SUNRISE, FLA. (WSVN) - As the Florida Panthers continue their “Chase for the Cup” on Monday night, their success on the ice is not just due to skill but also to the camaraderie and unique nicknames shared among the players.
“In this team, nobody calls anybody by their real name,” explained Panthers defenseman Brandon “Monty” Montour.
Dmitry “Kuli” Kulikov echoed the sentiment, noting that the use of nicknames is a sign of team affection: “If you have a nickname, they kind of like you.”
According to Panthers Head Coach Paul “The Professor” Maurice, creating a nickname is straightforward.
“You can take anybody’s last name and add an ‘ER’ or an ‘IE’ to it,” he explained. “The coaches have a nickname for every player and I’m sure every one of those players has a nickname for me that’s not ‘The Professor.'”
While some nicknames are straightforward, others are more elaborate.
“It started with Verhaeghe and then turned to ‘Ver-Swaggy’ and then just ‘Swaggy,'” said Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe.
Kulikov revealed a playful exchange of nicknames with a teammate: “Chuckie, I call him ‘Chuckles.’ He calls me ‘Giggles’ because I laugh at his jokes.”
Then you have players that have more nicknames than facial hair.
“I don’t even know how many nicknames I have, probably seven or eight,” said Panthers forward Nick “Cuzzy” Cousins.
Due to a distinctive facial feature, Monty provided us with some of Cuzzy’s additional nicknames: “‘Chin-ey,’ ‘Chin-ekov,’ ‘Chin-ekova,’ ‘Chez,’ ‘Chezsky,’ the list goes on with that guy.”
Even team captain Aleksander Barkov is better known by his nicknames than his real name, according to Cousins.
“I have no idea what his birth name is; I just call him ‘Berky’ or ‘Cap,'” he said.
Donovan Campbell, contributing to the culture of nicknames, dubbed head coach Maurice “The Professor” for his thoughtful responses to media questions.
“I’ll take it as a compliment. That’s very kind of you,” said Maurice in an interview with Campbell. “So when you said that, I thought, ‘I wonder if it’s like the profane professor,’ because occasionally language isn’t my strong suit or kindness, isn’t it?”
Kulikov had a playful suggestion for Campbell: “You’re ‘Soupy’ because you’re Campbell’s Soup.”
While the Panthers enjoy their light-hearted nicknames, their ultimate goal is clear—they aspire to be known as Stanley Cup Champions.
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