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It’s no secret that Uncle Gary (Bettman) is not one to make waves. To his credit, he is one of the most responsive commissioners in all of sports. This is why it’s time for the league, the owners, and the commissioner to take a signal from across the pond, and do more than just put out public relations pieces or boost the message of prominent figures in the world. While this would be an unusually public stance from the NHL, this would go beyond a video or Instagram post. The unity this would present would go a long way, while hockey is not the glueRead More →

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The NHL Draft Lottery is here! With the Detroit Red Wings having the best odds at the first overall pick. How does Nick handle the outcome? Kevyn Adams was named the GM of the Buffalo Sabres. But why did the front office changes even happen? The Hockey Hall of Fame welcomed Jarome Iginla, Marian Hossa, Kim St-Pierre, Ken Holland, Kevin Lowe and Doug Wilson to their ranks. Were they all worthy? As players begin to return ahead of training camp opening July 10, how much do the fans deserve to know about players’ health? All this and more on episode 285 of the 4th LineRead More →

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To give NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman some credit, he’s working hard to make sure the 2019-2020 playoffs go ahead. Despite teams announcing cases of COVID-19, the focus is still on which hub cities will host. The lockdown, in its various forms depending where you live, has given time for reflection and as I sit here with my iced-latte, wondering what July will bring, two things are clear: it’s summer, and I don’t care about the NHL resuming. That’s not say I’m not excited about next season. I can’t wait for everyone to be fit and healthy again, and to see what the Yzerplan will bring.Read More →

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Weeks ago sports were cancelled and we were left to wonder: what to do? Well, we started with 32 of our favorite sports movies. We broke all 32 movies into 4 different themed divisions of 8 teams each: Hockey, Baseball, Football and Fighting and The Rest. You decided who won each matchup. And two were left standing: Slap Shot and Happy Gilmore. It’s time for the finals! Brodie Cotnam’s Take Shockingly a hockey website’s film poll has come down to two movies with main character who love old time hockey! Slap Shot’s a classic amongst puck heads. Revered by many, it showcases much of whatRead More →

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With the world going through a COVID-19 related sports withdrawal, it’s time to escape to the world of film to get our fix in! And since there aren’t any sports to compete in, it’s time to find out what the best sports movie of all time is! We’ve broken all movies into 4 different themed divisions of 8 teams each: Hockey, Baseball, Football and Fighting and The Rest. With the 2nd round here, let’s check out the first half of the division semi finals! Check out all of the round 1 matchups here: Best Sports Movie Bracket – Rd. 1 – #4 vs #5 BestRead More →

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With the world going through a COVID-19 related sports withdrawal, it’s time to escape to the world of film to get our fix in! And since there aren’t any sports to compete in, it’s time to find out what the best sports movie of all time is! We’ve broken all movies into 4 different themed divisions of 8 teams each: Hockey, Baseball, Football and Fighting and The Rest. For the 1st Round, we’ll be looking at specific seeds each day. Today: The 2 seed vs the 7 seed. Check out the other round 1 matchups here: Best Sports Movie Bracket – Rd. 1 – #4Read More →

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Goal Greats With Alex Ovechkin hitting the 700 goal mark, passing another legend on seemingly a nightly basis, the only question left seems to be if/when he’ll catch the Great One? Whether or not he breaks Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 goals, many consider Ovi the greatest goal scorer ever, and there’s a solid argument to be made. Goaltending and defensive systems have come a long way since Bobby Hull, Gordie Howe and ‘Rocket’ Richard were blasting pucks past netminders. Ovi moved ahead of names like Lemieux, Yzerman and Messier of late, but let’s take a look at some of the other less talked aboutRead More →

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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 →