· Analysis · 3 min read
The Long and Short of It: Why the Length of an NHL Player's Name Doesn't Determine Their Position
A comprehensive analysis of over 5,000 NHL player last names reveals surprising similarities between skaters and goalies, with only negligible differences in average name length.
Do NHL goalies have shorter last names than skaters? Analysis of over 5,000 NHL player names reveals the answer.
The Surprising Answer: They’re Almost Identical
The results were surprising. Goalies and skaters have nearly identical name lengths. Goalies average 6.85 letters per last name, while skaters average 6.92 letters.
Both groups peak at 6-7 letter names, which make up over 40% of all players. The middle length (7 letters) is exactly the same for both positions.
Where They Differ: The Extremes
The real difference shows up in the longest names. The longest skater name stretches to 19 characters, while goalies max out at 13 characters. This means skaters have more variety in very long names, but the vast majority of players in both groups fall into the same length range.
Key Statistics Comparison
| Metric | Goalies | Skaters |
|---|---|---|
| Average Length | 6.85 | 6.92 |
| Most Common Length | 6 letters | 6 letters |
| Longest Name | 13 letters | 19 letters |
| Shortest Name | 3 letters | 3 letters |
| Names 10+ Letters | 60 | 437 |
Looking at the full range of name lengths, skaters have names ranging from 3 to 19 letters, while goalies range from 3 to 13 letters. The spread is wider for skaters, but both groups cluster tightly around the 6-7 letter range.
Real Examples
Both groups have plenty of short names like ‘Roy’ and ‘Aho’ (3 letters) and common 6-letter names like ‘Bailey’ and ‘Albert’.
The longest goalie names include ‘Beckford-Tseu’ and ‘Vanbiesbrouck’ (13 letters), while skaters can have much longer names like ‘Martinsen Lilleberg’ (19 letters).
Name Examples by Length
| Length Category | Goalie Examples | Skater Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 3 letters | Roy, Cyr, Cox | Aho, Cox, Roy |
| 6 letters | Bailey, Bedard, Parent | Albert, Allard, Bailey |
| 10+ letters | Konstantinov, Montembeault, Sidorkiewicz | Letourneau-Leblond, Forsbacka Karlsson, Der-Arguchintsev |
| Longest | Vanbiesbrouck (13) | Martinsen Lilleberg (19) |
Counting very long names (10+ letters) shows skaters have 437 such names compared to only 60 for goalies. This confirms that extreme length is more common among players out on the ice.
The Most Common Name
“Smith” wins for both groups—6 goalies and 63 skaters share this name. Other common names like Johnson, Brown, and Wilson also appear frequently among skaters.
Goalies tend to have more unique names, with hockey-specific surnames like Brodeur, Parent, and Sauvé appearing more often in their group.
Top 10 Most Common Names by Position
| Last Name | Goalies | Skaters | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith | 6 | 63 | 69 |
| Johnson | 3 | 28 | 31 |
| Brown | 2 | 30 | 32 |
| Wilson | 2 | 27 | 29 |
| Miller | 2 | 21 | 23 |
| Jones | 1 | 19 | 20 |
| Davis | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Garcia | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Martinez | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Anderson | 2 | 16 | 18 |
The most frequent names show an interesting pattern: while common English names dominate both lists, goalies have more French-Canadian and European surnames in their top names, reflecting the historical hockey culture in Quebec and other regions.
Name Uniqueness
The biggest difference appears in name uniqueness: goalies have much more unique names.
- 93% of goalie names appear only once
- 79% of skater names appear only once
This means a random goalie is much more likely to have a completely unique last name compared to a random skater.
Name Uniqueness Comparison
| Category | Goalies | Skaters | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Names appearing once | 93% | 79% | 14% more goalies |
| Names appearing multiple times | 6% | 20% | 14% more skaters |
| Total unique names | 803 | 5,314 | 4,511 more skaters |
| Shared names | 311 | 311 | Same |
The goalie position draws from a smaller, more specialized pool of names. Many goalie-only surnames like Brodeur, Dion, and Michaud reflect specific hockey regions or family traditions. Meanwhile, skaters come from a much broader global talent pool, leading to more repeated surnames.
Out of all the names in the NHL, only 311 appear in both groups. The remaining thousands of names are exclusive to skaters, while goalies have just 492 exclusive names—but these tend to be more distinctive and hockey-specific.
The Bottom Line
Last name length doesn’t predict whether someone becomes a goalie or skater.
While goalies have slightly more unique names, both positions have almost identical average name lengths (6.85 vs 6.92 letters). The biggest difference is that skaters can have much longer names, but most players in both groups fall into the same 6-7 letter range.
Last name length does not affect hockey position. Players should focus on skating and puck handling instead.