ESPN hockey broadcasters trashed for failure to say Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen's name

ESPN hockey broadcasters trashed for failure to say Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen's name originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

It sounds just about the way it looks, for anyone struggling to pronounce the name of the Buffalo Sabres' goalie. Like, for example, the broadcasters being paid to talk about the NHL playoffs.

ESPN's analysts came under fire on Sunday during an intermission report when they decided to laugh rather than making a real effort at saying Luukkonen's name.

Mark Messier and P.K. Subban were the former players discussing the game with host Steve Levy:

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It comes across like an inside joke that they already had off the air that they decided to bring onto the air, instead of previously figuring out how to say a slightly unfamiliar name.

Hockey fans didn't love this interaction:

It's a bit of an odd announcing trend, too. Often, it results in nicknames.

UPL is a straightforward one as far as how the nickname was arrived at, but the guys getting paid to talk about the games can certainly try to say the last name, at least.

It's a main reason many people call Giannis Antetokounmpo "The Greek Freak" in the NBA. They'd rather do that than attempt his name.

Shoot, they call Nikola Jokic "The Joker," which is a terrible nickname but one that someone decided was easier to say than... his uber-similar last name?

Luukkonen was crucial in the Sabres' Game 1 win over the Bruins, denying multiple breakaways to keep it close enough that Buffalo could mount its magical rally.