We were treated to the top comedy moment of the hockey season this week, and we have a former New Jersey Devils goaltender to thank for it.
No, not Mackenzie Blackwood hanging a 44-save shutout on his former team, although that was pretty funny too. This was about Martin Brodeur. Or, as he’s apparently now known, “Satan’s Wallpaper.”
That’s his nickname, you see. At least it is according to fine folks at “Jeopardy!” — the famous quiz show that featured him in a question on Monday night.
😈 @Jeopardy pic.twitter.com/bG75VA3Z3U
— Martin Brodeur (@MartinBrodeur) November 12, 2024
It’s always neat when the NHL gets some mainstream pop culture rub. And this time, the reaction from fans was unanimous. And that reaction was … “what?”
Nobody seems to have any recollection of that actually being Brodeur’s nickname. Not among fans, or media, or his fellow players. When I asked about it, I got hundreds of replies from confused Devils fans, many of whom had watched Brodeur for decades, and not one told me they’d heard of this so-called nickname. The confusion spread to social media and news organizations.
Two things here. First, fake or not, “Satan’s Wallpaper” is an absolutely A+ nickname. Seriously, that’s right up there with The Chicoutimi Cucumber. Whoever came up with this needs to be in charge of fixing modern hockey’s broken nicknames.
And second, I’m pretty sure I know what happened here.
While online sleuths were eventually able to dig up a handful of ancient and obscure references to the nickname that never was, I don’t think the researchers on “Jeopardy!” were browsing the Bleacher Report archives from 2009. Instead, I’d be willing to bet they were checking one of the best sources of hockey knowledge in the world.
I think they got fooled by our old friends at Hockey Reference. Specifically, by their relatively recent and completely ridiculous nickname database.
You may remember this from last year when the site quietly launched the new feature and we had some fun with it in the form of a quiz. My theory then, which still holds today, is that they’re somehow scraping the web for any reference to a player having a nickname, no matter how obscure. That’s how you wind up with Sidney Crosby being called “Darryl,” or John Tavares being “T-Hums,” or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins being “The Skunk,” or any number of other nicknames you’ve probably never heard of and have definitely never used.
I kind of love it. So today, in honor of “Satan’s Wallpaper,” we’re going to bring the quiz back. Last time we focused on active players, so this time we’ll look back at some stars of the past. The format is simple: I give you a nickname, and you tell me who Hockey Reference claims it refers to.
Try your hand at the 20 questions below, then scroll back up to see how you did using this handy scoring chart:
17 — 20 correct: You are Satan’s wallpaper
13 — 16 correct: You are Lucifer’s crown moldings
9 — 12 correct: You are Mephistopheles’ faux-wood paneling
5 — 8 correct: You are Beelzebub’s accent wall
1 — 4 correct: You are the Prince of Darkness’ “Live, Laugh, Love” poster
(Don’t forget to scroll back up to see how you did.)
(Photo of Jaromir Jagr and Martin Brodeur with the Devils in 2013: Ed Mulholland / USA Today)
