Presenting the NLL Pronunciation Guide for the 2015 season. I did this once a few years ago and now it’s become an annual tradition – here’s last year’s guide. People have even started giving me suggestions for players to include, which is awesome.

This was originally done because I got tired of hearing play-by-play guys and other announcers talking about NLL players and butchering their names. Four years later… same. Ah well. But this isn’t really done as a criticism of these announcers; many of them are new to lacrosse or the NLL so they’re simply not as familiar with the players as others.

Names are organized alphabetically within teams.

Buffalo

Ryan Benesch – buh-NESH

Kevin Brownell – brow-NELL. brow rhymes with COW. Like half of the other names in the league, as you’ll see.

Chad Culp – CHAD CULP. Like BIG GULP. Probably the easiest name to pronounce in the league. Except for maybe John Grant, but then you have to remember the whole “silent h” thing in John.

Davide Diruscio – Never heard this name said aloud, but I’d guess it’s duh-ROOSH-ee-o. I’m assuming his nickname is ROOSH. If not, it should be. I’m also assuming that “Davide” is pronounced like “David”. The guy’s 6’3″ and 300 lbs so I really hope I got it right.

Alexander Kedoh Hill – Kedoh sounds like KID-o. Apparently nobody calls him Alex or Alexander.

Steve Priolo – pree-O-lo

Joe Resetarits – res-uh-TARE-its

Dhane Smith – DANE

Mark Steenhuis – STAIN-house

John Tavares – tuh-VAR-es

Jay Thorimbert – I believe it’s THOR-im-burt though I can’t stop myself from saying it as THOR-im-bare

Nick Weiss – WEES

Calgary

Dane Dobbie – DOUGH-bee. Not like Dobby.

Karsen Leung – lee-UNG

Jeff Moleski – muh-LESS-ski

Mike Poulin – POO-lin

Frankie Scigliano – shill-ee-ANN-o

Geoff Snider – JEFF SNY-der. One of my pet peeves is when he’s called SHNY-der.

Colorado

Alex Buque – boo-KAY

Tyler Codron – COD-run

Joey Cupido – koo-PEE-do

John Gallant – gull-ANT

Athan Iannucci – eye-uh-NOOCH-ee. Or just NOOCH.

Eli McLaughlin – E-lie muh-GLOCK-lin

Sean Pollock – SHAWN POLL-uck

Creighton Reid – CRAY-ton

Bob Snider – SNY-der

Drew Westervelt – WEST-er-velt

Edmonton

Nik Bilic – BIL-itch. Apparently it’s really bee-LEETCH but nobody says it that way. But it’s definitely not BIL-ik.

Chris Corbeil – cor-BEEL

Riley Loewen – LOW-en. LOW is like the word low, not rhyming with COW.

Brett Mydske – MID-skee

Adrian Sorichetti – sore-i-KET-ee

Kyle Rubisch – ROO-bish.

Minnesota

Mitch Belisle – buh-LYLE

Callum Crawford – CAL-um. Not CAY-lum.

Alex Crepinsek – CREP-in-seck

Kiel Matisz – KYLE muh-TEEZ

Logan Schuss – SHUSS (rhymes with BUS). Not SHUSH.

Corbyn Tao – COR-bin TOW (TOW rhymes with COW)

New England

Tye Belanger – buh-LAHN-jay

Matt Crough – CROW. Like the bird. Update: Stephen Stamp, play-by-play guy for the Rock and all around knowledgeable lacrosse dude, says that this is actually pronounced CROKE.

Kevin Crowley – CROW-lee. Not like the bird. In this case, CROW rhymes with COW.

Michael Diehl – DEEL

Ryan Hotaling – ho-TAL-ing

Brian Megill – muh-GILL

Rochester

Stephen Keogh – KEY-o

Matt Vinc – like the name VINCE. Not VINK

Cory Vitarelli – vit-uh-REL-ee

Toronto

Kasey Beirnes – BEERns. Not BEER-ness and not BURNS

Nick Diachenko – dee-a-CHENG-ko.

Rob Hellyer – HELL-yer. Don’t forget the Y – it’s not HELL-er.

Billy Hostrawser – HO-straw-zer.

Stephen Leblanc – STEFF-in luh-BLONK. Not luh-BLANK.

Vancouver

Colin Boucher – Rhymes with the word VOUCHER. Scott Arnold said it better: “it’s pronounced like pouch, like a kangaroo pouch, but with a B (& obviously an er at the end)” and Colin confirmed.

Rhys Duch – REES DUTCH

Ilija Gajic – ILL-ee-ya GUY-ch

Tyler Hass – HASS. Rhymes with pass.

Non-players

Steve Bermel – BERM-ull. Rhymes with “thermal”. Bandits beat writer.

Aime Caines – I believe his first name is pronounced like AMY.  Swarm assistant coach.

Melissa Dafni – DAF-nee. One of my co-hosts on Addicted to Lacrosse.

Jamie Dawick – DOW-ick. DOW rhymes with COW. Owner & GM of the Rock.

Tyler Fitch – TY-ler FITCH. My other co-host on Addicted to Lacrosse.

Mike Hasen – HAY-zen. Knighthawks head coach.

Marisa Ingemi – muh-RISS-a in-JEM-ee. In Lacrosse We Trust writer.

Darris Kilgour – DARE-iss KILL-gore. Not DARE-ee-us. Former Bandits coach/GM.

Curt Malawsky – muh-LOW-skee. LOW rhymes with COW. Or Brownell. Or Dawick. Or Tao. Or Crowley.

Dan Perreault –purr-O. Not pair-ALT. Sounds similar to my name but the emphasis is on the O. Stealth head coach.

Graeme Perrow – GRAY-um PAIR-o. Yours truly. Sounds similar to Perreault but just like Dolly Parton, the emphasis is on the PAIR.

Craig Rybczynski – rib-CHIN-skee. Knighthawks broadcaster.

Grant Spies – SPEEZ. NLL ref.

Kaleb Toth – KAY-leb TOE-th, not TAW-th. Stealth assistant coach.