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With 75% of the regular season completed, it’s common for watercooler talk to turn to ‘who’s gonna win some awards?’. Here at 4th Line Towers, we’re no different, but rather than look at the awards that already exist, why not focus on awards that should exist. Today we’re looking at the Why Haven’t You Been Fired Yet award. The contenders are Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill, Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin and head coach Claude Julien and LA Kings head coach Todd McLellan. Claude Julien Embed from Getty Images Should he be fired? Julien returned to coach Montreal in February 2017 to replaceRead More →

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Being a 5’10”, Russian forward is almost a surefire reason to not make the NHL, but the very talented Devils prospect, Arseni Gritsyuk, may just break that stigma. Omskie Yastreby vs. Tolpar Ufa (3-2) January 6, 2020 Player Profile Name: Arseni Gritsyuk (#81) Height/Weight: 5’10″/157 lbs. Position: LW/RW Team: Omskie Yastreby (MHL) NHL Affiliate: New Jersey Devils (2019 NHL Draft, #129 Overall) Shift 1   Immediate offensive impact from Arseni Gritsyuk here, as he gets the puck in the neutral zone. A clean zone entry gives him a clear shooting lane, but he falls down on the shot, and the netminder, Dmitri Braginsky, makes theRead More →

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Do you remember what made you fall in love with your favorite NHL team? Were you swooned by their flashy colors and fearsome logo? Were you taken to a game by your dad as youngster? Maybe you were born into tradition, or your hometown adopted a relocation or was awarded a franchise. Perhaps you saw Claude Lemiuex and Darren McCarty spearhead the most vicious rivalry in all of sports history live on television. All of us were taken on a different path, some short, some longer, to find that one team we call our own. We immerse ourselves and in essence we become a partRead More →

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An often forgotten part of the NHL Draft is that teams usually like to make their picks based on positional needs or continue their reputation of drafting players with similar traits. Montreal taking French-Canadians was one example of a reputation-based drafting style. More recently, Detroit selected Moritz Seider sixth overall in the 2019 draft, not because he was the best player available, but because he was arguably the best left-handed defenseman on the board. This happens every year with drafting, and often results in angered fans for ‘not picking the right player’. So as we move towards the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, which teams selectionsRead More →

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As we’re around the halfway point in most of the world’s ice hockey leagues, it’s the perfect time to take a look at some of the standout prospects who’ve been impressing so far:  Connor McMichael, C London Knights (OHL) Drafted 25th Overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2019 Draft. Embed from Getty Images Bar any hyperbole, Connor McMichael may be the best drafted prospect as of right now. His current statline is almost unrealistic, with a staggering 30 goals in 30 games, and 66 points in total. As someone who I had consistently ranked in the top-12 for the 2019 Entry Draft, I can’tRead More →

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With some time off over the holidays, it can be difficult to get back into the rhythm of things in 2020. For some, that means forgetting your pants on your way to work. Canada are World Junior Championship Gold Medalists! Outside of that, who were the standouts of the tournament? Was it the officials? Speaking of officiating, John Tortorella has some big issues with how the NHL timekeepers functioned as his Columbus Bluejackets lost out an a win and got Joonas Korpisalo injured thanks to them. Was his anger justified? The 2020 All Star Game selections are announced, and are highlighted more by those whoRead More →

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Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella has fallen out with the NHL again. His expletive filled tirade after the Jackets’ shoot-out loss to Chicago has already hit headlines. If you’re not familiar with the reason for this, it’s because Columbus’ game winning goal was ruled no good as the buzzer had already sounded to end overtime. However there was an infraction prior to this and Tortorella argues that not enough time was added back in. Had that extra second been added then the goal would have stood. Instead the game went to a shoot out and Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo was hurt while blockingRead More →

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The world of sports lends itself to all manner of water cooler debate: Which player would you rather have? Who’s the greatest of all time? How exactly are the Patriots cheating this week? And if you could change one rule, what would it be? Generally speaking the NHL’s done a decent job with theirs. You may get the odd fan grumbling about a puck over the glass resulting in a delay of game infraction or the infamous instigator rule, but by and large, it’s not a book fans want totally rewritten. However, if there’s one rule the NHL has right now that’s so incredibly irritatingRead More →

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The current state of hockey in the Motor City is bleak, the Detroit Red Wings have taken just 17 points from 32 games. The season is still early, but it feels like 2019-20 is shaping up to be one of Detroit’s worst. Which begs the question, what was the Red Wings’ worst NHL season? And how do you measure this? Embed from Getty Images The NHL has changed a lot in the time that the Wings have won their 11 Stanley Cups, but one thing is consistent; if you’re not winning games, you’re not winning cups. To that end, lets use win percentage as ourRead More →

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The 2020 NHL Draft is one of the strongest we have seen in years, and of course, is topped off by Alexis Lafreniere. What those who don’t look in-depth into this class may not realize is how deep this draft is as well. Let’s take a look at some potential ‘under-the-radar’ players in the upcoming entry draft.   Marat Khusnutdinov, C 5’9” / 165 lbs. SKA-1946 St. Petersburg / MHL My December Rank: 10 (Crazy, I know) When I get asked about my favorite players in this draft, Marat Khusnutdinov is always one of the first names that comes to mind. Looking at the smallRead More →