By:
On:
In: NHL
With: 0 Comments

Brodie’s Thoughts With the NHL season nearing its midpoint, where better to celebrate than heading to Vegas for the annual All Star game. What’s become a sort of perfunctory affair has been improved with the introduction of 3 on 3, but, especially this season with its erratic, Covid ravaged schedule, it’s lacking a certain fanfare. Or at least that was the case until recent comments from Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon who floated the idea, not that players avoid the world famous buffets, but that there need not be a representative for every team, as it’s not a participation game (it is…) which, in a certainRead More →

By:
On:
In: Central Division, NHL
With: 0 Comments

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 Central Division: Arizona Coyotes Accounts Payable Department: Businesses have had a very difficult time over the last few years. That goes without saying. This has led to teams trying to cut costs wherever they can. However, the Coyotes should not have fired the accounts payable department, as it wasRead More →

By:
On:
In: Metropolitan Division, NHL
With: 0 Comments

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 Metro Division: Carolina Hurricanes Cap Relief: Like a lot of teams with COVID issues the Canes have been hit, losing many of their top players, and could use some help from the league. They’re a strong contender, provided Freddy Andersen doesn’t get haunted by the ghosts of playoffs past,Read More →

By:
On:
In: NHL, Pacific Division
With: 0 Comments

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 →

By:
On:
In: Atlantic Division, NHL
With: 0 Comments

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 Atlantic Division: Boston Bruins Youth: Seems like every season the Bruins skirt the line with needing to rebuild and contending. With Patrice Bergeron on the last year of his deal and the forward core aging, it may be time for Boston to look to the future and try andRead More →

By:
On:
In: NHL
With: 0 Comments

With the new NHL season a week away, exhibition games are in full swing, teams are setting their rosters and those outstanding RFA’s have signed with their organisations to get back before the puck drops. Well, most of them…News broke Monday night that Brady Tkachuk’s camp and the Senators are still at a stalemate, meaning the much maligned, problem plagued O-Train isn’t the only thing derailed in the nation’s capital these days. Embed from Getty Images The usual insiders are reporting that several issues are holding up the process: First that Tkachuk would prefer a bridge deal (akin to Elias Pettersson in Vancouver) presumably bankingRead More →

By:
On:
In: NHL, Podcast Episodes
With: 0 Comments

It’s season preview time! And that’s not even the biggest news of the week! Nick has discovered something called a “Deathmatch Circus” and former NHL’er Darren McCarty will be taking part in one. What’s the worst that can happen? NHL coaches, such as Sylvain Lefebvre, are losing jobs because of their decisions to not be vaccinated. What other fallout can be expected from this? It is time for the big news: We are retiring! Join us for our farewell tour, dubbed The Snides Tour, where we bring you the gifts, during the final season of The 4th Line Podcast. Thank you to everyone who’s joinedRead More →

By:
On:
In: NHL
With: 0 Comments

With NHL training camps getting under way, and the Habs and Canes once again providing more offseason content than the rest of the league combined, we can finally circle back to one of our intrepid editor’s favourite subjects: Offer Sheets. Nearly as rare as a Leafs post season run (and usually as successful) this is a weapon under the CBA that players and GM’s alike can take advantage of, yet so many are reluctant. Why? Well, as we’ve seen with Montreal and Carolina, you risk putting out an offer that’s easily matched than instantly looking foolish, (not to mention the compensation) and subsequently putting theRead More →

By:
On:
In: NHL
With: 0 Comments

There is no storybook ending, no encore at Madison Square Garden, but Henrik Lundqvist will go down as one of the brightest lights to ever grace Broadway. The 39-year-old goaltender announced today (August 20th, 2021), that he hung up the skates for good. A year after announcing he had heart inflammation that caused him to miss all last season. Embed from Getty Images While the tristate area has been home to many legendary goalies, Henrik always had a little something extra to him. Could it be his demeanor on the ice? Maybe the fact that he was the backbone of an original six-team in theRead More →

By:
On:
In: NHL
With: 0 Comments

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 →