Eee Ess Pee Ehn

An entertaining new feature on ESPN's NHL player profiles is a pronunciation key. To wit:

Robitaille = ROH bih tigh
Vyborny = vuh BOHR nee
Olli Jokinen = OH lee YOH kuh nehn
Aki Berg = AK ee BUHRG (I thought that was Finnish for 'pylon')


This must only for European and French Canadian players, right?
Wrong:

Drury = DROO ree
Weinrich = WIGHN rihch
Jassen Cullimore = JAY sihn KUHL ih mohr
McAmmond = muh KAM uhnd


Some are inexplicable:

Foote = FUT
Smyth = SMIHTH
Peca = PEH kuh
Ricci = REE chee
Alyn McCauley = AL ihn muh KAWL ee
Leclair = luh KLAIR
Scatchard = SKATCH uhrd
Rucchin = ROO chihn


And if those aren't funny enough, here are the translations of a few Red Wings:

Lang = LANG
Chelios = CHEHL ee ohz
Mathieu Schneider = Matthew SHNIGH duhr
Woolley = WUL ee
Yzerman = IGH zuhr muhn


I love some of the French Canadian ones:

Martin Lapointe = mahr TAN luh POYNT
Martin Biron = mahr TAI beer AH
Briere = bree YAIR
Phillipe Boucher = fuh LEEP boo SHAY
Begin = bay ZHIHN
Mathieu Dandenault = Matthew DAN duh noh
Lemieux = luh MYOO
Jose Theodore = ZHOH zay THEE uh dohr
Georges Laraque = ZHORZH luh RAHK
Yannic Perreault = YAH nihk puh ROH
Desjardins = day zhar DAI
Simon Gagne = sih MOHN GAHN yay
Tanguay = TAN gay
Cloutier = KLOOT yay
Ian Laperriere = EE uhn luh PAIR ee AIR
Chouinard = shwee NAHRD
Pascal Dupuis = paz KAL doo PWEE


Here's a little quiz for you. Guess the NHL names, then scroll down to see the answers:

1) MAHR tai sai loo EE
2) OH lehg kuh VAH shuh
3) zuh DAY noh CHAIR uh
4) REH kee
5) rih VAY
6) ZIH gee PAHL fee
7) luh KAV ihl yay
8) YEHL
9) juh ROHM uh GIHN luh
10) ZHAH suh BAZT yuhn zhee GAIR
11) puh TREEZ BREES bwah
12) OH lahf KOHL zihg
13) kah nah WAHL chuhk
14) NEE duhr MIGH uhr
15) NIH koh ligh HAH bih BOO lihn
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1) Martin St. Louis
2) Oleg Kvasha
3) Zdeno Chara
4) Recchi
5) Rivet
6) Ziggy Palffy
7) Lecavalier
8) Yelle
9) Jarome Iginla
10) Jean-Sebastien Giguere
11) Patrice Brisebois
12) Olaf Kolzig
13) Konowalchuk
14) Niedermayer
15) Alexander Khavanov