NINE LETTER LAST NAMES IN HOCKEY

Dale Hawerchuk, Gilbert Perreault, and Henrik Lundqvist all have nine-letter surnames.

Across NHL history, 773 players have nine-letter last names. That breaks down to 692 skaters and 81 goalies, with 10 Hall of Famers in the group.

The nine-letter surname club spans every era and position, from Dale Hawerchuk (1,409 career points) to modern stars like Nathan MacKinnon and Sergei Bobrovsky.

The names follow clear letter patterns, and knowing them helps in hockey-themed word games like Mystery Hockey.

When Mystery Hockey’s daily player hints leave you stumped, the letter patterns in nine-letter names tell you where to start:

The Best First Guesses

Winning comes down to choosing words that test the most frequent letters. Here are the best starting words:

Here is the top pick in a grid. Green is the right letter in the right spot, yellow is the letter in the wrong spot, and gray means it is not in the name:

Letter patterns to use

• E across the name: E is 9.18% of all letters and often lands in positions 2, 5, 7, and 9. GREENTREE or ANDERSSON cover that ground.
• Target common endings: N, R, E appear in 23.8%, 9.3%, and 7.1% of final positions respectively
• Start with common first letters: M, S, B, C, P account for 49.9% of all nine-letter name beginnings
• Skip rare letters initially: Q, X, Z, J appear in less than 1% of names

What to do after the first guess

When you hit some letters: If your first guess reveals ‘E’ in multiple positions, follow up with words like SANDERSON or BRENNEMAN to test different consonants while preserving those valuable E’s.

When you miss completely: Pivot to words with entirely different common letters, like TARASENKO or HEISKANEN, to explore other frequent letter combinations.

High-value letters: E, N, A, R, O, S, I, L, T, C (these dominate nine-letter hockey names)

Low-value letters: Q, X, Z, J, F, V, P (these rarely appear in hockey names)

There are 773 nine-letter hockey surnames in this pool. A few letters carry most of the weight.

Most Common Letters

The most common letters in nine-letter hockey surnames are:

E is the most common letter, appearing in over 9% of all letters in these names.

Where Letters Appear

By position, the common letters are:

N appears in the final position in nearly 24% of all nine-letter hockey surnames.

Vowel vs Consonant Analysis

Breaking down the letters into vowels and consonants looks like this:

Consonants make up most of nine-letter hockey surnames, representing about 65% of all letters used.

Most Common Vowels

Vowels rank like this:

E dominates the vowel category, appearing in over 9% of all letters. A takes second place, while U is significantly less common in hockey names.

Most Common Consonants

Consonants tell a different story:

N tops the consonant charts at 8.98% of all letters, with R and S rounding out the top three.

Y is classified as a consonant, but in nine-letter surnames it usually works like a vowel: it either takes on a vowel sound itself or starts one immediately after it. Treat Y as a probable vowel when guessing.

The Hall of Fame Legends

Several members of the nine-letter surname club have made it to the Hockey Hall of Fame:

Skaters:

• Dale Hawerchuk - “Ducky” with 1,409 career points and 1,188 games
• Gilbert Perreault - Buffalo Sabres legend with 1,326 career points
• Frank Mahovlich - “The Big M” with 1,103 career points and 533 goals
• Martin St. Louis - Hart Trophy winner with 1,033 career points
• Yvan Cournoyer - “The Roadrunner” with 863 career points and 10 Stanley Cups
• Bernie Geoffrion - “Boom Boom” with 822 career points and 393 goals
• George Armstrong - “Chief” with 713 career points and 1,188 games
• Marcel Pronovost - Defenseman with 345 career points and 1,206 games
• Punch Broadbent - Early NHL star with 172 career points

Goalies:

• Henrik Lundqvist - “The King” with 459 career wins and 887 games

Active NHL Stars

Today’s NHL still has active players with nine-letter surnames like Nathan MacKinnon, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Miro Heiskanen.

Notable Active Players:

• Nathan MacKinnon - Colorado Avalanche superstar center
• Sergei Bobrovsky - Two-time Vezina Trophy winner
• Miro Heiskanen - Dallas Stars elite defenseman
• Nicklas Bäckström - Washington Capitals veteran center
• Ilya Kovalchuk - Veteran forward with 443 career goals
• Mathieu Schneider - Veteran defenseman with 743 career points

Longevity and Versatility

Nine-letter surname players have some common career traits:

• Extended Careers: Many players in this group enjoyed long careers, often exceeding 1,000 games
• Position Diversity: The group spans defensemen like Mathieu Schneider, forwards like Dale Hawerchuk, and goalies like Henrik Lundqvist
• Era Spanning: From early players like Punch Broadbent to current stars like Nathan MacKinnon, nine-letter surnames have been present throughout NHL history

Offensive Excellence

This group has produced plenty of offensive stars. From goal-scoring legends like Frank Mahovlich and Dale Hawerchuk to playmakers like Gilbert Perreault and Martin St. Louis, the nine-letter club has always contributed to the scoresheet.

Defensive Dominance

The nine-letter club includes some of hockey’s greatest defensemen. Mathieu Schneider’s 1,289 games and Marcel Pronovost’s 1,206 games show the longevity and impact of this group’s defensive stars.

For nine-letter names: open with GREENTREE or ANDERSSON, expect an N near the end (8.98% of all letters, and 23.8% of final positions), and remember M, S, B, C, P start almost half of these names. Try it in today’s Mystery Hockey puzzle.