfredsson, Spezza, and Heatley. [18] Also known as the "Pizza Line". [19] |
Century Line | Lowell MacDonald | Syl Apps, Jr. | Jean Pronovost | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1972— 1976 | Combined for 200+ points and 80+ goals for four straight years. [20] |
Checking Line | Travis Moen | Samuel Pahlsson | Rob Niedermayer | Anaheim Ducks | 2006— 2009 | Named because they were responsible for shutting down the opponent's top line. [21] [22] |
Crash Line | Mike Peluso | Bobby Holik | Randy McKay | New Jersey Devils | 1994— 1996 | Named because their job was to deliver big checks to opposing players. [23] |
Crazy Eights Line | Brent Fedyk | Eric Lindros | Mark Recchi | Philadelphia Flyers | 1992— 1994 | Named because their jersey numbers were 18, 88, and 8 respectively. [24] |
CVS Line | Geoff Sanderson | Andrew Cassels | Pat Verbeek | Hartford Whalers | 1991— 1995 | Named after the first letter of the players' last names. [25] |
Czechs-Mex Line | Raffi Torres | Petr Sykora | Ales Hemsky | Edmonton Oilers | 2006–07 | A play on Chex Mix, named because Sykora and Hemsky are Czechs, while Torres is of Mexican and Peruvian descent. [26] |
Dynasty Line | Steve Shutt |
Jacques Lemaire/ Peter Mahovlich |
Guy Lafleur | Montreal Canadiens | 1976— 1979 | Mahovlich sometimes replaced Lemaire, leading Shutt to call it the "Donut Line" because it had no firm center. [27] |
EGG Line | Patrik Elias | Scott Gomez | Brian Gionta | New Jersey Devils | 2002— 2004 | Named after the first letter of the players' last names. [28] |
French Connection | Rick Martin | Gilbert Perreault | Rene Robert | Buffalo Sabres | 1972— 1979 | Named after the Gene Hackman movie and their French-Canadian background. [29] |
GAG Line | Vic Hadfield | Jean Ratelle | Rod Gilbert | New York Rangers | 1968— 1974 | Stood for "Goal-A-Game", which was the line's average production. [30] |
Grind Line | Kirk Maltby | Kris Draper |
Joe Kocur/ Darren McCarty |
Detroit Red Wings | 1996— 2004 | Line originally featured Kocur at right wing; he was replaced by McCarty starting in 1997. [31] |
Kraut Line | Woody Dumart | Milt Schmidt | Bobby Bauer | Boston Bruins | 1937— 1947 | Named because all three players were of German descent. [32] The line reunited for one game in 1952, where Bauer scored a goal and an assist despite having been retired for five years. [33] |
Legion of Doom | John LeClair | Eric Lindros | Mikael Renberg | Philadelphia Flyers | 1994— 1997 | Named by Flyers forward Jim Montgomery, who said they "looked like the Legion of Doom out there"; it is unknown whether he was referring to the group of comic villains or the professional wrestling tag team. [34] |
LILCO Line/ Trio Grande |
Clark Gillies | Bryan Trottier |
Billy Harris/ Mike Bossy |
New York Islanders | 1974— 1986 | Line, with Harris at right wing, was originally known as the LILCO Line, which stood for Long Island Lighting Company, because they " lit the lamp" frequently. [35] When Bossy replaced Harris, the line became known as the Trio Grande. [36] |
Mafia Line | Don Maloney | Phil Esposito | Don Murdoch | New York Rangers | 1979–80 | Named because of a " Godfather" (Esposito) playing with two " Don's". [37] |
Mattress Line | Daniel Sedin | Henrik Sedin | Jason King | Vancouver Canucks | 2003–04 | Named because the line features two "twins" (the Sedins) and a "King". [38] |
Million Dollar Line | Bobby Hull | Bill Hay | Murray Balfour | Chicago Blackhawks | 1959— 1964 | Named after the high salaries of the three combined. [39] |
MVP Line | Vaclav Prospal | Vincent Lecavalier | Martin St. Louis | Tampa Bay Lightning |
2001—
2003/ 2005— 2008/ 2008— present |
Named for Martin, Vincent, and Prospal. Line has been broken up twice when Prospal played for Anaheim and Philadelphia. [40] |
Nitro Line | Wayne Cashman | Phil Esposito | Ken Hodge | Boston Bruins | 1967— 1975 | Named because the trio was "explosive". [41] |
Party Line | Al Secord | Denis Savard | Steve Larmer | Chicago Blackhawks | 1982— 1987 | Set a team mark of 297 points in 1982–83. [42] |
Pony Line | Doug Bentley | Max Bentley | Bill Mosienko | Chicago Blackhawks | 1945— 1948 | Named because all three were small but fast. [43] |
Production Line |
Ted Lindsay/ Frank Mahovlich |
Sid Abel/ Alex Delvecchio |
Gordie Howe | Detroit Red Wings | 1947— 1971 | Named in reference to Detroit's automobile industry. [44]The line started with Lindsay, Abel and Howe; when Abel was traded to Chicago, he was replaced by Delvecchio. [45] Mahovlich then replaced Lindsay when he retired. [46] |
Punch Line | Toe Blake | Elmer Lach | Maurice Richard | Montreal Canadiens | 1943— 1948 | Finished 1-2-3 in scoring in 1944–45, with Lach, Richard, and Blake scoring 80, 73, and 67 points respectively. [47] |
S Line | Babe Siebert | Nels Stewart | Hooley Smith | Montreal Maroons | 1925— 1931 | Named for the first letter of the players' surnames. [48] |
Sesame Street Line | Dave Schultz | Orest Kindrachuk | Don Saleski | Philadelphia Flyers | 1975— 1977 | Named because each of the players' nicknames referenced a Sesame Street character; Schultz was " Grouch", Kindrachuk was " Ernie", and Saleski was " Big Bird". [49] [50] |
Triple Crown Line | Charlie Simmer | Marcel Dionne | Dave Taylor | Los Angeles Kings | 1979— 1984 | Named because the Kings' logo featured a crown. [51] |
VHS line | Radim Vrbata | Martin Hanzal | Fredrik Sjöström | Phoenix Coyotes | 2007–08 | Made up of the first letter of the players' last names. [52] |
Line name | LW | C | RW | Team | Season(s) | Notes |
Army Line | Valery Kharlamov | Vladimir Petrov | Boris Mikhailov | HC CSKA Moscow | 1970-1980 | Considered one of the most dominating lines in hockey history. [53] |
Coneheads Line | Buzz Schneider | Mark Pavelich | John Harrington | United States men's national ice hockey team | 1980 | Named after the famous Saturday Night Live sketch series Coneheads, because they played a strange or 'alien' style. All three players were from the Iron Range in Northeast Minnesota [54] |
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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 1920s when Bun Cook, Frank Boucher and Bill Cook of the New York Rangers formed the A Line (named after the A Train, which ran under Madison Square Garden). [1]
Line name | LW | C | RW | Team | Season(s) | Notes |
2 Kids and a Goat |
Boyd Devereaux/ Henrik Zetterberg |
Pavel Datsyuk | Brett Hull | Detroit Red Wings | 2001— 2004 | Devereaux started on the line before being replaced by Zetterberg. Hull named the line due to Devereaux and Datsyuk's young age and his own veteran status. [2] [3] |
700 Pound Line | Mike Knuble | Joe Thornton | Glen Murray | Boston Bruins | 2002— 2004 | So named by Montreal Canadiens head coach Claude Julien because the line's combined weight was around 700 pounds. [4] |
"A" Line | Patrik Elias | Jason Arnott | Petr Sykora | New Jersey Devils | 1999— 2001 | The team's top line. [5] |
ABC Line | Mark Bell | Tyler Arnason | Kyle Calder | Chicago Blackhawks | 2002— 2004 | Made up of the first letter of the players' last names. [6] |
AMP Line | Alex Tanguay | Peter Forsberg | Milan Hejduk | Colorado Avalanche | 2002— 2004 | Made up of the first letter of the players' given names. [7] |
Banana Line | John Tonelli | Wayne Merrick | Bob Nystrom | New York Islanders | 1978— 1984 | Named because they wore yellow jerseys during practice. [8] |
Bash, Dash & Stash Line | Pat Boutette | Mike Rogers | Blaine Stoughton | Hartford Whalers | 1980— 1981 | Named because all three players' nicknames rhymed:Boutette was "Bash" [9], Rogers was "Dash" [10], and Stoughton was "Stash" because of his Fu Manchu moustache. [11] |
BBC Line | Bates Battaglia | Rod Brind'Amour | Erik Cole | Carolina Hurricanes | 2001–02 | Made up of the first letter of the players' last names. [12] |
Big Line | Brian Rolston | Pavol Demitra | Marian Gaborik | Minnesota Wild | 2006–07 | Line made up of the Wild's top scorers; they combined for 38 percent of the team's total goals that season. [13] |
Brat Line | Tiger Williams | Pat Boutette | Jack Valiquette | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1975— 1977 | [14] |
Brothers Line | Daniel Sedin | Henrik Sedin | Anson Carter | Vancouver Canucks | 2005–06 | Named because the Sedins are twins, and Carter is known as "Soul Brother". [15] |
Bulldog Line |
Dave Balon/ Steve Vickers |
Walt Tkaczuk | Bill Fairbairn | New York Rangers | 1968— 1980 | Named after Fairbairn, whose nickname was "Bulldog". [16] Vickers replaced Balon after Balon was traded to Vancouver in 1972. [17] |
CASH line | Dany Heatley | Jason Spezza | Daniel Alfredsson | Ottawa Senators | 2005— 2009 | The name is made from the initials of Captain Alfredsson, Spezza, and Heatley. [18] Also known as the "Pizza Line". [19] |
Century Line | Lowell MacDonald | Syl Apps, Jr. | Jean Pronovost | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1972— 1976 | Combined for 200+ points and 80+ goals for four straight years. [20] |
Checking Line | Travis Moen | Samuel Pahlsson | Rob Niedermayer | Anaheim Ducks | 2006— 2009 | Named because they were responsible for shutting down the opponent's top line. [21] [22] |
Crash Line | Mike Peluso | Bobby Holik | Randy McKay | New Jersey Devils | 1994— 1996 | Named because their job was to deliver big checks to opposing players. [23] |
Crazy Eights Line | Brent Fedyk | Eric Lindros | Mark Recchi | Philadelphia Flyers | 1992— 1994 | Named because their jersey numbers were 18, 88, and 8 respectively. [24] |
CVS Line | Geoff Sanderson | Andrew Cassels | Pat Verbeek | Hartford Whalers | 1991— 1995 | Named after the first letter of the players' last names. [25] |
Czechs-Mex Line | Raffi Torres | Petr Sykora | Ales Hemsky | Edmonton Oilers | 2006–07 | A play on Chex Mix, named because Sykora and Hemsky are Czechs, while Torres is of Mexican and Peruvian descent. [26] |
Dynasty Line | Steve Shutt |
Jacques Lemaire/ Peter Mahovlich |
Guy Lafleur | Montreal Canadiens | 1976— 1979 | Mahovlich sometimes replaced Lemaire, leading Shutt to call it the "Donut Line" because it had no firm center. [27] |
EGG Line | Patrik Elias | Scott Gomez | Brian Gionta | New Jersey Devils | 2002— 2004 | Named after the first letter of the players' last names. [28] |
French Connection | Rick Martin | Gilbert Perreault | Rene Robert | Buffalo Sabres | 1972— 1979 | Named after the Gene Hackman movie and their French-Canadian background. [29] |
GAG Line | Vic Hadfield | Jean Ratelle | Rod Gilbert | New York Rangers | 1968— 1974 | Stood for "Goal-A-Game", which was the line's average production. [30] |
Grind Line | Kirk Maltby | Kris Draper |
Joe Kocur/ Darren McCarty |
Detroit Red Wings | 1996— 2004 | Line originally featured Kocur at right wing; he was replaced by McCarty starting in 1997. [31] |
Kraut Line | Woody Dumart | Milt Schmidt | Bobby Bauer | Boston Bruins | 1937— 1947 | Named because all three players were of German descent. [32] The line reunited for one game in 1952, where Bauer scored a goal and an assist despite having been retired for five years. [33] |
Legion of Doom | John LeClair | Eric Lindros | Mikael Renberg | Philadelphia Flyers | 1994— 1997 | Named by Flyers forward Jim Montgomery, who said they "looked like the Legion of Doom out there"; it is unknown whether he was referring to the group of comic villains or the professional wrestling tag team. [34] |
LILCO Line/ Trio Grande |
Clark Gillies | Bryan Trottier |
Billy Harris/ Mike Bossy |
New York Islanders | 1974— 1986 | Line, with Harris at right wing, was originally known as the LILCO Line, which stood for Long Island Lighting Company, because they " lit the lamp" frequently. [35] When Bossy replaced Harris, the line became known as the Trio Grande. [36] |
Mafia Line | Don Maloney | Phil Esposito | Don Murdoch | New York Rangers | 1979–80 | Named because of a " Godfather" (Esposito) playing with two " Don's". [37] |
Mattress Line | Daniel Sedin | Henrik Sedin | Jason King | Vancouver Canucks | 2003–04 | Named because the line features two "twins" (the Sedins) and a "King". [38] |
Million Dollar Line | Bobby Hull | Bill Hay | Murray Balfour | Chicago Blackhawks | 1959— 1964 | Named after the high salaries of the three combined. [39] |
MVP Line | Vaclav Prospal | Vincent Lecavalier | Martin St. Louis | Tampa Bay Lightning |
2001—
2003/ 2005— 2008/ 2008— present |
Named for Martin, Vincent, and Prospal. Line has been broken up twice when Prospal played for Anaheim and Philadelphia. [40] |
Nitro Line | Wayne Cashman | Phil Esposito | Ken Hodge | Boston Bruins | 1967— 1975 | Named because the trio was "explosive". [41] |
Party Line | Al Secord | Denis Savard | Steve Larmer | Chicago Blackhawks | 1982— 1987 | Set a team mark of 297 points in 1982–83. [42] |
Pony Line | Doug Bentley | Max Bentley | Bill Mosienko | Chicago Blackhawks | 1945— 1948 | Named because all three were small but fast. [43] |
Production Line |
Ted Lindsay/ Frank Mahovlich |
Sid Abel/ Alex Delvecchio |
Gordie Howe | Detroit Red Wings | 1947— 1971 | Named in reference to Detroit's automobile industry. [44]The line started with Lindsay, Abel and Howe; when Abel was traded to Chicago, he was replaced by Delvecchio. [45] Mahovlich then replaced Lindsay when he retired. [46] |
Punch Line | Toe Blake | Elmer Lach | Maurice Richard | Montreal Canadiens | 1943— 1948 | Finished 1-2-3 in scoring in 1944–45, with Lach, Richard, and Blake scoring 80, 73, and 67 points respectively. [47] |
S Line | Babe Siebert | Nels Stewart | Hooley Smith | Montreal Maroons | 1925— 1931 | Named for the first letter of the players' surnames. [48] |
Sesame Street Line | Dave Schultz | Orest Kindrachuk | Don Saleski | Philadelphia Flyers | 1975— 1977 | Named because each of the players' nicknames referenced a Sesame Street character; Schultz was " Grouch", Kindrachuk was " Ernie", and Saleski was " Big Bird". [49] [50] |
Triple Crown Line | Charlie Simmer | Marcel Dionne | Dave Taylor | Los Angeles Kings | 1979— 1984 | Named because the Kings' logo featured a crown. [51] |
VHS line | Radim Vrbata | Martin Hanzal | Fredrik Sjöström | Phoenix Coyotes | 2007–08 | Made up of the first letter of the players' last names. [52] |
Line name | LW | C | RW | Team | Season(s) | Notes |
Army Line | Valery Kharlamov | Vladimir Petrov | Boris Mikhailov | HC CSKA Moscow | 1970-1980 | Considered one of the most dominating lines in hockey history. [53] |
Coneheads Line | Buzz Schneider | Mark Pavelich | John Harrington | United States men's national ice hockey team | 1980 | Named after the famous Saturday Night Live sketch series Coneheads, because they played a strange or 'alien' style. All three players were from the Iron Range in Northeast Minnesota [54] |
{{
cite web}}
: Text "date]2009-01-09" ignored (
help)
{{
cite web}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1=
(
help)
{{
citation}}
: |pages=
has extra text (
help); Check date values in: |date=
(
help)
{{
cite web}}
: Missing pipe in: |publisher=
(
help); line feed character in |publisher=
at position 23 (
help)
{{
cite web}}
: Unknown parameter |name=
ignored (
help)