Vowel line
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During the 2001-02 NHL season the Nashville Predators head coach Barry Trotz discovered that he has a potent combination when playing Martin Erat on left wing, Vladimir Orszagh on right wing, and Denis Arkhipov at center. He almost always kept them together.
The three European players complemented each other's playing style and personalities. Erat, a Czech is a very fast skater with good vision and hands. Orszagh, a Slovak, is a determined grinder who is not afraid to go into the corner after a puck. Arkhipov, a Russian, has significant natural talent and a wicked wrist shot.
As the season progressed the line began to draw a lot attention around Nashville for their exciting playmaking abilities. The line began to get significant local press coverage, where it was reported that they had become very good friends off the ice, in part because of the culture shock the three faced upon coming to the United States.
The line came to be known as the "vowel line" because of the difficulty that many play by play broadcasters had in pronouncing their European names and because all of their last name start with a vowel.
During the pre-season for the 2002-03 NHL season a documentary piece was filmed by ESPN about the Vowel Line that would have brought them to a national stage and more prominence in the United States. The piece never aired however as the line was broken up when 2002-03 proved to be a disappointing year for Erat who spent the majority of the season with the Predator's minor league affiliate the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League.
Erat made it back to Nashville for the 2003-04 NHL season however the vowel line spent little time together as Arkhipov found himself falling out of favor with the Predator's coaches because they did not feel he was playing to his potential. Trotz did a lot of experimenting with different centers through the season between Orszagh and Erat.
During the playoffs for the 2003-04 season, the line did not play together at all as Arkhipov was scratched for each game. However both Orszagh and Erat received national recognition for their fiesty play against the powerhouse Detroit Red Wings.
The line did not have an opportunity to re-form for the 2004-05 NHL season as it was cancelled by the 2004-05 NHL lockout and each of the players went to their home countries to play.
In the 05-06 season the line broke up. Orszagh now plays for the St. Louis Blues. Arkhipov is playing for the Chicago Blackhawks. Erat still remains a Nashville Predator.
