Nicknames are one of the best things about sports. If you will allow me an 'old man yells at cloud' moment, I'd like to state that nicknames these days don't have the creativity they once did. It seems some derivative of a player's last names, with 'er' or 'ey' added to the end is enough, while truly creative monikers, like Arber Xhekaj's nickname of WiFi, are rarities.
Looking back at the 1990s, and in particular this post, we see a great nickname in Steve Kasper, aka The Friendly Ghost. While it is based on his last name, it is a least a clever reference to the cartoon Casper the Friendly the Ghost. We see similar nicknames in the 1990s with Felix 'The Cat' Potvin and Curtis 'Cujo' Joseph. We also find nicknames based on a player's skills or style, with Doug Gilmour as Killer, Ken Linseman as The Rat, Pat Verbeek as the Little Ball of Hate and Stu 'The Grim Reaper' Grimson. One of my favourites in this genre is Dale Hawerchuk's nickname of Ducky so earned due to his unique skating style.
There are also nicknames based on geography, such as Teemu Selanne (the Finnish Flash), Pavel Bure (the Russian Rocket) and even Gino Odjick (the Maniwaki Mauler or the Algonquin Assassin). The final two have to be mentioned due to sheer creativity: Jaromir Jagr's nickname of Mario Jr. , not only as he played with Mario Lemieux, but Mario Jr. is an anagram of Jaromir. And finally, who can forget Andre 'Red Light' Racicot, with perhaps one of the most undeserved but hilarious nicknames for a goalie.
574 - Adam Graves
In September 1991 Graves signed as a free agent with the New York Rangers. For the purposes of this post, let’s look at the 1989 trade that sent Graves, Petr Klima, Joe Murphy and Jeff Sharples to Edmonton for Jimmy Carson, Kevin McClelland and a fifth round pick.
Adam Graves - played two seasons with the Oilers, scoring 26 goals and 49 points. Graves played in 22 playoff games during the 1990 playoffs, scoring 11 points in the Oilers’ final Stanley Cup victory as part of the 1980s dynasty.
Petr Klima - played four seasons, scoring 118 goals and 204 points. In each of the four seasons he scored 20+ goals, including 40 goals in 1990-91. In June 1993 Kilma was traded to Tampa Bay for a third round pick (Brad Symes)
Joe Murphy - in three seasons with the Oilers he scored 69 goals and 169 points, including 35 goals and 82 points in 1991-92. The former first overall pick also scored 14 points in the 1990 playoffs. In February 1993 Murphy was traded to Chicago for Igor Kravchuk and Dean McAmmond
Jeff Sharples - never played for Oilers and was traded in March 1990 to New Jersey for Reijo Ruotsalainen
Jimmy Carson - in four seasons with his hometown Red Wings, Carson played in 240 games, scoring 100 goals and 202 points. The former second overall pick scored 20+ goals in each season in Detroit. In January 1993 he was traded back to Los Angeles in a six player deal that saw Paul Coffey go to Detroit.
Kevin McClelland - played in 64 games over two seasons, scoring nine points. In November 1991 he signed with Toronto as a free agent.
Brad Layzell - the Red Wings traded the fifth round pick in June 1990 to Montreal for Rick Green. Green played one season with the Wings.
This was a complicated trade for a few reasons. One, the Red Wings were looking to move on from two players (Klima and Murphy) that were having off-ice issues and for whom management no longer had patience. For the Oilers, Carson was the key return in the Wayne Gretzky trade, and it was no secret he wasn’t happy in Edmonton. The trade was a good opportunity for players to move on. The Oilers received three serviceable players that helped the fading dynasty win one more Stanley Cup. The Wings did not have much success with Carson, winning only one playoff series; however, they turned Carson into Paul Coffey, who was very good in his time with Detroit. Coffey was then traded for Brendan Shanahan, a key component of the Red Wings’ Cup victories in 1997 and 1998.
575 - Rollie Melanson
A goaltender, Melanson was drafted 59th overall by the New York Islanders in the 1979 draft. He played one more season of junior hockey in Ontario before turning pro for the 1980-81 season. Melanson played most of his rookie pro season with Indianapolis in the CHL, winning 31 games and the league’s rookie of the year award. He also appeared in 11 games with the Isles, winning eight, as well as three playoff games as the Islanders won their second consecutive Stanley Cup.
For the 1981-82 season Melanson took over from Chico Resch as Billy Smith’s backup. Over the next three seasons (1981-84), Melanson won 20+ games each season, including a career-high 24 in 1982-83. He led the NHL in save percentage in 1982-83 (.909) and 1983-84 (.902), and shared the Jennings Trophy with Smith in 1983. That same season Melanson finished second in Vezina voting to Pete Peeters and was named a second team all-star. Oh, and he also won Stanley Cups in 1982 and 1983.
In October 1984 Melanson was traded to Minnesota for a first round draft pick. Moving from the dynasty Islanders to the middling North Stars, he posted a 7-11-5 record, to go with a .866 save percentage and 4.13 goals against over two seasons. In December 1985 Melanson was involved in a three way trade between Minnesota, the New York Rangers and Los Angeles, winding up with the Kings.
In 1986-87 he was the Kings starter, going 18-21-6 with a .881 save percentage and 3.70 goals against. After one more season as starter he was usurped by Glenn Healy in 1988-89, spending most of the season in the AHL. In August 1989 Melanson signed with New Jersey, but played in only one game with the Devils over two seasons. He was traded with Kirk Muller to Montreal at the start of the 1991-92 season for Stephane Richer and Tom Chorske. Melanson won five out of nine games he played in with the Habs, posting a respectable 2.68 goals against. Those would prove to be his final NHL games, and he retired after two more seasons in the minor leagues.
In 11 NHL seasons Melanson played in 291 games, posting a 129-106-33 record, .883 save percentage and 3.64 goals against. As soon as he hung up the pads he moved into coaching, first with Saint John in the AHL and then Moncton in the QMJHL. 1997 he became an assistant coach with Montreal, a role he held until 2009. From 2010 to 2017 he was goalie coach for Vancouver, and held the same title with New Jersey from 2018 to 2020.
YouTube clip: enjoy this fantastic PSA filmed for the Boy Scouts of America, in addition to some brief highlights from a 1-0 shutout win over Philadelphia in the 1991-92 season with Montreal.
576 - Steve Kasper
A centre, Kasper was drafted 81st overall by Boston in 1980. In his draft season he scored 57 goals and 122 points in the QMJHL with Verdun/Sorel. Boasting such a scoring pedigree, Kasper joined the Bruins right away for the 1980-81 season, scoring 21 goals and 56 points, and finished seventh in Calder voting and fourth in Selke voting. In his sophomore season Kasper scored 20 goals and 51 points, winning the Selke Trophy.
Injuries took their toll over the next two seasons, with Kasper playing in only 51 games. Once healthy Kasper returned to his consistent ways, scoring 16+ goals and 40+ points in each of the next four seasons, finishing fourth in Selke voting in 1987. In 1987-88 he scored 26 goals and 70 points, both career highs, and finished as the runner up for the Selke. The Bruins also made the 1988 Stanley Cup FInals, with Kasper contributing seven goals and 13 points.
In January 1989 Kasper was traded to Los Angeles with Jay Miller. During the 1989-90 season he scored 17 goals and 45 points while playing in 77 games for the Kings. In May 1991 he was shipped to Philadelphia with Steve Duchesne for Jari Kurri and Jeff Chychrun. Kasper played in 37 games with the Flyers over two seasons, then ended his career with one season with Tampa Bay following a trade in December 1992.
In 13 NHL seasons Kasper played in 821 games, scoring 177 goals and 468 points. Upon retiring he joined the Bruins as an assistant coach, becoming their head coach in 1995 after a season as the head coach in Providence. Kasper’s time behind the Bruins’ bench lasted two seasons, as he was fired after the Bruins failed to make the 1997 playoffs, the first time the franchise missed the playoffs in 28 seasons. Kasper returned to coaching in 2007, surfacing in the Maritime Junior League. From 2009 to 2015 he was a pro scout/director of pro scouting with the Toronto Maple Leafs. More recently he has coached in hockey hotbeds such as China (2018-2020), Hungary (2023-24) and Slovenia (2024-25).
YouTube clip: fighting Mike Eagles during an October 1987 game between Quebec and Boston.
577 - Jim Sandlak
A right winger, Sandlak was drafted fourth overall by Vancouver in 1985. Following the draft he returned for a third season in the OHL, however, joined the Canucks part way through the season, playing in 23 games and scoring four points. Sandlak also captained Canada’s world junior championship team that season, scoring 12 points in seven games and was named best forward as Canada finished second in the tournament.
1986-87 was his true rookie season, and he was named to the all-rookie team after scoring 15 goals and 36 points. In Sandlak’s third season he scored 20 goals and 40 points, both career-highs. In nine seasons with Vancouver he scored 15+ goals five times and 40+ points twice. He also had four straight seasons with 100 or more penalty minutes, recording a career high 176 penalty minutes in 1991-92.
In May 1993 Sandlak was traded to Hartford to complete an earlier trade between the teams that saw Vancouver receive Murray Craven in exchange for Robert Kron. Sandlak lasted two seasons with the Whalers organization, playing in 40 games, scoring six goals and eight points. He returned to Vancouver for the 1995-96 season, scoring six points in 30 games.
After working as an assistant coach with Detroit in the IHL during the 1996-97 season, Sandlak played one season in Germany before retiring for good from pro hockey. In 11 NHL seasons he played in 549 games, scoring 110 goals and 229 points. In the 2007-08 season he was an assistant coach with Sarnia in the OHL before joining Anaheim as an amateur scout, a role he still has today.
YouTube clip: scoring top shelf on Bill Ranford, with a shot so good Ranford throws his trapper off.
578 - Pat MacLeod
Note: there is no picture for Pat McLeod as this is the only card in the set I do not own!
A defenceman, MacLeod was drafted 87th overall by Minnesota in 1989. He turned pro following the draft, playing his first two pro seasons with Kalamazoo in the IHL while also appearing in one game with Minnesota.
In May 1991 MacLeod was selected by San Jose in the NHL dispersal draft. During the 1991-92 season he played in 37 games with the Sharks, scoring five goals and 17 points. More notable was his time in the IHL with Kansas City that season, where he won the Turner Cup and was named a second team all-star. MacLeod split the 1992-93 season between the Sharks and Kansas City. He then played two seasons with Milwaukee in the IHL, earning a first team all-star recognition in 1993-94 after scoring 21 goals and 73 points.
In the 1995 off-season he signed with Dallas and spent the majority of his time with Michigan in the IHL, playing in two games with the Stars. MacLeod started the 1996-97 season in Sweden, returning after 12 games to play with Cincinnati in the IHL, where he played three more seasons before retiring from pro hockey.
In four NHL seasons, MacLeod played in 53 games, scoring five goals and 18 points. In retirement he became an author, writing and illustrating a children’s book.
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