Whose Line Is It Anyway?

by Joe Dunman on Dec 11, 2007 11:25 AM MST in News Comment 28 comments

In the comments thread of yesterday's game recap, it was decided that the official name of the most effective Colorado offensive line should be "The RPM Line."

Ryan Smyth - Paul Statsny - Milan Hejduk

That's a pretty fitting name, I think, even though those guys aren't the three fastest players on the team. Also, it's open to modification, because sometimes (when Coach Q doesn't hate him) Marek Svatos gets promoted to the second line and he's a right winger like Hejduk. When he takes Hejduk's place, the line can maintain the clever nickname.

Now, what about the other lines? There have to be good names for the other common combinations. Well, by "common" I mean Coach Q tried it for more than two consecutive shifts in more than one game.

Take, for instance, this line that was running before Super Joe got hurt:

Joe Sakic - Andrew Brunette - Wojtek Wolski

The JAW Line!!

Or, what about Jaroslav Hlinka's occasional appearance up in the second line with countryman Hejduk and Paul Stastny? Hlinka and Hejduk are both from the Czech Republic and Stastny's dad Peter was born there. Therefore, Hejduk-Stastny-Hlinka has to be called

The Czeching Line!!

~~This would also work if somehow Svatos was stuck at the left wing spot on a line centered by Hlinka and right-winged by The Duke. But that's not going to happen...well, it might, knowing Q.~~ Duh, I totally forgot Svatos was Slovakian. My bad, Svats, my bad.

Personally, knowing how gritty and defensive-minded they are, the stellar fourth line combination of Ben Guite - Cody McCormick - Brad Richardson (seriously, one of the best fourth lines in the league) needs no other name than "The Hit Parade." Those guys really dish it out.

UPDATE: Another suggestion for the fourth line is the "BBC Line," but that doesn't have enough wit or character for me. Also, I didn't think of it, but that's totally unrelated.

So, in sum, we have the following line combination names established:

The RPM Line
The JAW Line
The Czeching Line
The Hit Parade (BBC Line)

Anyone else have some suggestions?

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Comments

Re: Whose Line Is It Anyway?

I like them. But I thought the 4th line was already the "BBC line?" And just a minor nit, but Svatos is Slovakian.

I hope Q keeps the RPM line together. When Sakic comes back, it seems to make sense to put him with Wolski and either Brunette or Svatos. It does seem like Hensick is destined to go back to Lake Erie once Sakic and Lappy come back, and for the love of Roy, it would be nice to see Arnason as the odd man out if and when that happens. Q needs to keep that 4th line together as well, they have been outstanding.

So, when Sakic and Lappy come back, how about:

1. RPM line
2. JAW line
3. Lappy-Hlinka-Svatos
4. BBC line

by Bob in Boulder on Dec 11, 2007 11:38 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

Re: Whose Line

I adjusted the post---I completely forgot Svatos was from Slovakia. I hope the two countries don't have a war over my mistake!

As for the lines, I think your suggestions are perfect. Arnason needs to be scratched or traded yesterday. Hensick will probably not be around much longer, but you never know what Sakic's going to do. It's pretty clear that he's either 1) not healing as quick as he used to, or 2) being super cautious. Either way, he could be out more than just another week.

And personally, I prefer "the Hit Parade" but BBC is fine, too. It's got a little less character, though.

by Joe Dunman on Dec 11, 2007 11:43 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Hit Parade

I agree ... I think I like the Hit Parade better. Besides, didn't Carolina already have a BBC line a few years back?

by Bob in Boulder on Dec 11, 2007 11:48 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Carolina BBC line

Battaglia-Brind'Amour-Cole back in 2002. I had to google it. I can't believe Battaglia was part of a really good line. God he was awful with the Avs. Yet my friend Dan has a number 44 Battaglia Av jersey to go with his number 44 Pratt Av jersey.

by Bob in Boulder on Dec 11, 2007 12:11 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: 44

Oh god, now Leoprone has 44. That number is bad luck, that's for sure.

by Joe Dunman on Dec 11, 2007 12:30 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Your friend

First, your buddy is no longer allowed to curse any Avalanche player by purchasing their jersey.

Second, I'm a little jealous. I'd totally wear a Shantz or Pratt jersey for pure comedy sake. Perhaps only 200 people out of 15,000 in the Can would appreciate the humor but, it would be worth it. I need professional help.

by Dario on Dec 11, 2007 1:23 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

this year

he had a Wyatt Smith new fangled Rebock jersey made special just for him. Now he is going to get a Smith Lake Erie Monsters jersey. Just madness, I tell you (if any of it were true). ;)

by Bob in Boulder on Dec 11, 2007 1:26 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

:(

Ah crap, I took that hook, line and sinker. If you don't mind, I'm going to pretend this friend of yours is real and that he's ordered a Tyler Arnason jersey.

by Dario on Dec 11, 2007 1:32 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Jose and Peter should be a line

Those two share duties so much it's like they are one entity at this point.

The PJ Rotation.
Budadore (Bradalena, Bennifer take)
Rotissery Slovakian. (Budaj name, not really a line name but I just can't help myself.)

by Dario on Dec 11, 2007 1:30 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Hit Parade?

As much as I like the 4th line right now, this one embarrasses me a bit.

Certainly they are a good hitting line for this team...but compared to other teams in the league? I wouldn't want to be the one boasting about our hitting.

I have to be honest, I'm not really fond of any of the nickname options floating about (including RPM). Not that I have any better ideas (although a Brad Richardson, Cody McCormick and Ian Laperriere line could be called the Ricola line. Every time they are on the ice, we could have some loon in the stands shouting Reeeecolaaaa.

by David Driscoll-Carignan on Dec 11, 2007 1:31 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

The truth is

This line exists at the will of Cody McCormick.

For that reason it could be called the WWCMD (What would Cody McCormick Do) line. This internet lore is getting as stale as All your Base but it's worth mentioning.

by Dario on Dec 11, 2007 1:36 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

I could be that loon

too bad I am in the cheap seats, literally.

You are right, DD. Anyway, why bother coming up with line names when Q is so quick to juggle? Maybe we can just call the whole team "Cirque du Q-leil?"

Speaking of hitting, what on earth got into Wolski? I swear, I've seen him finish more checks in the last few weeks than he did all of last year. It has been refreshing. Now the Wolski on the power play point experiment, on the other hand? Yuck.

by Bob in Boulder on Dec 11, 2007 2:26 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: Hit Parade

Don't be such a hater.

by Joe Dunman on Dec 11, 2007 2:50 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

LOL

@ Circ D Q Leil.

I might have to borrow that one.

by David Driscoll-Carignan on Dec 11, 2007 2:30 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

DWA

Down With Acronyms

The only acronym line I ever liked was the FLY line on the Flyers a couple years back. But it had 2 meanings, they were fast and they played for the FLYers.

This election season vote no on proposition Acronym Nickname (PAN). Americans are more creative than that, a vote for Acronyms is a vote against America. You don't hate America do you?

by Jibblescribbits on Dec 11, 2007 4:38 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

For example

The Sakic, Brunette, Wolski line could be the...

WoJo Bruno line. sure it's kind of an acronym, but catchy "VoJo Bru-no"

Rhyme > Acronym

by Jibblescribbits on Dec 11, 2007 4:40 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

no acronyms ftw

I was a big fan of the Crazy 8s line in Philly (because each of the guys had an 8 in their number).

granted, I had to look up who the other two guys were with Lindros (Recchi, who I was pretty sure about, and Brent Fedyk, who I wouldn't have gotten in about 8,000,000 years). But still, cool name.

by David Driscoll-Carignan on Dec 11, 2007 6:47 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: DWA

How are we supposed to have an Avs blogger circle jerk if you disagree with something I've written? Think about Thomas! Don't you want to make him happy?

by Joe Dunman on Dec 12, 2007 6:34 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Well

It's pretty simple, why would you write something I disagree with?

by Jibblescribbits on Dec 12, 2007 8:24 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: Well

I'm such an idiot!!

by Joe Dunman on Dec 12, 2007 10:09 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Jerseys and line combos

Bob, go put on your Brisebois #71 sweater and stop making up lies about Pratt and Battaglia. For the record, my 2 Avs sweaters are Sakic and Bourque. Bob has Forsberg and an old Rockies Hardy Astrom #1 jersey.

The "BBC line" name is lame to the extreme (Dater came up with that, right?) Shouldn't the name have at least something to do with athleticism? Or hockey? Or North America? Or at least not Britain? Horrible name.

Out of those line combos, I think Svatos is the odd man out, unless Q breaks up the Hit Men (Hit Parade?). And actually, I think Lappy-Hlinka-Arnason could be a pretty effective line. No, seriously. I think Hlinka might be a guy who could get Arnason started, and Lappy's around to clean up rebounds and enforce. No...seriously!

Did anyone else think that, for the first two periods of the Blues game, Cody Mac sort of forget that he's a 4th-liner who should be banging and all of a sudden tried to be a scorer? He was floating around the high slot sort of letting Guite do the dirty work, which is a pretty good way for Cody to get reacquainted with Cleveland. But he played a lot better in the third.

by Dan Winkler on Dec 11, 2007 5:26 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

McCormick..the little known facts

There are several things about Cody McCormick that a lot of people don't realize.

Cody was captain and played center for the Belleville Bulls of the OHL. As a 19 year old he had 69 points in 61 games while still racking up 166 penalty minutes. He scored almost all of his goals (A team leading 36 of them) by his work in and around the front of the net. He started to gain enough confidence in '02-'03 that he was holding on to the puck longer and really was a force in the OHL. I was a big fan of him in our farm system. At his first rookie camp that I watched him it was obvious what his downfall would be, his skating. It's improved a country mile since then and now he's able to do some things he did at the OHL level. Believe it or not, he can finish. It's just that he's had very limited time in the offensive zone to demonstrate it. The Avalanche fourth lines and Cody's minutes on them just haven't afforded the opportunities.

The other thing a lot of people don't know about Cody is that his background is Native American (Canadian Iroquois). I'm sure both "American" and "Canadian" are inappropriate references but he's an Iroquois. His father, Chris McCormick was Grand Chief of the Iroquois and Allied Indians. His mother was/is also heavily involved in tribe affairs. Cody played for Coach Ted Nolan on the native hockey team.

He's got a great human interest story. Cody is not only a bad ass on the ice, it's in his blood. He's got potential, and more than just being a fighter. He's someone that given the chance could really contribute in lots of areas on the ice if his skating continues to progress like it has.

by Dario on Dec 11, 2007 9:28 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Cody

Well done Dario. I have learned a lot about Cody tonight. Thanks for the lesson. (no sarcasm, really thanks).

InYoFace Hasek! InYoFace

by InYoFace on Dec 11, 2007 11:42 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Had no idea

Wow, pretty interesting stuff about Cody, I had no idea about any of his background. And I wasn't trying to knock him in my earlier post, I really like him for his improvement and for what he brings to the team, but I also couldn't believe what, to me, was a change in his playing style literally overnight. Just seemed like he wasn't as aggressive those first 2 periods of the Blues game.

I've got to think that, if Cody's going to stick around the league for awhile, he'll always have to play that aggressive style, finish his checks and fight occasionally. It makes me want to throw up in my mouth even thinking this, but he could do worse than to emulate certain players from a certain R*d W*ngs line of the recent past. We all know who I'm talking about. Excuse me now, I'm gonna be sick.

by Dan Winkler on Dec 11, 2007 11:42 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs