Fansided

Each NHL team’s most memorable hockey name

By C.L. Kohuss

EDMONTON, AB - MAY, 1984: Wayne Gretzky #99 of the Edmonton Oilers throws his hands in the air after the Oiler score against the New York Islanders in the 1984 NHL Stanley Cup Finals at the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The Oilers defeated the Islanders 4 games to 1 to win the Stanley Cup. (Photo by Focus On Sport/Getty Images)
EDMONTON, AB - MAY, 1984: Wayne Gretzky #99 of the Edmonton Oilers throws his hands in the air after the Oiler score against the New York Islanders in the 1984 NHL Stanley Cup Finals at the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The Oilers defeated the Islanders 4 games to 1 to win the Stanley Cup. (Photo by Focus On Sport/Getty Images) /
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Rangers Darius Kasparaitis #6 and Predators Vernon Fiddler #38 fight for the puck during the 1st period of the game between the New York Rangers and the Nashville Predators at the Gaylord Center in Nashville, Tennessee on December 8, 2005. The Rangers beat the Predators 5-1. (Photo by Joe Murphy/NHLImages)
Rangers Darius Kasparaitis #6 and Predators Vernon Fiddler #38 fight for the puck during the 1st period of the game between the New York Rangers and the Nashville Predators at the Gaylord Center in Nashville, Tennessee on December 8, 2005. The Rangers beat the Predators 5-1. (Photo by Joe Murphy/NHLImages) /

Colorado Avalanche: Darius Kasparaitis

Darius Kasparaitis only played in 11 games with the Colorado Avalanche after being traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins, but this isn’t a list concerning every team’s most famous or longest tenured player.

There was no way we were passing up an opportunity to write a full page on this name. It’s just too good.

Also, Kasparaitis wasn’t liked very much by opposing teams or fans, though of course whomever he played for at the time loved him. Gee, we’re not entirely sure why. It could be because of hits like this (retaliation of which I’m totally for if you initiate the cheap-shot), plays like this or maybe people really thought his last name was contagious and they were about to catch something awful.

Then you take a look at this and well, the best we can come with is that yes, some people are simply germaphobes not looking to catch a bad case of Kasparaitis. Or Gino Odjick hated everyone, who knows?

To say Kaspar was an annoyance is an understatement. In 863 games, he racked up more than 1,300 penalty minutes, which is eight times more than his points total as a defenseman. If we had to compare his pest-dom to a modern day player? Let’s say he was an old-fashioned Tom Wilson, except you’d be hard-pressed to even find Capitals fans that can argue for the good nature of Wilson. That dude could skate his way to a suspension wearing a blindfold.

Honorable mentions: Sami Helenius, Fedor Tyutin, Adam Deadmarsh, Milan Hejduk, David Van Der Gulik, Joe Sakic and Theo Fleury

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