How Nashville Predators forward Michael McCarron got 'Big Sexy' nickname

The irony of the nickname wasn't lost on Nashville Predators coach John Hynes, who couldn't help but chuckle when it was pointed out to him after his team's practice Thursday at Centennial Sportsplex.

Nor was it lost on Michael McCarron, the man teammate Matt Benning pegged as "Big Sexy"  — a far cry from the usual, zzz-inducing hockey nicknames that typically add "er" or "y" to the end of a player's name and call it a day.

The "big" part makes sense. McCarron stands 6-foot-6 without skates and goes 232 pounds on the scale. The "sexy" part is where the irony — and humor —  comes into play. McCarron, a fourth-liner whose play is anything but sexy has his own theory about that part.

"I don't think it's based on my play," McCarron said. "I think it's based more my looks. My play is definitely not sexy."

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The nickname caught on, much like McCarron has with the Predators this season, his second with the team. Entering Friday's game, the 27-year-old had scored six of his eight career goals and recorded seven of his 14 career assists this season, a career that is in its fifth year.

McCarron scored two of those goals Tuesday during a 4-1 victory against the Ottawa Senators. He spent his first three NHL seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, who picked him in the first round of the 2013 draft.

Once coach John Hynes finished chuckling when asked about McCarron, he inserted some irony of his own in his response to a question about the big man, who fills a role the Predators had been fiddling with the likes of Tommy Novak and Cody Glass.

"He does a lot of little things well," Hynes said. "He's a big guy that plays hard. There are some guys that are big and don't play to their size. He's played a much faster game this year."

Hynes went on and on about McCarron's faceoff ability in crucial situations, his play on the penalty kill.

He saved one of his favorites for last — McCarron's toughness, a blueprint for the identity Hynes craves and the Predators have formed.

"There's things he does that don't show up on the score sheet that make him a valuable, valuable guy," Hynes said. "He sticks up for his teammates and he's got great energy whether he's playing 13 minutes ... or seven minutes."

On a team filled with name brands, McCarron is becoming a brand name of his own. Six of his seven career fighting majors have come this season, pretty much exclusively under the circumstances Hynes described.

McCarron signed a two-way contract with Nashville last summer, which led him to a stop with Milwaukee, where he was known by another "big" moniker with the Admirals.

"I was 'Big Show' in Milwaukee," McCarron said. "I got into a fight and spun my helmet at center ice. After that they called me 'Big Show.' Is he a wrestler or something?"

He was. And now McCarron, in his fifth season, is finally able to prove "Big Sexy" can play in the big show.

Reach Paul Skrbina at pskrbina@tennessean.com and follow him on Twitter @PaulSkrbina.