“I love you brother,” Shaquille O’Neal said after receiving his special gift from the Edmonton Oilers. In an unexpected exchange with the NHL on TNT, Shaq was seen trying his hand at this unfamiliar sport while wearing an oversized helmet. He is even pen pals with the Oilers’ winger. During these hilarious antics on the ice, the basketball legend even got the nickname “Shaq Hyman.” No wonder the Oilers broke one of the NHL’s important rules for Shaq’s personalized gift.

Both NBA analysts O’Neal and Charles Barkley follow the sport and made an appearance on the hockey program as well. This crossover happened when the studio was covering the Stanley Cup playoffs. Notably, Zach Hyman, who was referred to as “Shaq Hyman,” was in the spotlight. And the NBA team, including Shaq, had to show their support for the Oilers.

In response to the basketball legend’s support, the Oilers and Hyman decided to surprise him with a wholesome gesture. Hyman had sent his signed jersey and hockey stick to O’Neal. Now, the jersey had to fit O’Neal’s 7-foot stature, right? So, a goalie’s jersey was made for the 4x NBA champ. And as for the stick, there’s an NHL rule stating that it can’t be longer than 63 inches. 

There are exceptions for taller players, such as John Scott. But the team had to break the rule and make a longer stick for Shaq. The Oilers Winger himself  revealed the details during his recent appearance on ‘What Chaos’. “The equipment guys did a great job but yeah it was wild,” he said.

The gift was sent to O’Neal during NBA on TNT. “To Shaq, Thanks for all the support!” Hyman’s message for Shaq read. Hyman even offered to coach the basketball legend.

How did Zach Hyman get this nickname? 

And that too for free.  “If Shaq wants lessons, no problem. For free,” he said. This connection between Hyman and Shaq has been longer than we know. The Oilers winger got the nickname during his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, specifically with the Toronto Marlies.

As Hyman’s performance reminded them of how dominant and unique the Los Angeles Lakers legend was on the court, they gave him this nickname.  “When I was with the Marlies, we called him ‘Shaq Hyman’ for a reason because he got to the paint more and better than anybody,” former Marlies coach Sheldon Keefe shared. The basketball legend too has warmly embraced the name. 

Hyman has always had great admiration for Shaq as an athlete and an analyst. “If you told me as a kid that Shaq would be wearing my jersey or calling himself Shaq Hyman like like what?” he exclaimed. “Yeah the TNT guys obviously took that and ran with it and they love the name Shaq Heyman and Shaq and Charles were on set doing their thing and they’re always entertaining to watch,” So breaking one rule for a gift is worth the big man’s smile.