Predators prospect given ‘Mustard Tiger’ nickname after going viral

With back-to-back 20-goal seasons in the QMJHL, Nashville Predators prospect Zachary L’Heureux is making quite a name for himself.

The 19-year-old forward went viral recently, but not for anything he did on the ice. During a 5-2 win over the Sherbrooke Phoenix on Tuesday, cameras caught L’Heureux chugging from a bottle of mustard on the Halifax Mooseheads’ bench — something that apparently isn’t out of the ordinary for him.

Zachary L'Heureux eating mustard!
(That's it. That's the tweet.) 🫠#QPlayoffs | @HFXMooseheads pic.twitter.com/4xmqwgJzNb

— QMJHL (@QMJHL) May 2, 2023

“Yeah (I do it) basically (for) just leg cramps,” L’Heureux said in an interview on the Mooseheads Twitter account. “I’ve been doing it for a number of years now but I guess somebody got a good shot of it and it decided to go around (the internet). It helps with cramps, so I’m just trying to limit them any way I can to not get those.”

L’Heureux isn’t the only hockey player to turn to mustard in the throes of competition. In 2019, Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Letestu did the same thing, except he got his fuel from mustard packets instead of straight from the bottle.

Good ol’ Marky Mustard. 🌭

(Seriously though, this is nasty. 🤢) pic.twitter.com/qXWvWTCKXI

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 27, 2019

Former Detroit Lions running back Kerryon Johnson was also a big believer in mustard’s healing power.

@AyeyoKEJO does that look like you hate it?😂😂 pic.twitter.com/rZZDkAELJz

— Reid Stewart (@Reid__Stewart) August 27, 2014

As unconventional as L’Heureux’s methods may seem, he may actually have science on his side. The University of Nebraska Medical Center says that mustard and pickle juice both help reduce cramping.

“I don’t think a lot of guys use it — not a lot of big fans of mustard on that bench, but I think it works,” L’Heureux said. “It’s the best remedy, so I power through it.”

As the viral clip made its rounds, the internet had dubbed L’Heureux “the Mustard Tiger,” a nickname he will surely be reminded of over the summer during Predators rookie camp.

L’Heureux has scored 21 goals and 42 points in 33 games for the Mooseheads this season. He ranks eighth on the team in goals and points. Halifax is down 2-1 in a best-of-seven series to Sherbrooke in the semifinal round of the QMJHL playoffs.

Follow Michael Gallagher on Twitter: @MGsports_