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The 4th Line Hockey Podcast is about to broadcast its final episode and it’s time to reflect on the impact the show had on me. In 2015 the show was part of a website that shall not be named, and I was writing for Fansided alongside Alex, whom I met a little earlier when he was late for a wedding or something. The podcast had been out for some years already, hosted by Carl and some other guys whose names I forget but still deserve credit. Anyway, the legend that is Gwen (LGRW!) was my editor, and invited Carl, myself and some others to doRead More →

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The Tampa Bay Lightning are currently the bookies’ favourite to take 2022’s Stanley Cup (sorry Carl). Having already done the double by lifting the 2020 and 2021 Cup, a third consecutive cup would be a massive achievement for Jon Cooper and his team. I can’t remember the last time a team won three consecutive cups whereas there’s been a few doubles in the last few decades. So how rare is the threepeat? Let’s take a look: The Pre 1915 Era The first team to maybe do the triple was the Montreal Hockey Club of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada. Kind of. Montreal’s first winRead More →

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Did you know that the NHL hosted an outdoor game this weekend? Us either! Following the Russian invasion, the IIHF has banned Russia and Belarus from all events moving forward. Was it the right move by the organization? Last week Nick started a debate about Jonathan Bernier. This week, the debate is finished: Was he ever the worst goalie on the team? (See below for all of the details!) The Ottawa Senators are the latest team welcomed into the Elimination Station. But the guys have hope for the future. Lastly, we pick the Pavel Bure Must Watch Games of the Week. Pick the score ofRead More →

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It’s the holiday season and we here at the 4th Line are in a giving mood. We figured we’d share this generosity with the NHL teams and bring a little joy in these turbulent times. As we’re still negotiating a 4th Line merch deal, let’s see what else Santa Gritty has under the tree in the Pacific Division: Anaheim Ducks Shooter Tutors: Anaheim’s mightiest Ducks don’t need all that much from Santa Claus, they’re heading into the break second in the division. With the practice facilities closed, the team might want to add some Shooter Tutors to their Christmas List. The Ducks have lost moreRead More →

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Inspired by the rumours that PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino was returning to manage Spurs (now debunked), this got me wondering how many NHL head coaches had been rehired by their former teams, and whether or not they found success second time around. I know the head coach merry-go-round is very active in the NHL, but it turns out that a lot of coaches have been given a second bite of the cherry, so in this irregular series, I’ll be taking a look at some of those coaches to see if it was better second time around. Randy Carlyle – Mighty Ducks of Anaheim/Anaheim Ducks. EmbedRead More →

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In episode #336, Carl and Nick asked if the Conn Smythe Trophy has ever been awarded to a player who wasn’t top goal/point scorer or goalie with best save percentage? Great question! The Conn Smythe is awarded to the player deemed most valuable for his team in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and in all but five occasions, has gone to a player on the winning side. Members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association vote to decide who wins. Is it a foregone conclusion that the player who lifts the trophy will also be top of the stats chart? Let’s take a look: Assuming I finishRead More →

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In episode #329 of The 4th Line Hockey Podcast, the boys are discussing Connor McDavid‘s amazing tally of 100 points in this shortened season. Stevie Nick says this: …would McDavid be putting up this amount of points if he had to play every other team in the league? It’s a good question, and before the Edmonton fanbase starts waving their pitchforks, we all know that McDavid is absolutely the best player in the league. No argument there. Has he been helped by the fact that he’s only playing against six other teams? We’ll never know the answer for certain, but we can compare his unbelievableRead More →

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When the Tim Peel news broke, my immediate reaction was one of shock and surprise. Not that game management and make-up calls happen, but that this was somehow a surprise to a lot of people. Game management by officials has been part of the sport for a long, long time and while there’s an argument that it shouldn’t be, there’s a stronger argument that it should. Embed from Getty Images In a sport where every game is televised, officials are more under the microscope than ever before. Slow motion, multi-angle replays allow every call/missed call to be analyzed in minute detail. Often conveniently ignoring theRead More →

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The highlight of the Detroit Red Wings season so far is that they’re not Ottawa. Sorry Ottawa fans, but that’s really all we’ve got left to hold onto as Detroit fans. That said, I’m not stressing over it. This NHL season has been madness so far, and isn’t likely to last much longer, only the Canadian teams seem to be holding it together. Were this a typical season? I’d be losing my mind. I’ve no idea what coach Jeff Blashill is doing with the skaters he’s putting on the ice, or the coaching that’s going on between games. Nothing makes sense anymore. Red Wings andRead More →

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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 →