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Carl and Joel are back with the latest from around the NHL! With the San Jose Sharks underperforming expectations, does that mean that it’s a good time to swim with sharks? Doubtful. But don’t tell a man in Toronto that. With Elias Pettersson concussed, and Mike Matheson suspended, Eric Francis chose to turn the injury into a joke. Is this a sign of hockey culture or one person’s poor choice? Leafs-free radio continues on the EFShow on @Sportsnet960 with a chance to win two tix to Thursday’s Pizza Pigout. Name the finishing move Matheson used on Patterson and best ones get tix. Send me the answerRead More →

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“I don’t even know who Craig Billington is, that’s a name you just made up.” – Joel. Here at 4th Line Towers, we answer the questions that other podcasts (and their affiliated websites) dare not. In episode #202, Carl made a reference to Craig Billington, a former Colorado Avalanche goalie that Joel believed to be a fabrication. While not one to usually question Carl’s knowledge about one of his beloved teams, I had to admit that I’d never heard of Billington either. Is Craig Billington Real? Yes. Not only is he real, but he also tended the goal of the Colorado Avalanche between 1996 andRead More →

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The new talent hasn’t disappointed so far in 2018-19. The Calder Trophy is normally a good indicator of a young player’s future. So far, there have been several standout candidates. These players are the new lifeblood for their respective franchises and could well spell great things for their future. Drafting these young guns is never straightforward, but these gambles are paying off. Here are three potential Calder Trophy candidates, along with a few honourable mentions: Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks) Embed from Getty Images Until a nasty hit by Mike Matheson caused him to be sidelined with a concussion, this 19-year-old Swede was flying. In his firstRead More →

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The theme of the season so far has been that goaltending is carrying the Buffalo Sabres. Carter Hutton showed strongly as the team split the first 4 games followed by Linus Ullmark‘s shutout. With a 3-2 record, despite being out-shot almost every night, play certainly has improved but there is a need to control play. Good goaltending is needed but Buffalo’s five skaters must progress in terms of puck possession to get to the next level. If not, the losses will be like those against Boston and Colorado. Embed from Getty Images Tonight, the Sabres continue their road trip as they attempt to sweep theRead More →

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People are getting all kerfuffled over the Carolina Hurricanes’ unique twist on post-game fan appreciation tributes. ESPN, which doesn’t even cover hockey so’s you’d notice, deemed this story important enough to commission a piece by Greg Wyshynski titled, “Inside the Hurricanes’ wild new postgame celebration,” as if it was a carefully orchestrated campaign of a President’s Cup-winner, rather than a quirky bit of fun at the end of a nothing game. I have to assume ESPN’s hockey editor — if there ever were such a person — had their tongue firmly in cheek when slapping this title on because pretending there was any “inside” toRead More →

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The question isn’t whether or not Joe Thornton can return — he can; the question is, should he? And it’s high time — not only for Sharks and NHL fans who mostly love Jumbo Joe — but for Sharks management and coaching staff to seriously consider it, before he does return. Because he will. Knee surgery #1 – April 2017 Thornton had knee surgery number one in April 2017. What stood out to me during the ensuing games that spring was the contrast between the media narrative and what I saw on the ice. The talk was all about the hope for a returning Jumbo,Read More →

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Buffalo Sabres fans, rightfully so, were apathetic after the season opener (4-0 loss to the Bruins). The play looked like all of the previous season. It also did not help that the Bills had given the “Mafia” much to cheer for. There was a need of relief that went unsatisfied. Now that their season is 3 games in, the Sabres find themselves above .500 for the first time in October since 2013. The Halloween month has not been kind to this franchise and there are signs that they could be going in the right direction. Through this homestand, Carter Hutton has been the key toRead More →

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Rejoice, Caniacs everywhere: we are fast, we are physical, and we are competitive on the ice this year! The Canes started off the season against 3 Metropolitan division rivals, and took 5 out of 6 possible points, going 2-0-1 to start the year. But there’s something even more important to note about this team full of scrappy veterans and young prospects- they have a great time together on the ice, and it shows when watching. Embed from Getty Images Sebastian Aho is the best player on this team, and he’s going to have to continue to make strides at the center position in order forRead More →

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Jalen Ramsey, the all-pro cornerback for the Jacksonville Jaguars, stirred up a lot of negative attention from the hockey community with his comments at the end of August. In the NFL Preview Issue of ESPN The Magazine, Ramsey told ESPN’s Mina Kimes that with six months of training, he could probably crack the NHL. Now, even though this is in response to him discussing his stick handling from a background in lacrosse, it’s absolutely asinine. However, it did get me thinking which North American sports stars would be best on the ice, what positions they would play, and why. (It should be noted that IRead More →

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As the first games of the NHL season have started, I’ve been hearing the name “Oscar” quite a bit. I decided to dig a little deeper and found that there’s been a few players with some recent NHL history with the first name of “Oscar” or “Oskar” It turns out it’s a pretty popular name. It happened to be the 4th most popular name for boys in 2004 in Sweden, although the players on this list were all born prior to 2004. With the way these players are progressing and how popular the game has become, the popularity of this name is only going toRead More →