Calgary’s Gaudreau Applies For Patent on “Johnny Hockey”

Johnny Gaudreau the rookie for the NHL’s Calgary Flames is serious about his “Johnny Hockey” moniker. He is so serious that the rookie wants to protect it with a patent.

While Gaudreau was dominating NCAA hockey during his career at Boston College the past two seasons, the same was being done at Texas A&M on the football field by Johnny Manziel.

Manziel became known across the country as “Johnny Football,” won the Heisman Trophy and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the NFL.

Shortly thereafter, Gaudreau received a great deal of attention for winning the Hobey Baker Award, which is hockey’s equivalent to the Heisman.

With similarities between the two’s first names as well as their overwhelming success in each of their sports, the media and fans started calling Gaudreau “Johnny Hockey” and it stayed with him when he moved on to the NHL.

Now Gaudreau wants to have a whole lot of control over that popular nickname.

Gaudreau has filed an application with the U.S. and Canadian patent and trademark offices to trademark the nickname “Johnny Hockey.”

Gaudreau’s agent Lewis Gross said that Gaudreau and he had been worried that people would abuse that nickname using shirts and other stuff with Johnny Hockey on them.

Gross said Gaudreau wanted to make sure that sort of thing did not take place.

With the two of them feeling that Gaudreau would be a very successful player then there are endorsement opportunities that could present themselves and the name could be a very valuable asset for him.

Of course, Gaudreau is only a rookie and needs to put all the focus he has on the ice, but he and his agent have discussed endorsement possibilities, but have yet to sign with any.

Those reasons are quite valid for filing for a patent and trademark, even though the culture of hockey shies away from individuality.

Players’ nicknames are a big part of the overall marketability of an athlete. Even though he is just a rookie, Gaudreau has already won lots of local fans in Calgary and across North America. His future looks bright in the best professional hockey league in the world.

After winning the 2014 Hobey Baker Award last spring, Gaudreau has had a strong start to his professional career in the NHL. In his first game last season, he scored a goal and in this, his first full season he has 32 points in the team’s 42 games as just a 21 year old.

It looks as though there has been a turnaround in fortunes and Johnny Hockey has done a bit better than Johnny Football at the professional level has.

Both patent and trademark applications filed by Gaudreau are pending.