Ways to distinguish the two Elias Petterssons on the Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks have two Elias Petterssons.
Discussion of how to distinguish the two Swedish hockey players has been ongoing ever since the Canucks drafted their second Elias Pettersson, a defenceman, in the third round of the 2022 draft.
A popular way to do it among fans online has been by nickname. The 25-year-old superstar centre is already “Petey,” so let’s call the 20-year-old defenceman “D-Petey.”
Makes sense.
On the ice, the old Petey wears No. 40. The new Petey wears 26, and has “E. Pettersson” on his name bar.
The old Petey is sticking with “Pettersson” on his jersey. He’s also an assistant captain, so his jersey has an A on the front.
The young Petey played in Tuesday’s preseason game while the old Petey sat out, but viewers on Sportsnet heard a different pronunciation of the new Elias Pettersson.
John Shorthouse pronounced the first name of Elias Pettersson, the defenceman, as “uh-LIGH-uhs,” the same way Elias Lindholm pronounces his name.
That differs from Elias Pettersson, the centre, who pronounces his first name “uh-LAI-uhs.”
okay why do elias lindholm and elias pettersson pronounce elias differently pic.twitter.com/9pZrJyphle
— lex ! (@meetrasurk) January 29, 2022
It seems like a long time ago now, but there was a time in Vancouver when people weren’t sure what to call the OG Elias Pettersson, as the video below from early on in his rookie season illustrates.
How do you say your name? Is it "Elias Pettersson" or "Elias Pettersson"?
"It's Petey!" pic.twitter.com/V8VAdbiUfs
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) October 12, 2018
Having two players with the exact same name on the same team isn’t unprecedented. It occurred with the Canucks in the 1988-89 season with two players named “Greg Adams.”
Greg C. Adams was acquired late that season from the Edmonton Oilers. The team had acquired Greg “Gus” Adams the season prior in a trade with the New Jersey Devils.
Luckily for hockey broadcasters, the two Elias Petterssons haven’t played in the same game quite yet. It’s unlikely they’ll start the regular season together, as the younger Elias Pettersson seems destined to start with the Abbotsford Canucks.
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