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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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With the holiday season upon us, it’s time to explore what NHL teams would like to find under the Christmas tree. What would Nick give his Detroit Red Wings and Carl his Colorado Avalanche? Nick wraps up an apology for one team and another got to open their present early. The World Junior Hockey Championships start on Boxing Day, as always. What is expected this year, with Canada looking to rebound, Finland looking to repeat and a tough US team joining in. For this tournament, play Hi Sticking with us by picking 1 forward, 1 defender and 1 goalie and if they put up pointsRead More →

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Another week, another coach fired! This time Jim Montgomery was fired for the Dallas Stars for “unprofessional conduct”. Marc Crawford was not fired by the Chicago Blackhawks after he took steps to improve after allegations in early December. And Pete DeBoer was fired for having bad goaltending. Which situation is most likely to lead to success?   Taylor Hall was traded to the Arizona Coyotes. Was the return worth it? And what does it signal for the direction of the New Jersey Devils? Ilya Kovalchuk and the Los Angeles Kings make an appearance in the Worst of the Week. In a return to the EliminationRead 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 →

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With Nick away, it takes three people to replace him. The Calgary Flames, and the NHL as a whole, had a bad week after news of coaches behaving badly happened repeatedly. Thankfully, this news is coming to light. What does it mean for the future of the league? Ryan Pike of Flames Nation and The Sporting News joins us to discuss the week that was for the Flames: the resignation of Bill Peters, the fallout and the future with Geoff Ward. Matthew Dillner, producer of the Dale Jr. Download and lifelong New York Islanders fan, joins us to discuss the New York Islanders’ fantastic season.Read More →

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Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray (as if you needed to be reminded of that) helped someone break up over Cameo. Which led us down the rabbit hole of, which NHL’ers can we get to say things? (And also inspires a charitable effort from Nick.) The 4th Line Hockey Podcast #258 – Babcock Fired, Three Suspensions There was also a LOT of big news in the league this week. Mike Babcock was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs. What can be expected from the Sheldon Keefe Leafs? Where will Babcock end up? Will of the news of locker room treatment impact his future? A collection ofRead More →

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The first quarter of the NHL season for the Buffalo Sabres has been a rollercoaster ride to say the least. With a new head coach (Ralph Krueger) with limited NHL experience, who could predict realistically how the team would start. Despite added defenders, the forward group was largely the same. Fans were excited with the their ability to win games off the hop but I feel most involved in the world of advanced stats saw the Sabres coming down to Earth. Embed from Getty Images Winning only one game in the month of November, how will Jason Botterill, as well as the coaching staff, rightRead More →