Pittsburgh Penguins: Great Player Names of the 2000’s

Here we have a decent crop of hockey talent with even better names. While they didn’t make it to the our final round, they still sport some exceptional monikers.

Rico Fata

(Fat-A)
120 GP, 47 Points, 74 PIMs 2002-2006

Rico Fata. Short, sweet, to the point. Fata spent 3 season with the Pens, and was a fan favorite during a time when the fans didn’t have much to go on. He nearly makes the ‘All – Name’ Team on Rico alone, but it’s going to take a bit more against this competition.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Jarkko Ruutu

(Yar-Ko, Roo-Too)
152 GP, 32 Points, 263 PIMs 2006-2008

The feisty Finnish instigator played 152 games for the Pens over 2 seasons. He logged 263 PIMs in that time, and was usually barraged with resounding chants of “RUUUUUU” when ever he managed to pot a goal.

Luca Caputi

9 GP, 3 Points, 6 PIMs 2008 -2010

While Luca Caputi only played a handful of games with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he did manage to score a goal on his very first NHL shift. Not bad. A name like Luca is always going to score you points on the ‘All – Name’ Team. And with Caputi to back it up?  Fahgettaboudit! (Get it?)

Harry Zolnierczyk

(Zole-Ner-Chuck)
13 GP, 2 Points, 12 PIMs 2013-2014

You gotta love the way ‘Zolnierczyk’ looks on the back of a jersey. Like someone just grabbed some Scrabble tiles and threw them at the wall. Harry Z was a product of Brown University, and like his last name, he was wild on the ice.

Daniel Sprong

18 GP, 2 Points, 0 PIMs 2015-?

Hey we recognize him! The Flying Dutchman has a chance to crack the lineup this season for the Penguins.

Yes, this means Sprong may be sprung.

It might be a real Sprong show.

Awful puns aside, it might only be a matter of time until we hear Bob Errey growling about how he “loves the way Danny Sprong skates with that puck!”