Really, he needs a nickname.
As we sit in the Whistler Olmypic Park Media center, noses to the keyboard, telling the story of yet another epic 4x10km Olympic relay, we realized that Mr. Northug does not have a nickname. At least not in common usage in the English language. What do you think? Add your suggestions in the comments.
1 Patrick Stinson - Feb 24, 2010 at 7:33 pm
Votes:
1) The Petter
2) Won-Shot-Wonder
3) King Douche
2 kfairman - Feb 24, 2010 at 7:47 pm
1) Norge-thug
2) Spurt
3 deanerbeano - Feb 24, 2010 at 8:14 pm
^^ King Douche. for sure.
he skied a pretty un-douchelike anchor leg today though.
4 StorminNorman - Feb 24, 2010 at 8:21 pm
He don’t need no nickname. He’s like Pele or Phelps. It’s just Petter. If I had to give him a nickname for some reason though, it would be The Candy Man. Cause the Candy Man can.
5 32degrees - Feb 24, 2010 at 8:28 pm
1.Thug
2. Spurt
3. Nord-Usain
6 crashtestxc - Feb 24, 2010 at 8:29 pm
THE KING!
7 32degrees - Feb 24, 2010 at 8:30 pm
let me rearrange that.
1. Nord-Usain
2. Thug
3. Spurt
8 Scott Jerome - Feb 24, 2010 at 8:43 pm
The Mouth.
9 thick - Feb 24, 2010 at 8:57 pm
Douche Mouth!!!!!!!
10 thick - Feb 24, 2010 at 9:03 pm
PnJ
11 teamepokeedsbyn - Feb 24, 2010 at 9:18 pm
How about “the USST has only 1 capable athlete over 5 km, and several who will never make podium beyond 5km, but all athletes try their best, but it is the team owner (USSA – Marolt) who has failed for 25 years to recruit the best enduance athletes this country had to offer, thus logic SCREAMS it is time for a new team owner!”
That is a good nickname I think…what about you?
12 nexer - Feb 24, 2010 at 9:49 pm
Oystein’s The Sausage. Northug’s The Weiner.
13 ADS - Feb 24, 2010 at 9:55 pm
@nexer HAHA! That’s awesome Petter “The Weiner” Northug. I completely agree.
If we’re going for ultra cheesy you could use The Red Dragon.
14 shreddir - Feb 24, 2010 at 9:55 pm
For some reason when I first started following Northug back in 2005 he reminded me of the “Beavis” cartoon character from MTV’s Beavis and Butthead series. Look at his nose. I used to refer him as the “Punk” or “Dennis the Menace” on my postings on the rec.nordic.skiing Usenet newsgroup. He’s still my favorite skier though.
15 Sven - Feb 24, 2010 at 10:06 pm
Lung.
16 Tim Kelley - Feb 24, 2010 at 11:52 pm
He’s always had an innate ability to stalk his competitors and strike at the moment when his prey has no hope.
He is – The Predator.
Petter The Predator.
The Viking Blowtorch, The Norwegian Comet, the Scandinavian Cruise Missile, Skier With Another Gee-ar, Brother from Another Mother (whoops – forget this one).
Long will rule … THE PREDATOR !!!!! PETTER THE PREDATOR !!!
17 Lars - Feb 24, 2010 at 11:53 pm
In Norway he is sometimes called Petter Smart or just Petter.
18 Reese - Feb 25, 2010 at 1:12 am
Deliverance
19 Cloxxki - Feb 25, 2010 at 2:47 am
He looks like a worm face to me. Raceworm.
20 sportalaska - Feb 25, 2010 at 2:53 am
Warthog
21 Patrick Stinson - Feb 25, 2010 at 3:37 am
I’d like to add that when I say “douche” I don’t mean he’s a douche, but it’s like saying “Damn that douche beat me again! Arggg!” Kind of like an affectionately sarcastic way.
22 sully - Feb 25, 2010 at 6:13 am
It is hard to like a “closer” unless he is your “closer”. (see Mr.s Bird, Jordan and Bryant) Could be something about having that much confidence and ego.
I am tempted to suggest “Himself” as a possible nickname for Northug, but instead will support “The Predator”.
23 Cloxxki - Feb 25, 2010 at 6:34 am
If he were a 4-legged noble animal, rather than a 2-legged catapult, I’d name him NeverTooLate.
24 tclaynm@juno.com - Feb 25, 2010 at 11:22 am
I like Warthog also…it seems fitting in both appearance and behavior. No matter what, the guy’s a monster and will forever be in the history books as one of the greats of Norwegian (and thus the world) xc ski racing.
25 OldManWinter - Feb 25, 2010 at 11:56 am
My favorite members of the local running club are the former
‘guns-with-an-attitude’ that suddenly become masters, slowing down (no matter how much they train) and joining the rest of us at the back of the pack. The change in their demeanor is noticeable and abrupt; it seems like some of them learn humility almost overnight.
I hope that Petter enjoys his time in orbit, being reviled on the WC and having a target on his back constantly.
His nickname? Icarus
26 NE Racer - Feb 25, 2010 at 4:45 pm
The Boss
27 lonsrud - Feb 25, 2010 at 9:47 pm
Seabiscuit-as in “see you later Johnny”. I bet all the kids love Petter, fast and exciting and sure to draw a crowd-or leave them. How many kids in Norway are working on their finishing sprint ?
28 PDN - Feb 26, 2010 at 10:53 am
PETTER THE PREDATOR has to be it. In the words of Chad Salmella you could see the fear in the body language of Northug’s quarry during this race. The nickname has alliteration, aproximate rhyme, a latent allusion to sex (read Nat Hertz’s post of Hjelmeset quote), but can also be viewed as neutral. A predator has a natural place in it’s ecosystem, but has a more precarious fate due it’s position at the top of the food chain (read comment 25 by oldmanwinter).
Petter the predator.
29 sloanaw - Feb 28, 2010 at 10:22 pm
His nickname ought to be “Death Stare” for the look he gave with 800m to go in the 4 X 10km race. Not sure how well it translates…
30 pnorthug - Mar 16, 2010 at 7:06 pm
crashtestxc, you got it right. He calls himself “The King” whenever he’s at races in Europe. That being said, he does put the “thug” in Northug.
31 biathlete - Mar 19, 2010 at 4:34 am
“The King” will always be reserved for Ole Einar Bjoerndalen. He can shoot AND ski (though admittedly is having a rough year). He will always be Norway’s (and the Nordic worlds) only King. Northug needs to find another nickname for himself.
32 LittlePrince - Mar 27, 2010 at 1:39 pm
Nickname – “Red Cobra”!
You know of course, what amazing being cobra is, as a… symbol…
When about 2 kilometers is to the finish, I don´t think, I… know: now!… Red Cobra will “start”, emerge!…
But most of all, I felt, we all felt?… how free he was last 15 kilometers in Falun!… He flied!… Like a… Free Bird…
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