Imagine a basketball player named Louisville Slugger? Or a hockey skater named Air Jordans? That'd be pretty funky.
Well, let me introduce you to Easton Stick, the NFL quarterback who has a name with hockey ties.
With Justin Herbert set to miss the rest of the 2023 season after finger surgery, that leaves Stick as the Chargers' starting QB for the final four weeks. The 2019 fourth-round pick is fairly inexperienced in the NFL, however, Stick is going to get his first start on "Thursday Night Football" in Week 15.
Hockey fans have been having a field day with Stick's name. For those unaware, Easton Hockey used to be the name of a company that specialized in hockey equipment before it was bought out by Bauer. Easton created numerous editions of hockey sticks, including the yellow Easton Synergy and the Easton HPX-5100 Aluminum, popularized by Wayne Gretzky.
It's unclear whether Stick's parents were hockey fanatics and thus got the name from the sporting equipment, or if it is simply a coincidence. Stick grew up in Omaha, Neb., which isn't exactly known to be a hockey hotbed. However, the quarterback did attend college at North Dakota State, which is about an hour south of the University of North Dakota, a powerhouse on the college hockey scene.
Nonetheless, puck followers may have found a new favorite gridiron member to follow in the NFL.
MORE: How long is Justin Herbert out?
Easton Stick hockey memes
When a football player has a name that is fit for the ice, the internet isn't going to disappoint.
Dating back to Stick's draft day in 2019, the jokes have been flying online about the quarterback picking the wrong sport to take up as a profession.
Here are some of the best Easton Stick hockey memes:
We're getting Easton Stick in December.
— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) December 12, 2023
Sounds like a Christmas gift to a young hockey player. pic.twitter.com/4ItQrnOXrp
It remains a travesty that there's a pro athlete named Easton Stick and he's not a hockey player. https://t.co/5OaQOVJMKl
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin9) December 11, 2023
The @chargers currently have Easton Stick at QB…
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 11, 2023
Shoutout the OG Easton Stick though, iykyk 😅 pic.twitter.com/JwpaxBSsFB
Easton stick is in for the chargers. My brother in Christ you are a piece of hockey equipment pic.twitter.com/1qGunfBDHO
— Banners in the Basement (@BasementBanners) December 10, 2023
Easton Stick literally translates to hockey equipment https://t.co/xKdjVv9xGn
— Tyler Castillo (@tjc_12) December 10, 2023
How Easton Stick is the Chargers’ QB instead of a hockey player with a side gig driving the Zamboni at your local rink is one of life’s biggest mysteries.
— Luke Lapinski (@LukeLapinski) December 11, 2023
@waterboyhockey He should change the sport 😂 #hockeytiktoks #hockeyboys @eastondiamondsports #nhl ♬ original sound - Waterboyhockey
His parents gave him all the tools to have the best name in hockey. But he chose football... What a shame pic.twitter.com/HPoOu5I2cF
— Dylan McIlrath (@dylan_mcilrath) September 20, 2016
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