NHL 5 Letter Last Names: Who Makes the Cut?

NHL teams are required to have at least 18 skaters and 2 goalies on their active roster, but can carry up to 23 skaters and 3 goalies. With that in mind, we take a look at the 5 letter last names that NHL Teams could potentially have on their rosters this season.

Why only five letter last names?

The National Hockey League (NHL) has a storied history. Founded in 1917, the NHL is the oldest professional Hockey League in North America Today, the NHL is comprised of 31 teams and is widely considered to be the premier professional Hockey League in the world.

One of the unique aspects of the NHL is that, for much of its history, only players with last names consisting of five letters or fewer have been allowed to play in the league. This rule was implemented in order to prevent teams from stocking their rosters with only so-called “superstar” players.

While this rule has since been relaxed, there are still many players with five letter last names who have made their mark on the NHL. In fact, some of the most famous and talented players in NHL history have had five letter last names. Here are just a few examples:

--Bobby Orr Widely considered to be one of the greatest defensemen in NHL history Bobby Orr played for the Boston Bruins for 10 seasons and helped lead them to two Stanley Cup championships. He was also named the league’s MVP on three separate occasions.
--Wayne Gretzky Arguably the greatest player in NHL history Wayne Gretzky played for four different teams during his 20-year career and holds numerous league records, including most goals scored (894) and most assists (1,963).
-Mario Lemieux: A former Pittsburgh Penguins player, Mario Lemieux is widely considered to be one of the greatest players of all time. He led the Penguins to two Stanley Cup championships and was named MVP on six separate occasions.

The top five NHL players with five letter last names

In the NHL, there are many Great players with five letter last names. Here are the top five:

1. Sidney Crosby
2. Pavel Datsyuk
3. Duncan Keith
4. Patrick Kane
5. Henrik Lundqvist

The next five NHL players with five letter last names

As of the 2019-2020 NHL season there are only six players in the league with last names consisting of five letters. They are as follows:

-Tyler Toffoli
-Jake Allen
-Carter Hutton
-Marcus Foligno
-Ryan Dzingel
-Brock Nelson

The best five NHL Players with five letter last names

With the NHL season in Full Swing we thought it would be fun to take a look at the best players in the league with five letter last names. Here are our top five:

1. Brent Burns – A top defenseman for the San Jose Sharks Burns is known for his physical play and offensive contributions. He’s an annual Norris Trophy candidate and has won the award once (in 2018).

2. Andrei Vasilevskiy – The Tampa Bay Lightning goalie is one of the best in the business. He was a Vezina finalist last season (losing to Sergei Bobrovsky) and is considered one of the best in the league at his position.

3. Claude Giroux – The captain of the Philadelphia Flyers, Giroux is one of the most skilled and consistent players in the NHL. He’s a six-time All-Star and has led the Flyers in scoring for seven straight seasons.

4. Filip Forsberg – One of the most exciting young players in the NHL, Forsberg is a dangerous goal-scorer for the Nashville Predators He’s already tallied four 20-goal seasons and should be a perennial 30-goal scorer for years to come.

5. Henrik Lundqvist – The veteran goalie for the New York Rangers Lundqvist is a Future Hall of-Famer who has been one of the best netminders in hockey for over a decade. He’s a six-time All-Star and has won numerous individual awards, including the Vezina Trophy (given to the league’s best goalie) in 2012.

The worst five NHL players with five letter last names

When it comes to NHL players there are a lot of last names that are five letters long. And while some of those five letter last names belong to some of the best players in the league, there are also a fair share that belong to some of the worst.

In no particular order, here are five of the Worst NHL Players with five letter last names:

1. Cody McLeod: A career journeyman, McLeod has bounced around the NHL for years without ever really finding a home. He’s a tough player, but he’s not much of a scorer and he’s not really good enough to be a bottom-six forward.

2. Mike Richards Once one of the best players in the league, Richards’ game has rapidly declined in recent years He’s still got some scoring touch, but he’s become a liability in his own end and he’s no longer the player he once was.

3. Jussi Jokinen: Another former top player whose game has declined in recent years Jokinen is still a decent scorer but he doesn’t do much else well. He’s also getting up there in age and his best years are behind him.

4. David Booth Booth has always been a bit of a injury risk and his production has never really lived up to his potential. He did have a brief stint with the Vancouver Canucks where he was okay, but he’s back to being a bottom-six forward again.

5. Kris Versteeg: Another journeyman forward, Versteeg has never really found a home anywhere and has bounced around the league for years. He can score some goals, but he’s not much else and he’s now on his fifth team in six years.