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NHL hockey is back, and at time of writing has yet to be postponed/cancelled. With the divisional shakeups, we wanted to look at what the most exciting match-up is in each division. Which series of games will be most entertaining to watch? Which old rivalries have been reignited? Let’s take a look: North Division Edmonton Oilers vs Calgary Flames The Battle of Alberta is the most fierce of all hockey rivalries, in Alberta. Since October 1980, the Edmonton Oilers have been duking it out with the slightly more westerly Calgary Flames. For the record Calgary have the edge historically, and mostly battered the Oilers lastRead More →

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The NHL season starts this week. THIS IS NOT A TEST! THE NHL SEASON STARTS THIS WEEK! Gary Bettman won’t say exactly how much money the NHL will lose this year, but the answer starts with a B. A Bettman of Money? The NHL season already has been impacted with COVID-19, as the Dallas Stars are delayed. How will this impact other teams? Mathew Barzal has signed an extension with the New York Islanders. Mike Hoffman also officially signed with the St. Louis Blues. How long can we expect deals of this caliber to be the norm? The NHL is planning outdoor games in Lake Tahoe.Read More →

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In Canada few things encapsulate the holiday season like family, friends, a good meal, and the World Juniors. Arguably the preeminent annual hockey tournament; fans tune in to get a look at the NHL’s stars of tomorrow and of course project and hyperbolize every little thing they do in hopes their team has drafted the next big thing. It’s been dominated by the typical powers, Canada and Russia boast the most tournament wins, with the US, Sweden & Finland consistently in the mix. While this should be no surprise, and the highly contested nature of the tournament has made it must watch TV, it’s theRead More →

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This week on The 4th Line Hockey Podcast, with the NHL almost back, it’s time to preview the Central division! But first, an update to an octopus news story from early 2020. The NHL has modified the offside rule. Will it be for the better? Zdeno Chara has signed with the Washington Capitals, but who will fill his vacancy with the Boston Bruins? Pierre-Luc Dubois signed an extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but is apparently still not happy with the club. Will he find his way out? Jonathon Toews is out for the Chicago Blackhawks, leaving an unfortunate and unexpected hole at center. TheRead More →

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The Pacific Division is always a difficult one to predict at the best of times. This season will be no exception, especially with a shortened season in hand. The winner of this division will be hard to predict as over the last few seasons teams have made key upgrades. Let’s take a look at the contenders in our midst. Anaheim Ducks On The Christmas List: Draft lottery favor The Ducks will be hoping to improve on an underwhelming 6th place in 2019-20. Their off-season acquisitions have been quieter than fans would’ve liked, but let’s not forget they are rebuilding. Kevin Shattenkirk was signed on a 3-yearRead More →

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What would you get if the Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions had a baby? It’s the East division! With the Christmas holidays wrapping up and a brand new NHL season approaching faster than Santa’s sleigh, let’s review what the teams of the ‘North’ division had asked for from St. Nick, hoping something good under their hockey stick tree. Boston Bruins On the Christmas List: The Next Torey Krug After nine seasons in Boston, big-time blue-liner Torey Krug upped and left for St. Louis. This leaves a big hole for the Bruins to fill as Krug is not great in front of his goalie, but also handy withRead More →

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The North division is a dream that many Canadian hockey fans have been wanting for years. Well now they get it: all Canadian, all the time. With the Christmas holidays wrapping up and a brand new NHL season approaching faster than Santa’s sleigh, let’s review what the teams of the ‘North’ division had asked for from St. Nick, hoping something good under their hockey stick tree. Calgary Flames  On the Christmas List: Quality goaltending The C of Red were very productive during this off-season. Geoff Ward has been appointed full-time head coach after filling in amidst the Bill Peters scandal last season. Two big acquisitionsRead More →

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The NHL season nears and we start the divisional previews this week. The Ottawa Senators are wheeling and dealing leading up to the start of the season. They started by picking up Derek Stepan from the Arizona Coyotes and followed that up by getting Braydon Coburn, Cedric Paquette and a 2nd round pick from the Tampa Bay Lightning for Marian Gaborik and Anders Nilsson. Who was the winner in each of these deals? With the round robin of the World Junior Hockey Championships we look in to see if teams are doing too much by running up the score and see what upsets have happenedRead More →

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With the Christmas holidays wrapping up and a brand new NHL season approaching faster than Santa’s sleigh, let’s review what the teams of the ‘Central’ division had asked for from St. Nick, hoping something good under their hockey stick tree. Carolina Hurricanes On the Christmas list: A new TikTok trend/new social media app “Bunch of jerks”, “Storm surge!”, while the Hurricanes offer an exciting product on the ice, it may the post-game or off ice antics that have gotten fans of North Carolina excited about this team. With a competitive product and the right continued hype the Caniacs will be happy about their teams result.Read More →

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This week we preview actual games that will be happening! GAMES! OF HOCKEY! The NHL has announced their plan for the 2021 season. We review all of the changes including: – the timeline for the season – the new divisions, increased divisional play and changes to the playoffs – teams playing in new cities, with some cities allowing fans – taxi squads, three goalies and the death of the emergency backup goalie Nikita Kucherov might start the year on the injured reserve for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Is this a blessing in disguise for their cap woes? Henrik Lundqvist is unable to play for theRead More →