The NHL’s Most Interesting Name: 1960s Part II

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There is little doubt that the 60s were weird for a lot of reasons, but in theory it's the kids born in the 60s that are supposed to have interesting names.  So imagine my surprise at gaining a healthy number names for this decade, half of which were covered in Part I.  It's looking pretty close in that previous part, with Cesare Maniago holding the edge over Andre Champagne by one vote, so if you haven't voted be sure to head over there.

On that note, be sure to vote this time, too.

The intent of the vote, once again…

…hockey history is chock full of names that can pique a person’s interest, whether it’s because it’s unintentionally funny to the English sensibility (Petr Pohl), almost regal (Normand Rochefort), or lends itself to entertaining wordplay (Darius Kasparaitis). The criteria for our ‘most interesting names’ is a bit loose, in that the name can strike you as any one of the above descriptors, or all of them, but ultimately you are going to vote on the name that ‘strikes’ you the strongest.

…and your contestants:

• Don Johns – I was going to make a crack about how he’s a fashion mogul, but then I found his real area of expertise: “liquid handling.” Creepy.
• Orland Kurtenbach – The former Canucks captain sported an interesting-enough name to inspire a popular Canucks blog. He also had a bad back injury that required spinal fusion, which sounds like it makes you awesome but in the 60s it was a very painful and difficult recovery process.
• Chico Maki – A long-serving defensive forward for the Chicago Blackhawks, Maki’s name kind of sounds like you’d hear it if you played the Beach Boys’ song “Kokomo” backwards. He also occasionally put Maple Leafs on their ass.
• Paul Shmyr – A solid defenceman who spent most of his career in the WHA, the man had quite the head of hair.
• Real Lemieux – I know it’s not pronounced this way, but I can see him watching highlights of Mario Lemieux in the 1980s and muttering to himself, “Taber***, Je suis le Real Lemieux.”
• Hank Monteith – The French cousin of Wes Mantooth, he looked like he hunted elephants by throwing bears at them.
• Ulf Sterner – Great villain name.
• Barry Gibbs – You can tell by the way he used his walk he’s a ladies man, no time to talk.

Rock the vote.