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How to pronounce Ivan Miroshnichenko’s last name

By Ian Oland

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July 9, 2022 11:36 pm

Capitals’ first-round pick, Ivan Miroshnichenko, was considered one of the steals of the 2022 NHL Draft. A sturdy, talented scorer, the Russian left winger (who shoots right similar to Alex Ovechkin) fell down the draft board due to having his season cut short due to being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

While analyzing the pick, ESPN’s Meghan Chayka said Miroshnichenko would be a superstar in the NHL in five years. And if that’s true, there’s one thing as fans we must grapple with now.

How to properly say Ivan’s last name.

According to NBC Sports Washington’s Joe Beninati, one of the best play-by-play men in sports, it’s: Meerosh-nih-chenko.

I also asked Joe B’s TV partner, Craig Laughlin, how he would pronounce the draft’s pick last name during telecasts.

“Eye -van!!” he replied via text.

For those who need a verbal example, Capitals assistant GM Ross Mahoney said it flawlessly in this video, too.

Meerosh-nih-chenko, Meerosh-nih-chenko, Meerosh-nih-chenko. See – easy!

If Miroshnichenko ever makes it to the NHL, there is a baked-in record waiting for him as soon as he touches the ice. He will tie John Brackenborough, of the 1925-26 Bruins, for the longest single last name in NHL history: 14 characters long. (H/T Tom Gulitti.)

We believe the next longest single-last names are Jamie Langenbrunner (13) and John Vanbiesbrouck (12). Though if you count both of Axel Jonsson-Fjallby’s last names plus the dash, he has 15 characters.

For those of you wanting Miroschnichenko’s new Caps jersey, our Twitter pal Xavier noticed a problem.

Good luck to the Capitals equipment staff who will have to be at their best to nail down the super narrow kerning to make the backs of these jerseys.

This post has been updated since publication to reflect Joe Beninati’s amending of the pronunciation.

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