I'm looking for your submissions to Nickname Court

As we know, modern NHL nicknames are terrible, with most of them either just being a player's name with an -er or -y ending tacked on, or something based on player initials that features zero creativity. Let's fix that.

How it works: Readers send in nicknames for players (or lines or pairings or whatever), and a small group of us rule on whether they were good or not.

We're be looking for either of two kinds of submissions: - Brand new nicknames that you came up with, or that are percolating in a fan base but haven't fully caught on yet - Actually nicknames that are in use but need a ruling on whether they work or not

I'd love to get some entries to mull over. Please be clear on where the nickname came from, if anywhere, and who it would apply to. Send your submissions to dgbmailbag@gmail.com and let's see where this goes.

NHL weekend rankings: Thoughts on the Penguins, Sharks, and an ugly weekend in Toronto

 The eyes of the hockey world were on Toronto this weekend. That’s not unusual, because it's the home of the league’s most important team and whenever they’re not on screen, all the other teams should be asking “Where are the Maple Leafs?” But this time, there were a few specific reasons.

The first was Mitch Marner, finally returning to Toronto for the first time since his summer departure to Last Vegas. On Sunday, it was a rare afternoon game, this one featuring a visit from the league’s best team. And both games took place against a backdrop of a season fading away, as the Leafs stumble their way towards an uninspiring playoff miss.

So how’d it go? I’m going to use my bonus five this week on an in-depth analysis of all the most important news from the Leafs’ weekend.

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Welcome back, traitor: Remembering six of the ugliest receptions for returning stars

It’s been a week of returns in the NHL. On Monday, we saw Jonathan Toews’ first game back in Chicago, returning to the city where we won three Cups as a visitor for the very first time. The fans gave him a hero’s welcome, the sort of outpouring of emotion you rarely see in the sports world. It was a collective “thank you” to a player who meant so much to a franchise and its fan base.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJQTNxj0p3o

Tonight, Mitch Marner will return to Toronto, and the reception will be… not that.

We’re not quite sure what kind of welcome home Marner will get. No doubt, the team has prepared a sappy video for the first commercial break, because that’s the “classy” way to handle this stuff. Some fans will go along with the sentiment, others will be far more hostile, and manywill just want the whole thing to be over. When it comes to Marner’s exit, for some fans at least, it’s complicated.

Complicated, but not especially unique. So today, let’s remember six times that an NHL star returned home to a reception that was closer to Marner than Toews.

Some definitely deserved it, others maybe didn’t. But they all heard about it from their former fans, and it might give us some sense of what to expect in Toronto tonight. And we’ll even tack on the happy ending of reconciliation that most of these stories tend to get, if only to remind us that the Marners of the world are often welcomed back eventually. Often, but not always.

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Which goalie can build the best roster of guys who scored their first goal on him?

Today, we’re going to play a roster-building game based on a relatively straightforward question: Which goalie can make the best six-man team out of players who scored their first career goal against them?

That’s it. Nice and simple. But first, a few ground rules™:

- Each squad will be made up of three forwards, two defensemen and a goalie. Other than that, position won’t matter.

- The forwards and defensemen must have all scored their first career goals against the same goaltender. That goalie will then complete the roster, joining the guys who scored on him.

- Once they’re on the team, you’re getting the peak version of that player.

Before we start, let’s all tap sticks for reader Billy G., who not only sent me this idea, but also included a massive spreadsheet of relevant research. Folks, I can’t emphasize this strongly enough: My favorite readers are the ones who do all the work for me. Way to go Billy. You’re like the anti-Bryce.

We’re going to crank up stathead’s goal finder and build out a dozen rosters, and then turn it over to you in the comments to see if you can beat them.

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NHL weekend rankings: On the Bruins, the Flyers, and a sternly worded letter

Many times, an NHL season comes to be defined by the dominance of a select group. Sometimes, it’s the Year of the Goaltenders. Others, it might be the snipers who take over. In the first half, this looked like it would be a changing of the guard season. But now, a new contender emerges.

Hockey fans, welcome to the Year of the PR Department Statement.

It started last week, when the Senators declared war on the trolls and sick people. This week, it was the Ranger, doing what they do best: Writing open letters to their fans about how bad they are.

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